James,
I do not want to spend a lot of money on my wedding but instead, want to invest in the experience of an amazing honeymoon abroad. What are your tips for a good and fulfilling vacation experience?
-Cynthia
Cynthia,
This isn’t an uncommon choice. Though the cost of the average wedding is rising, many couples are opting to put more money towards their home together or a full-on experience they can enjoy for their honeymoon.
First off, traveling to a place you both would enjoy is key for an enjoyable experience. Compromising is key and what marriage is all about, so get started practicing that from the get-go.
If you want complete control over every choice you make on your trip, don’t choose an all-inclusive service.
However, if you want a more leisurely time and not see the money being spent in that moment an all-inclusive trip can be perfect for you, bringing with it food, tours, activities and more, these options are great for a stress-free guided experience.
If it is possible, give yourself one full day between your wedding and the flight you will be taking to your destination. This gives you a second to breathe after the previous festivities and collect yourself before heading out.
This is also a good time to say goodbyes to family members, finalize any arrangements for animal care, collect last-minute materials and start the vacation off right.
If you are someone who likes to avoid credit this may not be the idea for you. Even if you have set money aside to pay for a trip look into possibly getting a travel credit card.
You can finance the entire trip and imminently pay it off collecting all the points that come with it on your first trip as a couple. These points can be invested into more vacations in the future if you are the type who like to travel.
As a planner myself I love scheduling and planning experiences but remember while it is fun to be involved and have some guidance to your experience this is supposed to be a vacation.
Try not to pack too much into your day so you can take each experience at your own pace and even find yourself melding into the culture of the land rather than simply being a tourist.
Speaking of over planning. If you do choose a place like visiting a thriving metropolis like Paris, Milan or London and want to get the most out of your experience rather then leisure, be warned, it won’t be easy planning an entire wedding on top of a potential week-long trip.
This could be a good situation in which to higher a planner to help assist with planning your wedding so you can plan your trip.
Hopefully, these tips will help ease your mind so you can not only enjoy your wedding but the trip to follow.
Enjoy your honeymoon!
-James Novotny
James Novotny, director of James Novotny Lifestyle Design and the wedding blog alwaysthebridesman.com, would like to help guide you down the aisle and ease your wedding day woes.
Feel free to send your wedding quarries to lifestyledesign@jamesnovotny.org or drop them off at the Clarion office, 6-314.
James Novotny is an all-inclusive wedding planner and is open to questions regarding same-sex and multicultural weddings.