Wedding Blog
In high school I took three years of French. Consequently, I fell in love with the language, culture, and cuisine (even escargot!). While I spent my time dreaming of visiting France, Mr. Spring Roll lived the dream; his aunt took him on a tour of Europe in 1996 with her church group.
Mr. Spring Roll in Scotland
There was no doubt that Mr. Spring Roll and I wanted to visit France and England for our honeymoon. However, money caused many doubts that it would not be possible. To make our dream honeymoon a reality, Mr. Spring Roll and I have had to make some tough financial decisions. Decisions such as having a smaller wedding and living separately with our parents until a couple of months before we wed.
Mr. Spring Roll and I will have saved enough money by the end of this month to book our honeymoon. I am a little nervous about planning such a big trip, as he nor I have ever done so. We have started the planning process by getting our passports and browsing travel websites. I even purchased the book Paris for Dummies, which has some helpful tips. Nevertheless, I am unsure if we should book our trip through a travel website or through a travel agency.
Any suggestions or advice? How did you book your honeymoon?
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You can plan your honeymoon yourselves- I have always found that using a travel agent makes everything more expensive unless you know one personally or are related to one. It will probably make more economic sense to fly round trip to London and take the eurostar train to Paris. In terms of guidebooks, I recommend Rick Steves. You should look at tripadvisor.com for booking a hotel, and browse chowhound.com and egullet.com for restaurant recommendations. Have a great time planning your honeymoon. How exciting!
We just got back from our French honeymoon– we went to Paris, Alsace, the Loire and Normandy. We absolutely loved Rick Steve’s book France 2008. You should get next year’s– it’ll come out soon. It was really helpful– gave very helpful advice about how to save and when to splurge. Also all of the restaurants and hotels we used from it were very good. RIck really has a perspective– sort of everyman travel, not super luxury, but really interesting. If you’re interested in eating where locals eat, seeing a lot of great sites and learning on the way– it’s a really good book.
I definitely second the Rick Steve’s suggestion. Good luck!!
I REALLY recommend the Hotel Avenir in the Monmartre district of Paris. The rooms are nice, affordable, and if you call and request a corner room with a view, you can see the Eiffel tower from one window and Sacre Coeur from the other. We loved staying there and it was TRES romantic!
I also really recommend Wood Norton Hall in Evesham outside of London… its where the BBC broadcasted from during WWII and its the dreamiest most british hideaway.
You have to have to have to do high tea at the Lanesborough Hotel in London.
And any show at the National in London is awesome. You can stand in line early in the morning for cheap cheap tickets. We sat front row for an amazing Henry V for $10 each!
Congrats! How exciting for you 
I REALLY recommend the Hotel Avenir in the Monmartre district of Paris. The rooms are nice, affordable, and if you call and request a corner room with a view, you can see the Eiffel tower from one window and Sacre Coeur from the other. We loved staying there and it was TRES romantic!
I also really recommend Wood Norton Hall in Evesham outside of London… its where the BBC broadcasted from during WWII and its the dreamiest most british hideaway.
You have to have to have to do high tea at the Lanesborough Hotel in London.
And any show at the National in London is awesome. You can stand in line early in the morning for cheap cheap tickets. We sat front row for an amazing Henry V for $10 each!
Congrats! How exciting for you
I REALLY recommend the Hotel Avenir in the Monmartre district of Paris. The rooms are nice, affordable, and if you call and request a corner room with a view, you can see the Eiffel tower from one window and Sacre Coeur from the other. We loved staying there and it was TRES romantic!
I also really recommend Wood Norton Hall in Evesham outside of London… its where the BBC broadcasted from during WWII and its the dreamiest most british hideaway.
You have to have to have to do high tea at the Lanesborough Hotel in London.
And any show at the National in London is awesome. You can stand in line early in the morning for cheap cheap tickets. We sat front row for an amazing Henry V for $10 each!
Congrats! How exciting for you
First, I’m jealous. I used to live in London and miss it soooo much! And Mr. Cookie proposed under the Eiffel Tower.
1. I agree you can plan the trip all by yourself.
2. Rick Steves will become your best friend.
3. Fly into roundtrip into London and chunnel it to Paris. Oh, and buy your round trip Eurostar before you leave the US! I like using http://www.raileurope.com.
4. I used http://www.hostelworld.com to book all our accommodations. We stayed at the Le Regent Montmarte http://www.leregent.com in Paris. I can’t recommend it more highly. Also, pay a little extra to get a room with a view of The Sacré-Cœur.
5. Buy the Paris Museum it is soooo worth it!
I’ve got a million pieces of advice, so PM me if you have any questions.
My husband and I have used Rick Steves to plan trips to Ireland and to Italy and he’s absolutely wonderful. Your local library may also have DVDs of his show (you could also catch it on PBS); he’s just the best for budget travel.
There is awesome fondue restaurant in Montmarte area… Les Refuges. Its two long tables and I can almost guarantee you’ll meet some interesting people
Just to give you a shot of confidence on your upcoming travel purchase: I have NEVER regretted spending money on travel. I am sure you will be happy with your decision to save elsewhere!
I don’t know how long you’re going, but if you have the time shoot out to Cambridge on the train from London. Its a beautiful area to see! The colleges are quite impressive especially their greens and their “backs”
I keep thinking of things… I miss Europe so badly… check ryanair and easyjet… the chunnel is great too, but sometimes you can find flights ridiculously cheap between Paris and London. I scored one once that was $25 for two of us to fly round trip.
I 100% second Xangeleno… don’t skip going to Louvre or to the top of the Eiffel tower bc its costly. You’ll regret it later — take full advantage of where you are… spulrge and go to the Globe and eat fish and chips that night!
Congratulations on saving enough money for the trip!!! You are going to have such a wonderful time.
i booked tickets to Paris through STA travel they have great youth and student discounts.
sounds like an awesome trip congrats!
As Ellekay said, if you have time definitely try not to restrict your England experience to London, there is so much beautiful countryside to see just 40min out by train! It’s up to you where you fancy going, but I would recommend where I live, Buckinghamshire, as being one of the most beautiful shires in the country (I’m not biased at all, I promise! :p)
I studied abroad in Paris and had an awesome experience.
A lot of people who visit say that French people are rude but if you learn a little French and try to speak it, they’ll usually be pretty nice.
Also, Americans wearing jeans, college sweatshirts and white sneakers stick out like sore thumbs and become targets (for homeless people and scam artists) so try to blend in. Most Parisians aren’t super rich and don’t walk around in designer clothes but they still dress up. Black pants or a skirt and non-sneaker comfy shoes are essential!
Everyone has their favorite place in Paris but my favorites are the Luxembourg Gardens, L’Orangerie (Lots of impressionism and Monet) and the Rodin Museum.
Enjoy!
I second the STA travel reccomendation. Since you are both young (I believe the age restrictions cut off at 26) you should be able to take advantage of some discounts, especially on your train tickets.
In London, I stayed at the Ceasar Hotel. Not in the most fashionable neighborhood, but the rooms are pretty chic and close to two metro stops.
http://www.caesar-hotel.co.uk/
I stayed at a hostel my first time in Paris, that would be something worth checking out as there are some very cool hostels, just make sure you don’t end up at one of the “party” ones if you want to get some sleep after a hard day’s touristing!
so much i want to say and so little space. i lived my dream this summer and went to both england and france.
but to major pieces of advice:
stay close to a major train station–especially in london. i was there this summer and being so close to paddington station was great—5 or 6 major lines go through there, along with trains to windsor, etc. and they also have direct lines to heathrow airport. plus quick lunches and dinners are so easy there.
also, VISIT VERSAILLES while in France. so so worth it.
pm me if you have any questions.
We went to Rome and then Paris for our honeymoon and I highly recommend Paris! We did all the research and booking on our own. I say next time I’ll go thru an agent but I am glad we did it our way the first time because it made it our trip - every detail - even the crazy cab drivers!
Oh http://www.parisby.com is a great site!
Go for it!
Thanks to everyone for the great advice I am going to purchase Rick Steve’s guidebook and begin to browse all of the websites. I appreciate everyone’s input immensely.
Congrats on saving up enough money for your dream honeymoon!
My mom and sister went to Paris last Spring and she said the Paris for Dummies book was very helpful.
Also, FH’s BFF is getting married on Friday and they are going to Paris for their Honeymoon, I bought them (and Barnes and Noble) a box of cards that has about 50 walking tours of Paris.
Congrats with the best honeymoon choise ever:) Tip: as I am european, i’ve been to paris a few times. one of my favorites is a chocolate guide tour. google it:) very very romantic!
Hi! We just got back from our Paris-Rome Honeymoon!!! One piece of advice - use Ryanair to travel between European cities. It is a cheap airline that many Europeans use…you can fly for something like 15 euros. It wound up being cheaper and WAYYY more time efficient for us. HAve a great trip!
Congratulations, I am so happy for you! It will be the experience of a lifetime. Rick Steves is good, but my FI and I really love the Time Out guidebooks. They are good for young, hip people looking for indie bars/restaurants/coffeeshops/shopping. Highly recommend them. And no, I don’t work for them or own stock! Have a great trip!
i find that flying within europe is only worth it if you want to get to places that are far apart and you don’t have much time to travel. If you’re only traveling a few hundred miles and there is high-speed train service available, the train might be a better choice since it usually takes you from city center to city center (so you don’t have to spend time and money getting to airports outside the city - transport to the airport might make the “cheap” plane ticket less of a great deal), you don’t have to check in hours before you depart like with flying, and you don’t have to check in luggage and wait to get it.
i love train travel in europe (it’s more comfortable, you see more of the country, and it’s WAY more convenient that flying)! also, flying produces lots more pollution than a train or bus trip.
i recommend that when in london you take buses rather than the tube (in american, subway). once you get the hang of buses, you’ll see so much more of the city. the double-decker buses in the UK give you a fantastic view of everything!
oh yeah, two essentials for lower-cost european travel:
1) Rick Steves is my idol. Listen to him - he knows his stuff. (His walking tours and restaurant recommendations are AWESOME. I wish he wrote guidebooks for the rest of the world, sigh.)
2) The Thorn Tree forums on the Lonely Planet website is a great travel resource. Before asking questions, search the relevant board for the info you want and it will probably be there. When you want specific information, tell the others about yourself in detail - what you like, your budget, how much time you have, what you want - and you more often than not will get EXCELLENT answers.
Enjoy your trip!!!!
You will not regret your honeymoon, my fiance did London and Paris for our a vacation and we got engaged in Paris like Mrs. Cookie. I also recommend Rick Steves and not getting a travel agent. Definitely research hotels through tripadvisor they have awesome pics of what it really looks like inside and the views etc. Look for flights on travelocity or any sites that have multiple destinations for your flights. Check out bmi sometimes they have extreme deals to Heathrow. Fodors website has day planning trips too. In London we stayed near Paddington which is near Hyde Park, we loved Pubs easy food and good for the budget. In Paris we did a lot of museums and site seeing, as well as eating at cafe’s also good for the budget. In Paris we stayed in the Latin Quarter near the Sorbonne, Pantheon and Notre Dame. You are going to have so much fun, I can just picture you sharing a crepe with Mr. Spring Roll!
Also check out Samantha Brown from the travel channel I think her episodes on Paris and London are on itunes I found them helpful too.
[...] and Paris; a very generous wedding gift from FMIL and FFIL Spring Roll. Thanks to everyone’s advice, we purchased Rick Steve’s London and Paris 2008. Using the books and advice, we booked our [...]
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Mrs. Spring Roll, Tampa
Age and Occupation: 23, Certified Pharmacy Technician
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Concert Photographer
Engagement Date: May 1, 2008
Wedding Date: March 2009
Blogging Since: September 16, 2008
Venue: Beach Social Hall
About Me: I'm the stereotypical girl who enjoys sewing, baking, and decorating. I am blessed to share my life with Mr. Spring Roll and our two shih tzu's, Isabella and Gabriella. Hello Kitty, musicals, Target, and Chick-fil-a are a few of my favorite things. I have a fear of fish and Freddy Krueger. Planning our wedding has become a huge part of my life, and I love every minute of it!
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