Honeymoon

Although the bride tends to be the driving force behind most of the arrangements for the wedding, traditionally it is the groom who organises the honeymoon. Very often, the bride doesn’t know for sure where they are going until the happy couple are actually on their way to the honeymoon destination.

After the build-up to the wedding, all the hard work, and all the nerves and emotions of the big day itself, it is marvellous to be able to go off on honeymoon together. Not only does this new excitement prevent you from feeling anticlimactic after the wedding, some unstructured time alone together is very welcome after all the ritual and the whirl of family and friends.

Your honeymoon is a very special time, a time when you are away from any responsibilities you may have and free to concentrate completely on each other. Don’t put any pressure on yourselves to achieve anything - or to have “the best holiday ever”. Relax, go with the flow and enjoy the freedom and the feeling of being married to the person you love.

You may have been under some pressure in the run-up to the wedding, so do try to book a honeymoon long enough for you to be able to unwind and really appreciate it.

As long as you have married the right person, it doesn’t really matter where you go on honeymoon but it is important it should be somewhere neither of you has been with anyone else. This should be your special place, evoking memories you have made together.

Depending on the time of day you are getting married, it may not be feasible to travel very far straight from the wedding. What many people do is to book a romantic hotel somewhere local for their wedding night and then travel further afield for the honeymoon the next day.

A few thoughts for the bridegroom:

By all means, surprise your bride with your honeymoon destination but do be practical and tell her in advance if she needs, for example, vaccinations for where you’re going. Also, she will not thank you if she hasn’t got all the right gear for the occasion – swimsuit/skis/hiking boots, the right clothes, the right accessories. She must be prepared or it will spoil it for her, so tell her the minimum she needs to know to make sure she’s ready for wherever and whatever you’ve got in mind.

Do take out travel insurance and do make sure you’ve got everything booked and organised well in time.

Do tell the place(s) you’re going to stay – and any restaurants etc you go to – that you’re on honeymoon. Everybody loves newlyweds and people will be happy to go the extra mile for you.