Honeymoons, like wedding venues, need to be financially planned and often tend to be an extravagance. Every couple is different and will have a unique idea of what they want and where they will go on their honeymoon. In this article, we’re sharing ideas, tips and advice when it comes to planning a honeymoon. 

With modern-day professional responsibilities for both bride and groom, it is likely you won’t be able to take as much time off as you’d like (traditionally a honeymoon would last a month!) Take into consideration the distance you are travelling – you will be exhausted from your wedding planning and the excitement of the day and if you’ve only got a short amount of time, you don’t want to be suffering from jet lag as well.  Some couples will postpone the Honeymoon to a later time, perhaps taking a ‘mini-moon’ in the interim to avoid the swift return to work or day-to-day grind.

Traditionally the poor Bride and Groom left the festivities of their wedding soon after the meal had ended but this was to enable them to ‘go away’ to the cheers and waving of their guests who saw them off on the start of their honeymoon – usually with tin cans trailing from the back of the car. Most couples now stay to the end of the day and generally speaking, where it is possible stay overnight at the venue, only go away the next morning.

The honeymoon was always the responsibility of the groom – the choice of destination, the planning and the bill! Again this is one of the traditions that has fallen by the wayside in many cases given that the bride is no longer deemed to be the chattel that she once was! Some grooms though still enjoy providing the surprise honeymoon to the unsuspecting bride who has just been told to ‘pack for sunshine’.

Some couples of course use the honeymoon to move into a new home or take the kids for a holiday – circumstances vary dramatically these days.

But just in case there is to be a trip across national borders it is always as well to make sure that your passports are up to date before the wedding planning even begins.

Before you book your honeymoon, sit down and chat about possible locations that work for you both. Don’t assume you’ll both want to venture to the same destination either.

The money you have to spend on your honeymoon will all be determined by the amount of money you spend on your wedding. If your parents are paying for your wedding you may have funds between you to put towards your special post-wedding break. You may wish to incorporate your honeymoon spend in to your overall wedding budget, if you’re planning several years ahead

If you’re spending all of your money on your wedding celebration – why not consider starting a honeymoon fund with a local travel agent? There are a few ways around this. You can book your honeymoon and have your guests call to contribute towards it. Or, you could select different surprises for your guest to purchase for you, such as couples’ massages, a romantic dinner, an excursion or a day trip to somewhere spectacular.