It’s officially wedding planning season! Congratulations to all of you who got engaged over the holidays! Right now many of you are in the beginning stages of thinking about setting your wedding date, what venues are available, what caterer is the best in town, what kind of cake you’ll want, and finding that perfect dress. Although it’s traditionally the groom’s job to plan the honeymoon, in this day and age, women generally rule the roost when it comes to planning vacations and trips, and honeymoons are no longer the exception.
One of the biggest mistakes? Don’t wait till the last minute to book your honeymoon. Depending on when you set your date and when you want to honeymoon, you should be trying to shoot for at least an 8 month window of planning time. If you wait to book till the last minute you’ll be disappointed by the lack of options, availability and prices if you do. Get in touch with your travel advisor to start gathering information and ideas early.
Make sure you work with a travel advisor who spends some time getting to know you as a couple to determine just what kind of honeymoon you want. Do you want lots of rest and relaxation, or are you an active couple who enjoys adventure? Are you “foodies”? A foodie is a gourmet, or a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and alcoholic beverages. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger. Do you enjoy new and modern or historic and legendary accommodations? Budget or luxury? All-inclusive or EP (European Plan – that does not include meals and beverages). There are lots of things to consider when planning any trip, let alone one as special as a honeymoon.
Other major deciding factors include budget, destination, and time away. Budget is obviously one of the biggest contributing factors when deciding where to go. If you find that you are a bit short on funds because of planning the wedding – consider a “honeyfund”. A honeymoon registry where your guests, family and friends can contribute to your honeymoon. There is a website that specializes in this, and if you are working with a competent travel advisor, they should be able to host you one as well. Destination: Do you want to stay domestic or break down some international borders? And time away – don’t plan a trip over to Europe if you can only afford to take five days off. That’s a waste of a plane ticket if you ask me. If you want to take a European or other far-fetched destination honeymoon – plan for at least 8-10 days.
Another final piece of advice I have. Do NOT book your honeymoon for the morning right after your wedding. You do not want to miss your flight because you were partying with all of your guests till the wee hours. Give yourself at least a day to rest from the wedding. The last thing you want is to be stressed out when just starting off your first adventure together as a married couple.
Again, congratulations on your engagement! May the planning be fun and stress-free! Your wedding and honeymoon should be memorable, romantic and create memories of a lifetime for you both! Good luck!
