It’s February in New Jersey, and even though we’ve been experiencing a recent warm spell, I can’t help but wish I were someplace tropical. Tropical beaches and warm breezes. Turquoise waters and over-sized sunglasses. Lazy afternoons and cocktails before lunch. These are just a few of the memories I have of my honeymoon. It was a magical time. It was the most romantic week I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed all the luxury: multiple trips to the spa, having a butler (!), no schedule or cell service, seven days with no distractions! Just me and my new hubby. I’ve decided to fully embrace my honeymoon nostalgia by creating a honeymoon planning checklist for you. The best way to plan your romantic wedding get away.
Here’s Richie and I in St. Lucia on our honeymoon.
Honeymoon Planning Checklist
We did a lot of research when planning our honeymoon. I asked other people where they had gone. Richie spoke to friends who had traveled extensively. When we narrowed down our options to the Caribbean, we were able to decide on the island of St. Lucia. Then all we had to do then was choose which resort we wanted. Here’s your honeymoon planning checklist:
Where! This is the fun part!
- Decide where you want to go. Easy right? Well, there are a lot of beautiful places in the world.
- Figure out your budget. How much do you want to spend? Some couples even register for their honeymoon. There are a few ways to do this, but they often charge a hefty surcharge to do it for you.
- Do you want to go to a resort, or travel to multiple locations? All-inclusive resorts can really simplify the process and allow for easier budgeting (you’ll know exactly what you’ll be spending as soon as you book). Going on a tour-style honeymoon can be a little more challenging to plan for and to predict the budget for.
- Do you want to leave the country? If you do, get your passport renewed (or get a passport). Mine was waaaay too old to use. Consider also that passports are expensive. Worse, we spent about about $300 for the two of us! And we had not remembered to budget for this expense.
When?
- When do you want to go? Many couples go right after their wedding day. But I’m a fan of spacing out the two events. This cuts down big-time on wedding stress. And for us, it worked to extend the wedding excitement. We got married, and enjoyed all of the wedding day excitement. We came home, tied up wedding day lose ends and then two weeks later we went on our honeymoon.
How?
- Do you want to use a travel agent? We did. Once we figured out where we wanted to go, we allowed our travel agent to finalize all the details, book everything, and arrange for our flights. A nice surprise was two months before our honeymoon, our travel agent called to tell us first class had gone on sale. We jumped at flying first class. I have really long legs and do not enjoy flying. Now, I may never be able to go coach again.
What do you NEED?!
- Do you need any vaccinations? This is a serious consideration. Some places require multiple vaccinations that need to be done in stages many months in advance. This is something your travel agent can help you figure out.
- Do you need a visa? Not the credit card! Your trip might require travel visas and they often need to be applied for in advance. So, again, check with your travel agent.
- Get the travel insurance! I know what you’re thinking: This is my honeymoon! I’m NOT canceling! This is most likely true. I’ve heard some sad stories. And you never know what might throw a wrench in your plans. Then, on our honeymoon, we were so relieved to have it, when St. Lucia was hit with more rain then they had experienced in the past year. Roads were impassable. And then, there were mudslides. It was crazy! But at least we didn’t have to worry about the money it would cost us if we couldn’t get home. And read the fine print. The travel insurance we had only covered our return flight if the airport was closed (it wasn’t ). In addition, it didn’t cover us if we couldn’t GET to the airport when the roads had been washed out!
I hope this honeymoon planning checklist has been a help to you. Last, please pin this blog if you want to save it for later! If you need any help, or are looking for help planning your wedding,contact us at Bogath weddings and Events, by clicking here.
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW