How important do you think...

kaesha

... it is to have a honeymoon? If you're taking one, what are you hoping to get out of it? If you're not, why did you choose not to?

Heather822

I think its importance depends mostly on any couple's individual circumstances... but the majority of the time I think it's very important.

We took one 1) because it was within our means, 2) because we wanted a break / getaway from the stress of not just wedding planning but life in general, and 3) because let's face it ~ its tradition! What better way to kick off your new life together than with some romance & relaxation!?

I am glad we took one, and took it right after our wedding (2 days after). We had a wonderful, romantic time and came back charged & ready to start our new life together!

jerseydevil

I definitely think it's very important. Even if you can't afford anything exotic, I think it's very important to take a trip after the wedding to have time that is completely private and your own. You are starting a new chapter of your lives and should hit the "reset" button before getting back to normal life.

VESmith25

I honestly don't think that having a 'honeymoon' is important but that spending some time together after the wedding is important even if it is just a few days at home to relax after the big event.  If the couple can afford it then by all means have a getaway together to celebrate the new marriage but I think too many people feel they are entitled to a honeymoon just because they are getting married and that is just not the case.  I agree with the pp that a honeymoon should be dictated by the couple's individual situation (finances, vacation time, etc.).  

We did take a honeymoon that was within our budget and it was a lovely way to start our marriage.  We left the day after our wedding for a week in St. Barth and looking back neither of us would change a thing!  It was the first of many international trips together and a fantastic relaxing vacation.  

SuMmErKuTiE

I also feel that it's very important to just get away even if it's just for a few days after the wedding. After all the stress of planning the wedding, it's nice to just get away from every day life and relax and enjoy a new place with your new husband.

I liked pp's description of coming back re-charged and ready to start our new lives together because that's exactly how it felt.

mgietler76

I feel like it's just a vacation. FI and I are not going on one and have decided to save any money for a new house and take a trip next year. While I would like to go away for a bit I don't feel like its important or a must, we'll probably just stay a few extra nights at the hotel.

[Deleted User]

I couldn't imagine not taking one.  It's tradition and a chance to go somewhere amazing to celebrate a huge step in both of your lives.  After the stress of planning a wedding and then going through everything that goes with the weekend of, I think a honeymoon is going to be a great way to get away and relax and spend some "just us" time.   I'm looking forward to letting it all sink in that we're really married.

I also don't think I could handle having something so exciting happen, then go back to work two days later. 

If you don't have the financial means to do it- then of course no.  It's the same idea I have about weddings.  You don't have to have a wedding but I want one.  I don't have to have a honeymoon but I want one.  If you don't have the financial means to do one or both, then you shouldn't be.

kbarker719

We like to travel, so this is another excuse to take a trip, now as husband and wife, to get away from the regular scene and explore a new locale together, to have private time where no one is calling us for the blow-by-blow of the wedding, where we're not tied down to the cell phone or work email, and have that special time dedicated for just us.  It's also a way to recharge and refresh, as pp said, and it will give me the energy reserves I need to prepare for the move into my FI's home after the wedding.  The honeymoon is the big inhale/exhale before all of the real-world changes come calling.

Ashes_3

We are trying to buy a house so we are going to just go away for three days after our wedding. We aren't having our honeymoon until our 1 year anniversary! It was either honeymoon or house! We chose house!

kaesha

We had a weird experience... because we got married in Hawaii, and had all our friends and family around us (as they had flown from Europe and North America), we opted to spend the time around our wedding with them. So, we had the day after the wedding to ourselves, but even then, we opted to celebrate my BIL's birthday with everyone that night.

Still, we were on Maui for 3 weeks! Having that day to ourselves was really important to us, and I'm glad we did that. And, since we rarely get to see our English friends and family, I'm glad we spent the rest of the time with them. It would have been nice to spend more time on our own though.

We're going back to the islands this upcoming summer (Kauai for just us and then a week on Oahu with my family), and I'm calling this our very delayed honeymoon. My parents had theirs two years after the fact, so I'm calling this a family tradition!

jessicaleigh1905

We couldn't got on a honeymoon after the wedding, because DH had just started a new job AND we had NO MONEY.  It was summer and I was off and DH worked nights - and so we still got to spend a lot of time together (for about a month).  We hadn't been together before the wedding and I kinda romanticized the idea of spending our first night together in our first apartment together after our wedding so it didn't really bother me.

We went on a wonderful cruise this past summer for our first anniversary.  It just worked best for us.  I would have LOVED to have been in a place where we could have gone on a honeymoon after the wedding but we made it work and I never felt like it was a big deal.

vlizz

We arn't going on one. Because we just can't afford it right now. We may go somewhere in the future. He is taking off two days before, to help with last minute things, the day of, and three days after the wedding, so we can have some just us time. And I won't have a job for a while because I'll be moving to be with him. I am very glad that we'll have a few days to ourselves at least!

Snippylynn

I also really can't understand people who say it was SOOO stressful to plan a wedding.  Either I was a "bad bride" who didn't do anything, or people just blow wedding stress completely out of proportion by just doing too much.  I was not the least bit stressed the days leading up to the wedding, and I was planning completely on my own, from 4000 miles away.  I just don't get it. 

The thing is, honeymoons are "romantic" because you put so much romantic thought into them, and because it's "supposed" to be.  But, as PP mentioned, you can romanticize anything, and make it beautiful. 

As I've said before, it's a need; not a want.

Amy+Chris

I agree that the importance of a honeymoon really depends on each individual couple.
For example, my FI and I have been long distance (there is an OCEAN between us) for about 2 1/2 years because of his job, and we won't be able to even live in the same state again until June because of MY job, and we are getting married in February. We were both only able to take a few days off for this, so we decided to get married on a Friday so we could have a small honeymoon on Saturday and Sunday (leave the resort on Monday morning) where it is just the two of us before we both go back to work. Getting that alone time is very difficult for us so it is definitely important to us to have some kind of honeymoon!

kara811

The honeymoon is ver important to my FI and I. He's in the military, and therefore doesn't get much time off for leave. He had to save up a whole lot of leave that way we can go on a honeymoon. It's very important to us, since he's stationed overseas and we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. And we also love to travel to new places, and have decided on a European honeymoon. The impotance of the honeymoon of course depends on the situation of every couple. But for my FI and I, the honeymoon is a must.  

nordke

We have thought a lot about this, and we've decided to forgo a traditional honeymoon and instead go to Disney World with FI kids a few months after the wedding. They will be at the perfect age, 5 and 7.  We'll get away just the two of us for a few days right after the wedding, and then hopefully take a romantic trip for our 1st Anniversary, but technically speaking, we won't really be going on a honeymoon.

tuff1june

I definitely think a honeymoon is a must do, we went to maine and managed to do it for a relatively small budget, but it was awesome to just be by ourselves, we had never been on a vacation together, we just hung out, ate lots of great food, did a ton of fun stuff and let it really sink in that we were married.  If you can't afford a full blown week long honeymoon, try to go away just for a couple days, it will be worth it!

ErikaPatrice

My fiance proposed in Venice, Italy so that was like a pre-wedding honeymoon.    We want to spend some time at home this year and have a nice wedding.  We have decided to take our official honeymoon on our one year wedding anniversary.  That way we can save our money and spend some time with our out-of-town guests and relatives. 

megandjay

I just think it is a special vacation. I would have been disappointed to miss it, but I would have survived.

Future Mrs. Lindstrom

I think it's important. With having to work so much this day in age, it may be the only real vacation you & hubby get for a while. Just be sure to plan something fun!

We went to vegas since I had never been there and we both build & operate haunted houses for charity during October and there was a huge trade show for the Haunt industry that week right next to our hotel. We ahd tons of fun!

pryncesshmm

We've decided to do a "mini-moon" and get away for a couple days afterwards, and then take a 2 week trip a few months later.  We plan on registering for the honeymoon, and I also want to be able to travel with my passport in my married name, and not have the cruise ship employees call me Miss Mitchell the whole time!  I want to be Mrs. on that trip!

helena0982

I think it depends on what your circustances will allow.  My fiance and I will most likely just take a small trip, or have to postpone ours until a few months after, because I am starting a new job, and won't have enough time to take off until the following year, beings we are getting married out of state, and then I am standing in my best friend's wedding just a few weeks after ours, which is also out of state.  I think you just have to do what's best for you, wether that means, going right away, or saving it for a while, until you can take the honeymoon you want.  Good Luck! : )

lpolak

I think it's important for the relaxation factor.  To fit it into our budget we're taking our honeymoon 5 months after we're getting married, though we've talked about taking a short weekend vacation before going on our honeymoon.  We decided right away that we wanted to go some place tropical for our honeymoon.  Well, in June that's not such a great idea because of huricane season, so we decided to go on our honeymoon over Thanksgiving.  I'm a teacher so I get three days off that week and my fiance has vacation time he'll have to use up by then so it was our perfect solution.  We also booked a Sandals resort during the 65% off deal and got a great price for a 7 night stay.  We're excited and can't wait and even though it's a while away from our wedding it's a great solution for us since we're paying for most of our wedding and honeymoon things ourselves as well as saving money to buy a house.  Take a small vacation together as newly weds, even if it is a bit after your big day.