Weddingbee Blog

So… I was supposed to let Mr. D surprise me with the honeymoon. Here’s the thing though: I’m terrible with surprises. I’m so bad with surprises that it’s difficult for me to surprise others because I usually tell them what the surprise is. Basically, I’m a big surprise FAIL.

So I’ve begun taking a preliminary look into destinations. As the D’orsays, we have a few complicating factors. For instance, is Mr. D even allowed to leave the country after we get married? Once we receive the government approval to marry, we have to apply for the Adjustment of Status so Mr. D can do things like live/work/function in the USA. Because he’ll be in limbo, we aren’t sure of what the rules are. But enough serious talk - let’s just hope we can leave the country!

New Zealand, Australia, Egypt and Hawaii were high on my “go-to” list. Unfortunately, the airfare is also high. So let’s forget those for now (we’ve got visas to pay for!). Next I turned to Miss Gloss who is also hunting for a hurricane-free honeymoon. I started with researching airfare on sidestep, because if we can’t afford to get there then what’s the point? For example, flights from Baltimore/DC to Egypt are about $1390. Although the exchange rate in Egypt would be to our advantage, getting the flights together AND finding somewhere to stay and eat would be difficult.

All of these prices are from the Baltimore/DC area. There are 3 airports we could use, so all of these are averages for late August/early September. Hawaii came in around $700, Aruba around $400, Curacao around $620, Bermuda at $350, Cabo San Lucas at $440, and Puerto Vallarta at $400. Hmmmmm… would Curacao and Hawaii please leave the arena? All other destinations can stay.

What’s next?

Weather. Some like it hot - and that includes us. Except Mr. D will need SPF 100… ’cause he’s English and well… you know. Aruba weather in September is apparently “relentless heat with little to no breeze” (we don’t like it THAT hot). Bermuda seems cool and breezy - but I have hurricane paranoia. Cabo San Lucas sounds like it can be in the realm of the 90s all the way to 100+, which is okay if it’s in the 90s, but not so much if it’s 100. This leaves Puerto Vallarta - where the rainy season is in September…

I started checking out the housing options on VRBO and reviews of hotels on TripAdvisor to see what people were saying about these destinations and their general pricing when…

… Weddingbee reader (and my fellow compatriot in the US/UK visa torture) BlightyGirl informed me that we in fact, could not leave the country. Or even the lower 48! So again, Hawaii is out. This more than likely means a domestic minimoon destination. I’m okay with this because we’ll most likely save money and be able to save (who am I kidding) it, or spend it on another wedding expense (hello videographer). Maybe we’ll just have our real honeymoon on our one year anniversary or when it’s not hurricane season.

So my question to the hive is this: Where would you recommend a minimoon for the D’orsays? We’d prefer within driving distance (5 hours or so?) from MD/DC, but wouldn’t rule out options in sunnier/beachy locales. Muchas gracias in advance!