Wedding Planner 2014 S 23

As couples copewith the stress andstruggles of planning awedding, many beginto see theirhoneymoons as a timewhen they can finallyunwind and relaxwithout having toworry about seatingarrangements, vendornegotiations or the hostof other responsibilitiesthat come withplanning a wedding.But securing the perfecthoneymoon can benearly as difficult asplanning the wedding.

The biggestdilemma couples facewhen planning ahoneymoon is whereto spend that first weekor so as a marriedcouple. The right localefor a honeymoonvaries depending onthe couple. Somemight prefer aHawaiian island whileothers might find aweek spent camping ina national park is moretheir style. Whateveryou and your futurespouse’s style may be,the following are a fewtips to ensure you bothhave the time of yourlives.

* Decide what youcan afford. The dayswhen the bride’s fathertakes care of the bill forthe wedding are largelya thing of the past.Many of today’scouples finance theirown weddings, whichcan leave little moneyleftover for thehoneymoon. Whenshopping for ahoneymoondestination, know whatyou can and can’tafford. Yourhoneymoon budgetmay narrow your

options considerably,but it will help youensure you aren’tspending your first tripas a married couplepinching pennies.

* Play around withthe length of your trip.Many couples aim tospend at least one weekon their honeymoons.But one way to savemoney on thehoneymoon or make amore expensive localemore affordable is toreduce the length ofyour stay. An extra twodays in paradise mightbreak your honeymoonbudget, but what abouta shorter stay? You willlikely want to spend atleast five days at yourchosen destination, buta five-day trip canprove considerably lessexpensive than a fullweek, especially if youarrive and depart on aweekday.

* Travel in theoffseason. While manycouples deserve animmediate getawayafter planning andfinancing theirweddings, you mightget a better deal if youdelay your honeymoonuntil the offseason,when resorts tend tooffer more attractivepackages after thetourist season haspeaked. A honeymoonin the offseason is likelyto offer more privacythan one taken duringthe peak of the season,so you might find sucha honeymoon is moreromantic. If you dodecide to delay yourhoneymoon, you mightstill want to plan ashort getaway to anearby locale for a fewdays after you tie theknot. Even a short trip

can help you unwindafter all that planningand coordinating.

* Establish ahoneymoon registry. Inaddition to who’spaying for the wedding,one of the ways inwhich today’s couplesare different from thoseof yesteryear is the factthat many couples nowlive together beforetying the knot. Thatreality has made thetraditional registrysomewhat obsolete, asmany of today’scouples already owntheir own furniture andalready have a fullystocked kitchen. Butcouples can still have ahoneymoon registry,which allows theirguests to donate moneythey would otherwisebe spending on awedding gift to a fundthat will be usedspecifically to fund thecouple’s honeymoonand any adventuresthey choose to enjoyon their trip. Guestsmay even prefer such aregistry, as it savesthem the trouble ofwrapping a gift andcarrying it to thewedding whileensuring the happycouple will truly enjoytheir gift.

A couple’shoneymoon is a greatopportunity to unwindand enjoy some restand relaxation on theirfirst trip together asman and wife. And byputting a few savvysuggestions to gooduse, couples can ensuretheir honeymoon is allthey hoped it would beand much, much more.

Tips whenchoosing ahoneymoondestination