Like a perfect wedding, a perfect honeymoon is very much in the eye of the beholder. In other words, one person’s idea of a perfect wedding and honeymoon might be a lavish ceremony with hundreds of guests followed by two weeks in Bali, whereas another person’s dream might be to get hitched in Vegas and then spend a week in a remote log cabin.
The point is, there’s no one size fits all perfect honeymoon location, because each couple will have their own idea about the destination and type of trip they want to have. However, once you’ve decided on where you want to go and what you want to do when you arrive, there are some additional actions and decisions you should make to ensure that wherever you stay, you have the perfect experience you dreamed of.
Contents
Checklist for your perfect honeymoon
Consensus
At every stage of the planning process both partners should be in agreement about where to honeymoon and what you want to do while you’re away. This is going to be your first experience as a married couple, so it’s important that you start off in the right way, respecting each other’s wishes and contributing equally to the decision-making.
Documentation
Make sure you have any visas or other travel documents you may need for your destination country, and that your passports are valid for the honeymoon dates. The last thing you want when you’re heading off for the vacation of your life is to get stuck in an airport because your passport expired the previous week.
Excursions
You may well have discussed the attractions you want to see and places you’d like to visit when deciding on your destination, but you should make sure you’ve agreed on what you both would like to do on your honeymoon. It can be a lot of fun looking at all the potential activities available on your honeymoon, and it’s best to decide which are your priorities before you get there. It’s also useful to know if you’re going to need your snorkel or any other specialist item for when you pack.
Profile
Do you want the world to know you’re newlyweds and celebrate with people you meet on your trip? Or would you prefer to keep a low profile, enjoying the quiet life and being left to yourselves? If you make it known you’ve just got married, you could get perks like free drinks, receive VIP treatment, and be the focus of attention. That’s great if you enjoy being in the limelight, but if you cringe at the thought of sharing your specialtime, then it’s best to keep quiet about your recent nuptials.
Packing
Make a list in advance, or use a printable list from the internet to make sure you don’t forget anything. Don’t forget any prescription meds you might need, or other personal items that might not be listed on a generic packing list, and get your case packed and ready in good time, so you have an opportunity to sort out anything that you need to buy or wash a special garment.
Money management
It’s no secret that one of the chief causes of marital disharmony is money worries. If you’ve been living together before your marriage, you should already have your finances organized. If you haven’t, or you are only moving in together after the wedding, get your finances straight before you get married.
Weddings can cost a huge amount of money all told, and even if you have parents who are contributing to the cost, there are bound to be at least some expenses you’ll have to fund yourselves. You don’t want to get into a fight over money on your honeymoon, so make sure there aren’t going to be any financial surprises like rejected bank cards or bouncing checks when you’re away.
If you need extra money to cover the wedding or honeymoon costs, look carefully at all the options on offer to learn about the variety of loans and other types of credit that are available to you. It’s far better to arrange a loan at a lower interest rate than pile up all your expenses onto credit cards and start your married life with an unmanageable credit card bill to pay.
Never mind the weather…
Everyone imagines a perfect wedding and dream honeymoon where everything goes exactly to plan, and there are no hitches, problems, or crying (tears of joy excepted). However, real life has a habit of intruding on these dreams and finding ways to get you stressed and make you feel negative emotions. It’s hard not to react badly when you’ve pinned so much on the idea of a perfect celebration of your love, so the best approach is to be more realistic about your expectations and the impossibility of perfection.
An impossible dream is bound to get tarnished by events out of your control such as the weather, so if you set off on your honeymoon dreaming of endless warm, sunny days only to be greeted by hurricane force winds and torrential rain when the plane lands, you may well feel your honeymoon is ruined before it’s begun. On the other hand, if your only wish is to spend time with your new husband or wife, then sunny days are a bonus and you’ll be just as happy laying in bed watching cable, or wandering hand-in-hand around a museum.
… so long as you’re together
Sometimes engaged couples can get so caught up in the wedding arrangements that they lose sight of the point of the event. In the end, what matters is that you and your beloved are committing to spending the rest of your lives together, come what may. You’re making a legal and spiritual declaration of your love and what your partner means to you, and all the flowers, cake, champagne, and other wedding paraphernalia is just window dressing. Your honeymoon is a chance for the two of you to enjoy each other’s company as newlyweds without any of the stresses of everyday life, so take this opportunity to spend some special time with your beloved.
