Honeymoon Nights

The honeymoon night of the 50’s or even earlier was a whole different ball game than a honeymoon night today. The biggest difference is the sex; more than half of newlywed couples polled by bridal magazines and websites admit that they are too tired for any lovemaking on their first honeymoon night if they leave right after the reception.

Wedding planning is also not what it used to be; from choosing vendors to picking bouquets and place settings for the 200 people you barely know is a tough job and it requires meticulous planning even if you hire a professional wedding planner. If you are into details, and most brides are for their once in a lifetime (hopefully) event, then they want to do most of the choosing and shopping even if they have a planner. All this spells out months of exhaustion and tension on the big day if everything will fall in to place.

After everything does go smoothly, all brides want to do is sleep. Some grooms may not share the same definition of a honeymoon night but they really can’t do much about it if their new spouse has dozed off on the way from the reception in the limo. Also because the majority of couples have already had sex before the honeymoon night, there really is little charm for going through the effort on the day when so much more is going on.

You could spice up your honeymoon night for traditions sake at least by postponing the honeymoon for a few days. By not leaving immediately after the wedding ceremony or reception, you get to recuperate from the exhaustion and can start the honeymoon on the right note Even though it sounds archaic in this day and age, but few (actually very few) couples are holding off sex until the honeymoon night. And just by waiting to sleep with one another after the vows, makes their honeymoon night that more special. Don’t fret too much about whether the flowers in your bouquet match the ones on the centerpieces; focus on your partner and the new life that you are about to begin. Even if ultimate intimacy is not on your things to do list, at least exchange a special gift, see the wedding pictures on your digital camera, relax in a hot tub for two or anything else that will make the honeymoon night more memorable than sleeping.

Honeymoon Planning

Just like planning a written report or news article, you have to know the who, what, when, where and how in regards to your honeymoon planning. The who and what portions of the planning are no-brainers as the who refers to you and your intended while the what refers to the honeymoon. So do you have any ideas as to the when, where and how in referring to your honeymoon planning?

Typically, most honeymoons occur within a few days of the wedding ceremony although that is not always the case. Some people will plan the wedding based on school or work schedules and plan a honeymoon trip later when both parties can get a large chunk of time off for vacation. Others will decide where they want to go first and then decide on the when in regards to honeymoon planning. If you and your intended have your hearts set on a skiing vacation, then the obvious when in regards to honeymoon planning will be sometimes in the winter months. However, in seeking a tropical destination, the when could occur at any time of year.

Knowing where you are going is crucial to the where part of honeymoon planning. For strict budgets, you will likely stick close to home with the idea of going all out in a few years on a more extravagant vacation. Looser purse strings might see you venturing abroad to foreign countries either by cruise ship or by plane. The where in honeymoon planning is also influenced by what you and your intended’s likes and dislikes are in terms of weather and available activities. Tropical settings offer up the most opportunities for newlyweds and they are also romantic as well.

Unfortunately, the buck sometimes stops right where you don’t want it to – your dream destination for your honeymoon. Unless you want to be in debt for a few years while you pay off your dream honeymoon, it pays to be more sensible in your honeymoon planning. There is no reason not to choose a destination based on what your budget will allow and still plan that dream destination vacation for a later date. For some couples, a cruise makes economical sense in terms of the how of honeymoon planning. Your food, drink, activities and accommodations are not only under one roof but also part of one price. Plus, with this type of honeymoon, you can still see new places each time the ship makes port during your cruise. Let your budget dictate what you can and cannot afford in terms of your honeymoon destination. Honeymoon planning doesn’t have to be rocket science, just plain old common sense with a hint of dreams and romance thrown in.