Tips on How To Save on your Honeymoon!

The honeymoon is an important aspect in every wedding plan no matter how tight the budget is. Your wedding day is your dream day, but every couple also looks forward to their honeymoon. Often the honeymoon is the first big getaway of your life together.

Your honeymoon is a time to rest after your wedding; but it's also the time to really enjoy being together before you return to reality.

All couples want their honeymoon to be wonderful - whether it's a big budget 10 night stay in na over the water bungalow in Bora Bora or a romantic stay in a cozy cabin the mountains. Many couples forget to include their honeymoon in their overall wedding planning budget -- or, as the cost of the wedding escalates, there are fewer dollars to spend on the honeymoon.

However, you can still have a wonderful honeymoon, even if you do not have a large budget!

First of all, plan what you CAN afford so that you are not adding the "oh my God how to we pay for this" stress to your list. You also don't want to start your new life together in credit card debt so DON'T use a credit card to finance your honeymoon.

Here are a few tips to help you save money for your honeymoon:

1) Use http://www.honeyluna.com/ for your wedding honeymoon registry. Honeymoon registries have been popular since HoneyLuna launched in 1995 -- and are now an acceptable form of bridal registry according to the Emily Post Insitute of Etiquette.

HoneyLuna's honeymoon registry is a great way to ask for gifts toward your honeymoon rather than another towel or toaster or "stuff" you don't want. Use HoneyLuna to register the items and activities of your honeymoon as your wedding gifts -- your family and friends can view the fun and experiential things you'd like to enjoy on your honeymoon and buy you things like a night in your hotel, a romantic dinner for two on the beach, spa treatments, contribute toward air fare... whatever!!!

Many couples who use a honeymoon registry get their honeymoons fully paid for by their friends and family and don't have to worry about returning 5 of the same "things" when they get home!

2. Plan your honeymoon ahead of time to take advantage of the best air fares and early booking discounts and promotions offered by resorts. You can book a honeymoon package with your air up to one year in advance.

3. Do consider a vacation rental or condo rather than a ritzy resort. Many condo resorts or vacation rentals ARE beautiful and luxurious -- and some do offer amenities and services. You can save a lot of money on the room rate -- but you can also save by buying snacks, breakfast foods, wines, etc. and stock them in your kitchen. Many brides say "I don't want to cook on my honeymoon" Well, you don't have too -- but you can save a ton of money by making your own coffee, having cereal and fruit for breakfast and and packing sandwiches for lunch. You can still treat yourself to a nice dinner - but will save by not having to eat out every meal.

4. Go to a national park or go camping on your honeymoon! This could be the best and the most romantic idea for an affordable honeymoon. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for hotel accommodations save the money for other important matters. Check out our previous blog about Honeymooning in National Parks (and yes, you can still use HoneyLuna's honeymoon registry!)

5. If you can, choose a honeymoon spot that is "off season". This is another great way to save money -- Hawaii is the MOST expensive June - August. Can you go before June 1 or after Labor Day? Is so you'll save hundreds on air fare and hundreds on room rates. And yes, it's hurricane season in the Caribbean during our summer months, but if not hurricaning, the weather can still be wonderful and room rates low....

be flexible.....be creative and have fun!!!

Consider a Destination Wedding for your HoneyLuna!

HoneyLuna's travel partner, Apple Vacations, can help you with your Destination Wedding!!

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. That’s why Apple Vacations has selected the hotels and resorts that offer everything you’re looking for in a destination wedding- professional wedding coordinators that take the stress out of planning, an incredible setting for your ceremony-whether indoors or barefoot on the sand-and the most romantic honeymoon you could ever imagine!

Apple Vacations is your one-stop shop for destination weddings. Apple will take care of all the flights, transfers and hotel arrangements for just the two of you -- or for your whole group, and we will put you directly in touch with the hotel to plan and book the wedding package of your choice.

Use HoneyLuna for your honeymoon registry and Apple Vacations for Destination Wedding and you will have a wedding - moon of your dreams come true!!

CLICK HERE for more information or call 877-332-1097

Let HoneyLuna's Travel "Partner" Apple Vacations help you with your honeymoon!

Hello HoneyLuna honeymooners!! Did you know that HoneyLuna has partnered with Apple Vacations to help our honeymooners have the best possible experience planning and booking your honeymoon?

Our travel planning services are FREE and part of HoneyLuna's honeymoon registry program.

For over 40 years, Apple Vacations has provided the most value and best customer service to honeymoon couples like you.

Apple Vacations specializes in tropical and romantic destinations and Europe too! They are experts in all-inclusive honeymoons to resorts like Secrets, Dreams, Couples and Zoetry!

If you do want help booking your honeymoon travel, please do call 877 332 1097.

One of Apple Vacation’s expert honeymoon consultants will be happy to talk with you more and to help you plan your perfect honeymoon!

Click here to book online or call Apple Vacations 877 332 1097

Honeymoon Planning Tips from HoneyLuna

So much time, energy and money go in to planning your wedding day. It is, after all, the day you’ve dreamed of your whole life! It has to be perfect! It is the day you walk down the aisle, say I do and kiss, sealing the communion of your new life together. And then what? You go off on your dream honeymoon, right? But is it your dream honeymoon? How much do you really know about your honeymoon? What are your expectations? Did you spend as much time gathering critical information for your honeymoon as you did for planning your wedding?

You will be spending more time together on your honeymoon than you did on your wedding day.

Your honeymoon is an important time for laying the foundation of your new life together.

Making sure your honeymoon is your dream honeymoon is not just about reading a travel or guidebook for your destination. Planning your honeymoon takes time, thought, communication and work – from both the bride and groom. We all dream of that exotic locale or tropical paradise, but if your expectations aren’t met, that tropical paradise can become a tropical nightmare and a ruined honeymoon. (Thus, not the ideal start to your married life!)

Be sure to talk about your honeymoon ideals BEFORE you book your honeymoon! HoneyLuna recommends you review the following questionnaire. The bride and the groom should complete this separately and then discuss it – together. Be sure to share this with your travel agent! (and of course, be sure to register your honeymoon with http://www.honeyluna.com/ !)

1. What is your ideal honeymoon setting? (ex. tropical, big US City, Europe (what countries?), mountains)

2. How much time can spend on your honeymoon (including travel time)?

3. What is your ideal honeymoon “activity level”? (lie on the beach and do nothing / Some beach / some activities, all golf, lots of museums, all adventure!

4. Is nightlife important?

5. Is shopping important?

6. Do you want to visit someplace that’s new to both of you?

7. If traveling outside the US, do you prefer an English speaking country? ( English speaking is a must, foreign language is ok, or foreign language is ok)

8. How much do you have allocated to spend on your honeymoon? ($1,500, $2,500, $10,000 – choose an amount that seems right to you and BE REALISTIC!)

9. Do you want to use a honeymoon registry service which allows friends and family to “buy pieces of your honeymoon” as wedding gifts?

10. Do you want a couples’ only resort?

11. When do you want to leave for your honeymoon? (immediately, a few days later, a delayed honeymoon)

12. Do you have “separate activities” that you want to do on your honeymoon (groom golfs – bride doesn’t, bride wants massage – groom doesn’t, or we will spend all our time together!)

13. Do you want an all-inclusive resort that includes meals, alcohol and lots of activities?

14. Would you like to stay at one place or move from place to place? (If you want to see more than one place (i.e. Maui and Kauai) How many places? How many days at each place?)

15. Do you want a large, a medium sized property or something smaller / more intimate?

16. Do you want luxurious with lots of amenities like spas and room service or maybe quaint and charming but not so luxurious? (remember to keep your budget in mind)

17. How much time will you spend in your room?

18. Do you want a patio or balcony? Do you want a view? If so, how important is this (remember to keep your budget in mind)

19. Is weather a factor for you? (i.e. I don’t want to worry about hurricanes, I don’t want it to be too hot, I don’t care if it’s rainy season)

20. And because this is SO important, think about it again. How much do you have allocated to spend on your honeymoon? ($1,500, $2,500, $10,000 – choose an amount that seems right to you and BE REALISTIC!)

21. Other thoughts and ideas…….

Nancy is the founder HoneyLuna, The Honeymoon Registry Service. (www.honeyluna.com) She has helped thousands of newlyweds plan their honeymoons over the past 10 years.

A great video by Randy Russell of Couple's Resorts

Randy talks about Couple's Resorts in Jamaica for honeymoons, destination weddings and honeymoon registries!! Worth a watch and DO check our Couple's Resorts for your honeymoon, destination wedding or romantic getaway!

Please click here to view video

Your Destination Wedding Can Help a Non-profit!

Destination weddings are the fastest growing trend in weddings! There are so many good reasons to choose a destination wedding.

How wonderful would it be to have a fabulous, romanic destination wedding knowing that a percentage of your destination wedding/honeymoon package is donated back to help a non-profit? If this idea appeals to you, check out www.giftoftravel.com!

Gift of Travel and their Travel as as Fundraiser program makes it so easy to plan and book destination weddings! Gift of Travel has partnered with Apple Vacations who can provide wedding couples with a destination wedding expert to book their destination wedding to such wonderful places as Jamaica, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Hawaii and other fabulous places. Couples can choose one of the non-profits that has partnered with Gift of Travel and 4% of the pre-tax cost of their destinatnion wedding or honeymoon package will be donated to the non-profti. It's a win win for everyone!

Here are 6 more reasons to consider a destination wedding.

They offer a more intimate and personal experience for you, the groom and all your guests. Every detail can be hand crafted and customized to ensure the experience is exactly what you want.

The Experience…That is exactly what a destination wedding is…an experience. One in which your guests get to participate in creating the memories that will stay with you for a life time. They are very much a part of customizing the details!

Destination weddings give people an excuse to splurge and take a vacation. In today’s economic climate most people look forward to having a reason to get away and relax. If having your guests participate and attend your wedding is really important to you then consider their needs when choosing a location. Your dream may be the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, but do consider if the guests you would like to have at your wedding will be able to attend the destination you choose. Keep in mind the costs, the travel expense as well as accommodations.. If children are involved is the location kid friendly or is it all adult? If your destination is international all your guests will need passports. Always give your guests at least 8 months notice to plan for your wedding.

Destination weddings usually cost less and allow more to be spent on you and the guests experience at the wedding.

One of the biggest reasons to consider a destination wedding is the ease of limiting the number of guests attending and cutting your costs. Typically, people don’t expect to get invited to destination weddings. So, that 3^rd cousin on your dad’s side of the family that is loud and always embarrasses himself at the family reunion…you can get away with not inviting him by saying you are having a very small group of close family and best friends in an exotic locale.

Many resorts such as Couples, Secrets and Dreams, offer wedding packages to make planning a destination wedding easier. Some basic wedding packages are even free! Resorts often have on site wedding planners to assist you with your destination wedding.