How Easy is it to Plan the Perfect Honeymoon?

This is such a great question, I’m so glad you asked!

I've been planning honeymoons for my travelers for about 3 years now, including a few of my own (COVID wedding means we're taking one every year for the rest of forever).

Read on for my general process!

Let's set the scene! The mood! You’re engaged! 

You have big plans for your future, including a wedding in the short term and spending the rest of your life with the love of your life in the long term.

What’s left figure out now?  

Usually, there is a ceremony of some sort, whether that’s the two of you eloping to a mountaintop in Colorado, a 500 person gala at the most beautiful venue in town, an intimate backyard wedding, friends and family celebrating you at sunset on a tropical beach, or anything else your heart desires!

The ceremony can be as complex or as simple as you and your person want, and depending on your visions, you’ll get to add guest lists, dining options, table places, decor, flowers, your officiant, your wedding party, how many peacocks will be in attendance, or which pair of hiking boots you’ll use to reach the summit.

Then there’s the simple matter of having many, many, many open and honest conversations with your person about what your life together will look like as you move forward as a team, understanding the love languages in which you both communicate, and all the other good things that will solidify your bond and help you weather the lifetime to come.  

Don’t forget to count on these conversations to continue throughout the years as you both grow, change and support each other!

Now - on to the HONEYMOON!

As if there weren’t enough considerations and plans to figure out, it’s time to think about how you’d like to celebrate this amazing life transition - your newlywed status with your person.

If you’re thinking a staycation, you’ll want to consider your ability to separate yourselves from work and life so that you can best enjoy each other and take in the huge life change you’re experiencing together.

If you’re planning to take an adventure, there’s only the ENTIRE WORLD to consider!

One of the first things I like to do is establish the big driver for their honeymoon. 

By “driver” I mean the one factor that takes the most precedence, and will then set the course for the rest of the planning.  

This might be specific dates, if work or life schedules dictate. 

There might also be a specific event happening somewhere you want to experience!

It might be duration - you absolutely must be gone for three weeks, or you have a long weekend to make the most of.

Maybe it’s a specific destination or region you’ve always been dreaming of.

Perhaps you have a certain budget you’re allocating for your honeymoon.

Determining THE most important factor will be incredibly helpful to get you started on the rest of honeymoon planning.

From there, dates, honeymoon duration, destination, activity level, must do activities, and accommodation(s) can be figured out.

By this time, you’ll likely have realized that you need some idea of how much you’d like to spend. 

You might not have any idea what a “typical” spend is for the place you’re thinking, or you might have a very specific number in mind. 

Either way, you’ll need to consider your comfort level and what items you’re finding are worth the additional cost - I usually refer to this as your cost value analysis for your trip.

This cost value analysis is an important factor to think through during your planning. 

For example, is it worth the cost to pay for the upgraded seats for your overnight flight to Europe (I always say YES)? 

How about a resort that’s on the ocean? 

Maybe a hot tub on the balcony? 

A private tour of the Louvre instead of having to join a group?  

You’ll want to make sure you consider how you’re getting to your honeymoon - if you’ll be driving or flying, or maybe sailing? 

And if you’re flying, you’ll want to be sure you consider all the ways to make your flying experience as stress free as possible based on where you’re going! 

I’m talking flying with reputable airlines, studying layover times, understanding the customs logistics for each step of your journey, and being prepared for crazy things like airline worker strikes, weather delays, or motion sickness.

Don’t forget about logistics upon arrival. 

Rental car, taxi, bus, private car and driver, subway, train, tuk-tuk, horseback, helicopter, or on foot - however you’re getting where you’re going, you’ll want to have this figured out and (if possible) arranged ahead of time.

Then of course you’ll need to study travel insurance. 

Depending on how you’re booking your trip, you may be able to book one policy to cover your entire investment as well as to offer medical protection to you while on your journey. 

Alternatively, separate components may have insurance offered by the supplier. 

Make sure to be well versed in how the insurance you’re studying is affected by COVID, cancellations, and anything unforeseen that may occur. 

Double check the fine print to ensure that you and your trip investment are best protected!

From there, it’s a good idea to confirm everything you’ve arranged ahead of time with all the suppliers you’ve booked with a few times before your departure to make sure everything is square.

Don’t forget to make sure honeymoon amenities are included in your stay if you want them! 

Sometimes they are at no additional cost, and sometimes these must be paid for ahead of time.

Then you’ll need to find and get in touch with the hotel or resort contacts onsite to help you with any special touches, such as flowers in the room for your sweetheart, a private dinner on the beach, a surprise hot air balloon ride, or anything else that would take your honeymoon from great to AMAZING.

Of course, this is only a BRIEF overview of everything you’ll need to consider for your honeymoon planning. 

There are many components to keep in mind, and it can become overwhelming on top of wedding planning, plus living during a pandemic, plus working, plus maintaining your relationships and social life, plus everything else you have going on.

Every single one of my honeymoon couples reached out to me because they were feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and lost when it came to planning their honeymoon.

They needed to find another way, because planning their honeymoon while planning their wedding was NOT IT.

Is this you, too?

Here’s a link to a post about what to expect after you decide to work with me on your honeymoon.