Lets Talk About Honeymoons....

The honeymoon.

A chance to relax after all the hectic planning and stress of the run up to the big day but also a chance to kick back and reflect on the huge commitment that you've just made to each other. Or at least that's part of it!

Mr P and I have been lucky enough to travel on several holidays together during the course of our relationship, we've visited Last Vegas, the Grand Canyon, learnt to ski in Whistler, Canada we spent a sun drenched 11 days in Egypt and have enjoyed weekend get aways to Paris, Barcelona and Hamburg. In fact we've been to quite a few places so where is the perfect place to go on honeymoon? Especially bearing in mind Mr P is not a beach bunny...in fact he can sit still for about 2 minutes before he needs to be up doing something (me I love a good book and a sun lounger but what can you do?)

Some friends of ours also getting married next year are jetting off to Dubai and the Maldives - an amazing honeymoon location but one if we were to do the same I think I could confidently say could end our marriage faster than the time it takes us to get there. Putting Mr P on an idyllic deserted island is like chucking a kitten into a swimming pool - cruel and dangerous!

So we soon dismissed several of the traditional honeymoon locations and their stunning vistas and relaxing, do nothing vibes....in favour of going somewhere we could explore, see amazing sights and have experiences like nowhere we'd ever been before. And when searching for this elusive destination only one spot really topped the bill, Hawaii, or more precisely, Maui.

Stunning scenery, volcano, waterfalls, snorkeling and a vibrant nightlife Maui certainly seems to tick all our boxes....

So how do you choose the perfect honeymoon destination? Here's my top 5 tips:

1. Budget - set a budget that you are comfortable with before you get carried away! Remember when you book the holiday it is unlikely to cover all your expenses (unless of course you are all inclusive and not expecting to travel anywhere else) so make sure you account for your spending money too. Especially as you'll just have spent thousands entertaining your friends and family at the wedding!

2. What do you want to do? - Are you active types who like to explore, really see the country and meet the locals or are you beach chillaxers who want nothing more than 2 weeks of relaxation and pampering. Don't assume just because it is your honeymoon that you should do something totally out of character. You want to remember your honeymoon for all the right reasons once you get back!

3. Plan out the activities - Make sure where you have chosen has lots of options whether that be different restaurants, water sports, activities or excursions. Research your location and use sites like Trip Advisor for real reviews to make sure you make the right decisions

4. Allow yourself time - Remember you will just have got married which is going to be a busy old day, time when you fly out carefully so you don't have to rush too much. We are getting married on a Saturday and leaving for our honeymoon on the Tuesday. This means we have Sunday to bask in newly married bliss with friends and family before heading home to pack on Monday. I know some people jet off the night of their wedding or straight after the next day but we are planning on enjoying our reception to the very end with possibly a shandy or 6 so a couple of recovery days before spending 10 hours on a plane is a wise move!

5. Relax - try not to get too worried about picking the "right" destination. I know there can be a lot of pressure to be going to the most exotic or far flung destination but lets face it you are marrying the love of your life so you have a lifetime to visit the world if you so wish. The only thing you have to worry about with your honeymoon is that you are taking it together. The first holiday memories you will share as a married couple - whether that is Bognor or Brazil those memories will last a lifetime!

 Me, I'm looking forward to arriving somewhere new and discovering what it feels like to be Mrs P almost as much as I'm looking forward to discovering what our destination has to offer...

Lxx

Oops it's been a while.....wedding planning update in brief

Well I had high hopes for this blog and I was so excited to start it and then it seems just forgot about it!

In fairness as we don't get married until September 2013 after booking our venue there really hasn't been much to do until quite recently when all of a sudden we've done loads:

• Picked my wedding dress
• Booked a photographer
• Registered our notices with the registrar
• (Hopefully) picked a band
• Argued (a lot) about a first dance song
• Visited a lovely florist
• Made an appointment to start tasting wedding cakes (yum!!)
• Reserved hotel rooms 
• Kept talking and looking at invitation designs

Amongst a million other things...

But I'm back and in wedding planning and blogging positive mind frame so watch out as there's going to be lots of posts over the next few weeks as we really start to organise the wedding and hopefully lots of questions for you guys too!

Lx