Weddingbee Blog

During this last year of wedding planning (seriously! One year ago today! Craziness!), I honestly haven’t really given much thought to our honeymoon. Why? I’m not sure. I love a tropical vacation as much as the next gal, but for some reason, the honeymoon just didn’t seem like much of a priority to me.

Also, I’ll let you in on a little secret: it’s always been a bit up in the air whether or not we will be able to go on a honeymoon at all. Trust me, we definitely want to go on a honeymoon. I’ve certainly had dreams of lounging about on the beach of my own private Fijian island, in my perfect wedding-shape bod (HA) rocking an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, sipping fruity drinks, getting massages, and watching the sun set with my new hubby. However, there are a few small issues that are standing in the way of our dreamy, perfect honeymoon:

1. Finances. We’re trying to pay off mountains of law-school debt at the moment, and frivolous travel seems a bit, well, frivolous. Unnecessary. I would feel guilty spending more money on a honeymoon, particularly so soon after our wedding.
2. Timing. Our wedding is in August. Mr. CA’s current job isn’t over until the end of September, and the time off that he gets is mainly eaten up by the wedding week itself. Plus, August is a very busy time of year at my job, so it would be tricky taking off over two weeks at that point for me as well.

Obviously, though, these things haven’t stopped us from talking about what we would potentially want to do for our honeymoon, if we are able to go on one. Mr. CA and I are big travelers—when we have the time and resources, we love going to new places, experiencing new cultures, checking out crumbling historical sites, and sampling local beer and grub. So what were some of the possible CA honeymoon locations that we considered?

1. Maui

I’ve already waxed philosophic about my love of, and connection to, that little island in the Pacific—Maui. I would love nothing more than to sit on my butt on the beach after the wedding, when my only concerns will be whether I slathered on enough sunscreen to stave off skin-cancer, and which tropical drink I will choose to go with my dinner (or lunch. or breakfast). And, come on—where else can you get moonscapes and banyan trees in the same place?

However, while Maui would be an absolutely amazing honeymoon destination, Mr. CA and I have already been to Maui together. And it was an awesome trip, one that we still talk about to this day. But we want to go somewhere new together for our honeymoon. Somewhere we haven’t been, so that we can kick off our marriage together on a new adventure.

2. Belize

{Frommer’s Belize}

Mr. CA and I have been wanting to go to Belize forever. In my opinion, it’s the best of both worlds in terms of what I’m looking for in a honeymoon—sunny, tropical beaches, Caribbean snorkeling, and fruity drinks, but also cool Mayan ruins to satisfy our nerdiness, flora and fauna-filled jungles, and sweet hiking. Seriously, Belize looks absolutely incredible.

3. Iceland

{Frommer’s Iceland}

I realize Iceland doesn’t exactly scream “honeymoon”—it’s not tropical, nor is it particularly hot (hence the whole “ICEland” name). However, this is another country we have been wanting to visit, and how can you say ’no’ to hot springs, scenic hiking, and colorful houses?? It just looks like a cool place. Plus, my Scandinavian roots are hankering for a visit to a country with foods and a culture that I am familiar with.

4. England

{Wikipedia}

We have both been to England before, when we studied abroad, so it wouldn’t exactly be a new place, but we love the country, we love British ales, and we love Premier League soccer. I would be so happy going to a Premier League game or two for our honeymoon (as would Mr. CA, obviously), and spend the rest of the time chilling in London, drinking beer, eating greasy pub food, and making side trips to Bath and Stonehenge. This is definitely the most cosmopolitan destination that we considered.

5. Greece

{Lonely Planet}

Back when we talked about our future ideal honeymoons in vague terms while we were still just dating, both Mr. CA and I agreed that Greece and the Dalmatian Coast was our dream honeymoon destination. Warm sun, sandy beaches, crystal blue water, white buildings, good food. Olives galore. Crumbling archaeological sites. You can’t beat that. I’m telling you—dream honeymoon spot.

6. No honeymoon, but take a minimoon somewhere in the US

Since we’re short on time, we thought it might be a fun option to do a little trip within the US that would only last a few days. These plans were never very well-conceived, though, and we didn’t talk much about this beyond “we could do a minimoon in the US.” Clearly, we’re put-together, and on top of things.

7. No honeymoon at all, but take a big trip later in the year, perhaps for our first anniversary

This option was looking like the most viable for us. Although we both had a hefty amount of United Airline miles that would enable us to fly for free, the time issue was our main concern. Putting our honeymoon on hold and taking a trip later would allow us to save up some more money, and would also let us not feel stressed about the whole time-off issue.

Okay, I suppose for someone that “hadn’t really thought” about our honeymoon, we had actually thought about it a little bit. I did list seven options, after all!

Did you take a honeymoon right after your wedding? Or did you put the honeymoon on the back-burner until you could save up some time and money? Did you go with any of the above options for your honeymoon? What do you think will happen with the Candy Apples and their honeymoon?