The Affordable and Perfect Honeymoon

Aside from the opportunity to celebrate and mingle with all of your family and closest friends, one of the biggest joys of your wedding experience will be your honeymoon. After consecutive months of stressing about who to invite, where to hold the ceremony, what caterers to choose, which flowers look best, what rings to buy, and what house to live in (the list goes on), the honeymoon is the perfect answer to relieve all of this craziness.

Keep in mind that selecting the perfect honeymoon destination can be tricky and expensive. Some couples do not stress too much about the price of their honeymoons because they assume that they will receive enough gift money at the wedding to cover the expense of most of, or all of, their much anticipated trip. That is a good way to go about it, but it may not be the most effective. You must remember that you are just beginning an adventure that is going to last for several years to come. True, the honeymoon is a special moment in your life, but don't put it on too high of a pedestal-do not treat it as your ultimate, once-in-a-lifetime experience that requires every possible luxury. Your honeymoon should not be your once-in-a-lifetime experience . . . your marriage should be your once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Accept the fact that you will have plenty of time for several more vacations in the years to come and then sit down and carefully analyze your financial situation with your significant other. If one has a tremendously high credit card balance while the other is trying to put money aside for home renovations, you may want to hold off on the trip to Europe. You should not look at your wedding as a financial opportunity, but nevertheless, there will most likely be a fair amount of money given to you, so you must utilize this opportunity effectively. You want to start your marriage off on the right foot, and a great way to do that is to pick a "cheaper" honeymoon package so that you can put some of that gift money toward those home repairs, credit cards, medical bills, car payments, and anything else that is bogging you down. Infidelity is always a popular reason for divorce, but money issues are right up there, too. Keeping a good financial standing is absolutely necessary in maintaining a happy and healthy marriage.

So, you ask what a "cheaper" honeymoon is? Well, the easy answer is taking a trip to some beautiful mountain or beachside area in this beloved country; however, most of you would probably rather spend your honeymoon "outside the states." With that being said, your best bet is to find a nice 7-day cruise.

The great thing about cruises is that they offer non-stop entertainment on the ship, with all-inclusive, all-you-can-eat meals, and several destinations to explore. The only downfall to a cruise is that the rooms are never spacious, but no worries, the bed is still a good size-and really, isn't that your only concern on your honeymoon as far as your bedroom goes?

For a quick example on the cost of a cruise, go to a site like www.royalcaribbean.com Have a honeymoon in April? They offer 7-day cruises to the Caribbean for as low as $539 per person in that month! So, including taxes, port fees, and gratuities, your honeymoon cruise would cost around $1400 to $1500. Unless you live somewhere like Florida, you will have to fly to the port, which could cost as much as $350 per person, round trip. Even with that, you still are paying under $2500 for a fun-filled honeymoon adventure! But what about that trip to Italy? That $2500 might not even cover both of your air fares, much less your hotel and food expenses. A trip to an elegant European country like Italy could easily cost you around $6000 when all is said and done, so take the cruise instead of the big European trip and you easily save yourself over $3000. And not only do you save on money, but you are also able to enjoy your time more efficiently on a cruise-when flying to Europe, a great deal of time will be spent sitting on planes for several hours.

A cruise is not the perfect honeymoon for every couple, but at the very least, the idea deserves to be explored. A trip that maximizes your fun and minimizes your expenses is definitely worth a shot!

Happy honeymooning!