Mini-moon planning?

Re: Mini-moon planning?

• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  ^ Apologies, I know this is a bit of ranting/ venting. I'm just feeling frustrated. At the end of it all, whether we go anywhere or not, I'm gonna be very happy to be married and Mrs. DH. I'm pretty sure he will get a job, but I understand why he is nervous, and proud that he has been working so much the last year with our future in mind. 
  
  Interested in other's insights, as always. 

                      
  
  
  

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• CMGragain member

  

  January 2016

  My DH only cared about two aspects of the honeymoon - SEX!!!! and cost.  We ended up just having a mini-moon in a Kansas City hotel.  We never left the building during our stay.
  

  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  @CMGragain, that sounds pretty perfect. And those are the two big aspects I care about, too, haha! Of the ideas I've been compiling, I think my favorite is trying to get a cabin in the Smoky Mountains for a few days (about a 6 hr drive away from us -- we both prefer nature to cities). I looked them up, and it seems like it could work with our budget (circa $500). Familiar with any pros or cons I should keep in mind?

                      
  
  
  

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• CMGragain member

  

  January 2016

  Where are you located?
  

  

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• STARMOON44 member

  

  January 2016

  I think if you're talking about a long weekend there's no reason why you should need to plan it 6 months in advance, especially when your fiancé doesn't want to plan it now and is stressed out about the summer already.

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  We're in southern Indiana. His family is in Missouri, mine is in Ohio and Michigan, so we have considered the Ozarks or the Great Lakes, as well. 

                      
  
  
  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  Thanks, @STARMOON44 . I've been trying to go through my checklist, and, well, honeymoon time sounds fun and exciting, but I am probably jumping the gun a bit here considering we are looking at something short and simple. 

                      
  
  
  

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• CMGragain member

  

  January 2016 edited January 2016

  Check out Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  Very remote and quiet.  Somewhat rustic and older.  Long walks in the woods and beautiful views.
  
  http://www.blackwaterfalls.com/
  
  If you can manage to get a cabin, it is worth it.  Cabins book up very early.  They have fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, and are spaced far apart.  I sat on the porch and read my book in peace, listening to the breeze and watching the deer.
  
  

  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  @CMGragain, it looks gorgeous! Thank you for sharing! Definitely adding this to a list of potential places. 

                      
  
  
  

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• CMGragain member

  

  January 2016

  tigerlily6 said:

  @CMGragain, it looks gorgeous! Thank you for sharing! Definitely adding this to a list of potential places. 

    i sent my daughter and son-in-law here for a romantic getaway.  They loved it.  The view behind the main lodge is beautiful!
  

  

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• SP29 member

  

  January 2016

  I've never been to the Smoky Mountains, but my mom has, and she raves about how beautiful it is and how DH and I should go. I want to. Maybe next year.... 
  
  I don't think you need to book 6 months out, BUT a long weekend is going to book up faster than a regular weekend. Cabins and camping spots in general seem to book pretty fast, but most places I'm aware of have a booking "season", usually some time in the spring. I think it depends though. Some resort places that have regulars book up a year in advance. 
  
  We went on our HM 10 months after the wedding, to Arizona. DH was similar to the other husbands mentioned on this post . We did do tourist/travel stuff, but DH said, "I don't want us to be tourists, I want us to be honey-mooners". 
  
  If you two really don't know what will be going on in your life in 6+ months, no harm in waiting and figuring it out later. It doesn't sound like you two think you MUST go away right after the wedding, so if you can be flexible I don't think you'll have any troubles. There's always a hotel somewhere! 

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• Heffalump member

  

  January 2016 edited January 2016

  SP29 said:

  I've never been to the Smoky Mountains, but my mom has, and she raves about how beautiful it is and how DH and I should go. I want to. Maybe next year.... 
  
  I don't think you need to book 6 months out, BUT a long weekend is going to book up faster than a regular weekend. Cabins and camping spots in general seem to book pretty fast, but most places I'm aware of have a booking "season", usually some time in the spring. I think it depends though. Some resort places that have regulars book up a year in advance. 
  
  We went on our HM 10 months after the wedding, to Arizona. DH was similar to the other husbands mentioned on this post . We did do tourist/travel stuff, but DH said, "I don't want us to be tourists, I want us to be honey-mooners". 
  
  If you two really don't know what will be going on in your life in 6+ months, no harm in waiting and figuring it out later. It doesn't sound like you two think you MUST go away right after the wedding, so if you can be flexible I don't think you'll have any troubles. There's always a hotel somewhere! 

  Go, definitely.  I'm with your mom on this one.  We've lived in NC for almost 12 years and have been going to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are lovely.  Last summer, we finally made it over to the Smokies, and I was blown away.  Just stunning.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park is amazing, and beautiful. 
  
  
  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  @Heffalump, where did you stay there? I have driven through the Smokies, but never stayed there; just the sight of them was gorgeous. The first trip FI and I ever planned together when we first started dating was a camping trip to the Smokies. We had to cancel and never made it because he got sick the day before we were supposed to leave. So I think it would be kind of poetic justice to finally make the trip for our honeymoon. Due to honeymoon *cough, cough* activities, however, we may enjoy staying at a hotel, lodge, or cabin more,  which I know we may want to book a bit earlier as @SP29 suggested. 

                      
  
  
  

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• lyndausvi mod

  

  January 2016

  Check out Groupon.  They often have a lot deals for weekends around the country.  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  

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• Heffalump member

  

  January 2016

  tigerlily6 said:

  @Heffalump, where did you stay there? I have driven through the Smokies, but never stayed there; just the sight of them was gorgeous. The first trip FI and I ever planned together when we first started dating was a camping trip to the Smokies. We had to cancel and never made it because he got sick the day before we were supposed to leave. So I think it would be kind of poetic justice to finally make the trip for our honeymoon. Due to honeymoon *cough, cough* activities, however, we may enjoy staying at a hotel, lodge, or cabin more,  which I know we may want to book a bit earlier as @SP29 suggested. 

  There are a kajillion cabins out that way, if that's your thing.  In my experience, I've had better luck with VRBO than with Airbnb for mountain trips.  (In fact, I just booked a cabin over in the Blue Ridge for Presidents Day/Valentines Day through VRBO.) 
  
  Depending on what you're in the mood for, you can pick the Tennessee side, or the North Carolina side.  The Tennessee side (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville) is a lot more built up and touristy, so if that's what you like, you'll have more to do there.  That's also where the majority of the hotels are.  We stayed with my in-laws in this timeshare in Gatlinburg once, and it was all right, not bad, nothing extraordinary.  We had plans to make it to Great Smoky Mountains National Park that time, but half our group was sick, the weather turned bad, and sadly it didn't happen on that trip.
  
  Last summer, we decided to stay at this place with an indoor/outdoor waterpark because it was a kid-trip, and TBH, I wouldn't return.  It wasn't that great.  It was after that trip that DH and I said cabin or nothing, because we enjoy those so much more when we go to the mountains.  I would not recommend either of the resorts above for honeymooners.
  
  If you do not want to deal with traffic (it took us over an hour to get from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to our hotel last summer, and we weren't that far away), hordes of tourists, souvenir shops, etc., then look into the NC side.  We have decided that we're more Bryson City (NC) people than Gatlinburg (TN) people.  If you're more into nature and peace and quiet than shopping for Confederate flag tees and shot glasses, I'd stick with the NC side (Bryson City, Cherokee, Whittier).
  
  What time of year are you going?  I think Great Smoky Mountains National Park is gorgeous, regardless.  Spring has wildflowers, summer (when we finally made it into the park, not just hanging around nearby) is green and gorgeous; fall is stunning with the leaves changing, but also crowded from what I've heard.  Also, in the winter they close some of the roads due to ice and snow.  If you're looking at cabins, more of them have one-week minimums in the summer than other times of year, but you can still find plenty with shorter minimums.  Fall books up fast.
  
  Sorry, that is really long!  I'll cut it off here, but if you have any other questions just let me know.
  
  
  
  

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• holyguacamole79 member

  

  January 2016

  Our mini moon was short and really easy to plan (SIL got it for us as a wedding gift!). There's a resort on a lake just north of Houston. We went there for a night. It was February, so the place was empty. We got massages and ordered room service. After the massage, we got back to the room and alept. I woke up DH at 7, and he was so soundly asleep he asked if it was 7 am or pm.

  
  
  
  
  

  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  @Heffalump, thank you for all your advice! I if we take a long weekend, we would try to go in the summer (our wedding is in early July, and I'll need to start classes again in early August), so I would want to try to find places that have shorter minimum stays than a week. 
  
  We are definitely more quiet nature folks than touristy, but honestly, if it is private and decently priced, I think we would be fine either way. I like the idea of a cabin a lot, so we could just kind of stay in or go hiking, look at the mountains, and enjoy time on our own. 
  

                      
  
  
  

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• lovemesomemonster member

  

  January 2016

  I would say let him figure out the summer stuff coming up and then plan it, you don't need that long for a long weekend away. We booked our week in Hawaii two weeks ago and we leave next Sunday so it can be done! Good luck and I'm sure whatever you do will be awesome!

  
  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  Congrats on the upcoming nuptials and honeymoon, @lovemesomemonster! And thank you for the encouragement -- I know whatever we do will be a great time, too -- because hey, we'll finally be married! Life will be good.  

                      
  
  
  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  A few nights ago FI was feeling a lot more calm, and brought up the topic of wedding planning aspects on his own. I explained that I had decided to put honeymoon plans off until closer to the wedding so we would have more time to focus on school and getting jobs right now, but also let him know that it would probably mean we would just do something simple nearby and for a long weekend.
  
  I don't think he had realized this was the source of my frustration the week before -- trying to determine if we wanted an actual honeymoon or just a short mini-moon. He said he really wants a honeymoon, too, and thinks we can afford to take the week after our wedding (that Monday is the 4th of July, so we would have that off already, presumably). We made a budget plan for it together and he is spearheading the planning.We are still considering the Smokies or WV, but also looking westwards now, possibly at Yellowstone. He also really likes the idea of trying to go to Alaska for the long days at that time of year, but I think that might be out of our budget.  I would have been happy to do a short mini-moon, too, but just feeling relieved to know that he is involved and invested in the planning with me. 

                      
  
  
  

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• AddieCake member

  

  January 2016

  I don't understand the difference between an "actual honeymoon" and "just a short mini-moon." I abhor the term mini-moon b/c it implies that if you only take <insert arbitrary small amount of days here> it isn't a honeymoon. To me, that's like the people who don't think a courthouse ceremony is a "real wedding." You take a vacation of one day, 12 days, a month to celebrate your marriage? It's a honeymoon. 

  What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14

  

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• tigerlily6 member

  

  January 2016

  AddieCake said:

  I don't understand the difference between an "actual honeymoon" and "just a short mini-moon." I abhor the term mini-moon b/c it implies that if you only take <insert arbitrary small amount of days here> it isn't a honeymoon. To me, that's like the people who don't think a courthouse ceremony is a "real wedding." You take a vacation of one day, 12 days, a month to celebrate your marriage? It's a honeymoon. 

  I agree, it's a silly distinction. I suppose I just used the terminology since it's something I've heard, but I agree that any vacation to celebrate your wedding, no matter where and for how long, constitutes a honeymoon. I apologize if I implied that one was more "legit" than the other, because that's not what I mean. For me, I just really wanted it to be a mutually planned event that both FI and I could both look forward to. My greatest source of frustration was feeling like he really didn't care about having a honeymoon at all, which kind of defeated the whole purpose of having one. Just as I feel a wedding should not be a PPD, I didn't like the idea of having our honeymoon being a "me" planned vacation, since it really should be an "us" thing, no matter what it looks like. 
  

                      
  
  
  

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  February 2016

  After paying for the wedding ourselves & buying a house a few months prior to the wedding, we didn't have much of a budget. In fact we spent less then $1,000. We live in Cleveland & drove to Niagara Falls about 3 hours away. Got a great groupon deal for a hotel overlooking the falls, for about $80 a night. That was 3 nights. We went to dinner at the casinos because it was so much cheaper then at the resturants. We went to a TGIF there once for dinner and got burgers and an app & no booze, $97.00 bill. So we started going to casino buffets for $45.00 total. Then on the way back we went to Pittsburgh for a night to go shopping at our favorite places (LLBean & Ikea), then home. For us it wasn't about having a fancy trip to a place we've never been to before, it was about getting away for a few days to relax and just have some fun together.

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