Honeymoon Harmony: Crafting a Budget, Choosing a Destination, and Top Picks for Seamless Planning
A bridal expedition into post-wedding paradise! Sail into your honeymoon by creating a realistic budget, choosing the ultimate destination & learning about top trusted travel agencies to help plan
In one of my latest newsletters, I spoke about your monthly wedding countdown. Assuming that you’re going on your honeymoon soon after your wedding, I share the importance of beginning to plan your honeymoon around the 6 month mark. The reason I say this is because it gives you ample time to plan, that way you don’t feel like you’re rushing at the last minute before your big day. Let’s be real - those few months before your wedding get busy fast. From appointments with different vendors and making sure that everything is on track for your special day, you don’t want that last minute stress of having to also plan your honeymoon.
Step 1: Decide When To Go On Your Honeymoon
Embarking on the journey of a lifetime together begins with the exciting task of planning your dream honeymoon. With a world of endless possibilities, the first step is to narrow down your options and choose a destination. Picking the perfect time to escape allows you to consider factors like weather, special events, and personal preferences. Whether you envision a beach retreat, a cultural exploration or a winter wonderland, choosing the right timeframe sets the stage for the rest of your honeymoon planning adventure. So, let the anticipation build as you and your partner take the first exciting step towards creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
72% of people stated that they’d prefer to leave 1-3 days after their wedding, whereas the remaining 28% voted they’d prefer to wait a few months.
You’ll find that some couples choose to go on their honeymoon right after their wedding, whereas others like the delayed gratification planning it a few months later. Some newlyweds opt for the immediacy of a honeymoon right after their wedding, reveling in the seamless transition from ceremony to celebration. Others, however, choose to save the anticipation and plan for a later escape, allowing time to recover from wedding festivities and aligning their dream destination with optimal weather conditions. This decision marks the inception of a unique and personal journey, setting the tone for a memorable beginning to marital bliss.
My Experience
My fiancé and I knew that we both definitely wanted to go on our honeymoon a few days after our wedding. We loved the idea of continuing the wedding celebrations just the two of us as we started our life together as husband and wife. Plus, what better way to recap your wedding weekend then on your honeymoon with your husband or wife?!
We were never set on a specific place, so time of year wasn’t an issue with choosing a destination. Instead, we narrowed it down to destinations that were nice to travel at that time of year we wanted to go on our honeymoon. For example, our honeymoon is in March, so it’s not the best time of year to travel to Europe weather wise. We also knew that we weren’t looking for a Caribbean island nor did we want to travel domestic. Narrowing it down this way led us to explore the options in Asia. Now of course, Asia is huge, so we still had a lot more narrowing down to do.
Step 2: Choosing a Destination
Narrow down the destinations by considering time of year you’ll be traveling
Figure out what types of things you are both interested in doing on your honeymoon
Talk to other people who have gone on their honeymoon there and learn about their itineraries
My Experience
The second thing that we focused on when choosing a destination was understanding what exactly it was that we were looking to do on our honeymoon. Did we want a really peaceful, quiet, and relaxing honeymoon on a body of water? Did we want to choose a destination with an amazing culinary experience? Did we want to tour major cities and landmarks? Did we want a really adventurous experience in nature? For us, we wanted a balance of this all. We didn’t want just a beach vacation, or just good food, and so on. So that’s what helped us narrow it down to Thailand and Bali.
Once we narrowed it down to those two destinations, we initially thought we might be able to go to both of them. We started to ask our friends to connect us with anyone who might’ve already done a similar trip. We wanted real unbiased feedback from people who went to these countries on their honeymoon. After talking to a few different people, we learned that there are many places within Thailand to travel to but it would require a few short flights within Thailand. We didn’t want to spend a majority of our honeymoon traveling to different places and moving between several hotels, however Thailand as a whole seemed to have a lot more to offer than Bali. Ultimately we decided to do Thailand only. I’m not going to lie - it was a tough decision choosing Thailand versus Bali - but we quickly reminded ourselves that there is no wrong answer. All of the options we were considering would be a trip of a lifetime no matter what.
Step 3: Explore Travel Agencies to help build the perfect itinerary!
This step definitely isn’t a must, but it’s highly recommended, especially if you’re someone who is looking to do a little less work making the itinerary and would like some hand holding in the planning process! Travel agents can offer personalized recommendations and often have access to exclusive deals as well.
What’s fun about having a travel agent help plan your trip is not only do they take the stress of planning away, but they also throw in perks to make the trip memorable. Whether it be something as small as welcome notes or treats at your hotel, these companies add such unique and special touches to your trip.
You also gain a lot more perks working with travel agents than you do from credit card companies. Each of these travel agencies make sure they go above and beyond, providing you with upgrades, early check-in and check-outs, hotel credits, and more, which the credit card companies aren’t necessarily able to provide.
Each travel agency offers a unique set of services and expertise, making it worthwhile to delve into their offerings. What’s great about a lot of these agencies is that they require a very small deposit to help plan your entire honeymoon itinerary. From daily scheduling with tours, transportation, meals and more, travel agencies do an incredible job at organizing and booking all of your plans on your behalf, taking away the stress of planning. All you have to do is decide your budget, explain what you’re looking for, then sit back and enjoy…
Recommended Honeymoon Travel Agencies
Similar to how you choose a job not only on the role but also based off the people in the company, the same goes for selecting a travel agency to help plan your honeymoon - or any wedding vendor in that case.
A huge thing that I have learned in my own wedding planning journey is the importance of working with vendors whose personalities you enjoy spending time with. So much time, work and communication goes into wedding planning with all of the vendors, so you want to make sure you’re happy with the people you’re working with.
Three standout recommendations offer unparalleled expertise and personalized service, ensuring an unforgettable journey tailored to your unique preferences.
Over the Moon Vacations known for their meticulous attention to detail specializing in honeymoon planning to help craft unforgettable getaways that seamlessly blend adventure and romance. What makes them unique is that they have taken every trip that they’ve planned, which really allows them to provide first-hand insight into everything, especially the nitty gritty logistics. The company is a product of a husband and wife who are in love with two things: travel and each other. This duo has made it their mission to discover all that the world has to offer, with the goal of bringing expert, insider info back to their clients. They require a $300 planning fee deposit.
Number 1 Power Travel is known for crafting luxurious trips and extraordinary experiences having over 40 years of expertise. The company began when two prominent travel agencies merged their skillsets in the industry into one. Robby Altheim is a dedicated travel agent that brings a unique touch to his craft by being an avid traveler himself. With his experience in the hospitality industry, his affinity for culturally rich experiences and love for savoring exquisite cuisines, Robby brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to his work. They require a minimum $250 planning fee depending on the complexity of the trip.
FORA Travel known for planning anything from quick trips to grand adventures. Their team works really hard to cultivate meaningful relationships that way they have a better understanding of how to plan a customized trip tailored to their clients needs. Carly Gropper, a travel agent at FORA Travel, stated, “when I was planning my honeymoon, I interviewed 3 different travel agencies, and I felt like they didn’t understand me.” She goes on to explain that the reason she began in this industry is to make sure that she gets to really know her clients on a personal-level and making sure that they are the right fit for each other. They do not require a planning fee deposit.
My Experience
Over the Moon Vacations is helping me to plan my honeymoon. We recently began this process and to date it has been so seamless. In under one week, they turned around an incredible itinerary including a breakout with activities scheduled, meals, pricing, transportation costs, confirmations and more. I am so incredibly excited to see our itinerary come to life and to share it with you all as we get closer!
Planning a honeymoon is such a special time in life for my fiancé and I. We can’t help but feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to create lasting memories together. The thrill of selecting destinations, crafting the perfect itinerary, and envisioning the adventures that await us is truly special. Amidst the joyous chaos of wedding preparations, let’s remember to savor every moment of the honeymoon planning process. It’s easy to get lost in the details and overlook the significance of this magical time. So, as we navigate through the plans and decisions, let’s take a step back to recognize that the honeymoon is not just a post-wedding retreat; it’s a celebration of our love and the beginning of a beautiful journey together. Cherish every second, create memories that will last a lifetime and embrace this once in a lifetime experience.
Happy Honeymoon Planning!
With love,
Lexi