Okay, so I’ve taken a little break from the blog writing grind the last few weeks – everyone needs a break sometimes right? – and although it’s time to jump back in, I thought I’d keep the focus on relaxation.

What in the wedding world do you think of when you think relaxation? (the answer is not “nothing) – Hopefully you think about lying on the beach with a cocktail in hand or reading a book on the balcony of a Greek water-side resort. If you thought about a setting like this, you’ve guessed it – we are talking all about Honeymoons this week! YAY!

Honeymoon planning can sometimes take the back-burner to wedding planning. With all 500 wedding to-do’s stacked in front of you, it’s really easy to be like “ oh, we’ll book the flights later,” or “I’m going to wait until closer to the wedding to think about honeymoon clothes.” And guess what? This is when couples turn the happy, happy, joyous honeymoon plans into a stressful situation.

So today I want to walk you through 7 Practical Tips to Planning the Perfect Honeymoon!

* type “Ocean Waves” in your Spotify search bar, hit play, and read into honeymoon bliss*

#1: Start Planning Early

After you nail down the first few big wedding planning to-do’s (venue, date, planner/coordinator, photographer, caterer, etc.) start talking about your honeymoon. Do you want to visit a tropical paradise? Backpacking through Europe? Or maybe an Australian adventure? The locations are endless, so it always pays to start chatting about the destination early. It could take a while to decide.

This is also a big trip, so you may need sufficient time to save up the funds for it. I always suggest having a destination picked out at least 6-8 months before the wedding. If you can nail it down before that mark- do it.

The earlier you plan= the sooner you mark it off the list = the less you have to think about it = no stress, just fun.

#2: Search for those deals!

Most of the big honeymoon destination/resorts run specials around holidays. We were able to get a HUGE deal because Sandals was running a President’s Day sale. Thanks George Washington. After you’ve decided on a location, pick out a few resorts/airlines you’d like to book, then scour their website for discounts or special deals!

#3 :Renew/Obtain your Passport ASAP

As soon as you know that you need a passport, go get it then. Don’t wait. There is a big chance you might forget and there are sometimes time restrictions on when you can get it for certain locations. Seriously, don’t wait, just do it!

PS) 9 times out of 10 you won’t change your name before the honeymoon, but if you do, be sure the name on your passport matches the name on your license!

#4: Decide what type of accommodations you would like to stay in

“All-inclusive resorts are so cliché.” I don’t know why, but I have heard people say things like this over and over. Call me cliché or cheap or crazy or whatever, but I TOTALLY recommend all-inclusive resorts for your honeymoon. Especially if you are out of the country and on a budget. Think about it, you are away from home, so you are going to have to either purchase every single meal, coffee, water, cocktail, snack, etc. on the spot (with jacked up vacay pricing) or go to the grocery store and cook. To me, these two scenarios do not scream relaxation, they scream worrying about spending $15 every time I’m thirsty or cooking/cleaning up every time I’m hungry.

 If you have the budget to do a non all-inclusive resort, go for it! There are some seriously beautiful resorts out there. My advice is to really think it through and weigh all your budgetary options.

#5: Start Outfit Shopping Early!

Let’s face it, everyone wants to look cute on their honeymoon – and you should! But don’t wait until the week before you leave (most of the time the week before your wedding) to start shopping. This will STRESS you out. As soon as you know what climate you will be visiting on your honeymoon, keep your eyes open for cute things and snag them when you can. That way, you’ll be ready to fill your suitcase by the time you’re ready to pack!

#6: Schedule a Day to Rest

If you don’t take anything else away from this post, take this. Give yourself some time to rest in between your wedding and your honeymoon.

This is honest to God the only thing I wish we had done differently about our wedding. We were so excited to leave for our honeymoon, we booked a flight at 9:00 AM the morning after our wedding. This meant that we had to wake up at like 4:30 AM to pack up, drive 2 hours to the airport, go through security, board the plane, and travel to St. Lucia. After we arrived in St. Lucia, we then had a 2 hour van ride through the mountains (with no air conditioning). Basically we didn’t get into our room until dinner time. The level of tired we felt was unreal. I barely remember the flight there and we were DEAD asleep by 8:00 PM that first night. I wish so badly we had waited at least a day to sleep in, eat a full meal, laugh with our family and friends about the wedding, then hop on a plane.

Don’t get me wrong, we had the time of our lives after that first night, but the entire travel experience would have been much more enjoyable if we hadn’t felt like zombies.  

#7: S O A K  it U P

Thinking about real life while on your honeymoon is simply not allowed. Let your family know you’re safe, then put your phone away. Send photos to loved ones every now and then, but don’t catch up on emails or go down the Instagram hole.

Sleep. Lay on the beach. Stay in bed all day. Eat all you can eat. Drink all the fun drinks. Reminisce about the wedding. Hang with the locals. Enjoy each other. Go on an adventure. Take pictures. R E L A X.

You worked hard to plan that wedding and you work hard on life every day, your honeymoon is one of the very few times in life you can be completely free – soak it up!

It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere

Now, get to planning! After you book your trip, have a little cocktail together to celebrate! 🙂

Happy Honeymoon Planning!

xoxo,

Sammy

Interested in having the Jackson & June team plan, design, or coordinate your wedding? Find out more info here!