Why You Should Delay Your Honeymoon After The Destination Wedding

Wonderful West Wittering - June 2011 - Happy Couple 1The morning after the wedding was a blur for Stacy Reynolds.

Having gotten up late, she was now in a cab trying to explain to the driver that she had a 6 AM flight to catch for her honeymoon.

No matter how much she impressed upon the cabbie to drive faster, he still drove in a very leisurely way.

And he only spoke Spanish!

This was no way to relax, she thought to herself.

She was so wound up from planning the wedding, that all she really wanted to do was go home and decompress for a while.

And this situation is not uncommon

The situation described above is a far too familiar one that couples find themselves in. Many regret not having planned a honeymoon a few weeks, or months after the wedding. Doing so has many advantages that aren’t very apparent initially.

And before you think “Oh, that’s not for me”, read on for a list of reasons why you should delay your honeymoon.

You need time to rest after a wedding

Regardless of how well you plan a destination wedding, it is going to be stressful. By the time the wedding is done and over with, you’re going to be exhausted and not ready for a whole new trip. By delaying the honeymoon, even for a few months, you will give yourself some time to relax and plan for a new adventure. Plus, you won’t spend your entire honeymoon needing lots of sleep recovering from the wedding or the travel.

You’ll be able to afford a much nicer honeymoon

Gennifer Williams, a destination wedding planner says “After spending tens of thousands of dollars on a destination wedding (Average cost is over $25,000. Read Surprising Destination Wedding Statistics), you may not have the budget for a nice honeymoon right after the wedding. Many couples will use the time after the wedding to save so they can afford their dream vacation/honeymoon”.

Plus, couples can use the additional money they got as wedding gifts for a much nicer destination and lodging.

They can take a longer honeymoon

There are only so many vacation days in a year and your destination wedding may eat up a chunk of that time. By the time your wedding is over, you may only have three or four days left for the honeymoon. Rather than waste those days on a short honeymoon (which you will complain about being too short anyways), wait till you have built up a couple of weeks of vacation. Then leave for a dream honeymoon anywhere in the world. It is absolutely worth it.

It may be cheaper

Chances are that you are going to get married during peak wedding season. As such, you will be paying high prices for the honeymoon as well. If you want to save some money, just push the honeymoon a few months when the prices are lower and the weather is not that much different. The difference between peak and non peak prices can often be 30% or more so it is worth the wait.

And just because you are postponing your honeymoon for a few months doesn’t mean you can’t take a minimoon.

What’s a minimoon?

It’s a term brides use for a short honeymoon that last three to four days. They are romantic trips a few hours drive away that couples take in their first few years of marriage.

Use this kind of trip right after your wedding to enjoy and celebrate your wedding together. It will give you a taste of what the real honeymoon will be like, and will give you some time to decompress as well.

And if you do decide to delay, make sure you plan the honeymoon within the first week or two after the destination wedding.

Why Plan The Honeymoon Right After The Wedding?

Because life gets in the way. We make plans, we start getting back into the groove of our daily lives, and then we forget about the honeymoon altogether. Many couples that “delayed” their honeymoon ended up not going at all so make sure you plan within a couple of weeks of coming back from the wedding.

And don’t just plan, pay for it as well.

Because if you don’t pay for it, then it won’t be real. It will be easy to put off to buy a car or to put a down payment on a house. And while the house may be a more practical use of the money, no one will remember the down payment on the house, but you will remember skipping a honeymoon (Or at least you’ll be reminded by your other half!).

Delaying the honeymoon sounds strange initially but the idea has a lot of support. Just ask any of the brides that missed their 6 AM flight afterwards.

What should you read next?

Since you’re planning a destination wedding, why not look at some of the most popular destination wedding locations.

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