Honeymoon 101: Basics

In the dark depths of your wedding planning process, here's a mantra we suggest you adopt: "There's always the honeymoon." To make your honeymoon planning as stress-free as possible, take a look at our tips and suggestions for where -- and how -- to travel.

Honeymoon. It represents the idyllic time spent with your spouse, ensconced in your newly married life. And it has the most ridiculous name.

Where did the word honeymoon come from? It's thought to have originated in medieval times in either Germany or Ireland. When a couple first got married, they would drink a toast of honey wine (mead) or honey beer. For the next month they would drink this honey brew every night, ensuring fertility and happiness.

Planning your honeymoon is the best task buried in the wedding planning nightmare. Your honeymoon is a wonderful chance to spend unlimited amounts of time with your loved one, relaxing and doing exactly what you want. Take advantage of it, but remember to plan ahead.


Deciding where to go

Here are the factors you should discuss with your mate when planning your honeymoon:

What kind of budget are you on?
Where do want to go: close to home or across the globe?
Do you want the wedding and honeymoon to be in the same place?
What kind of weather are you looking for: sun and sand, or snow and slopes?
Do you want an all-inclusive trip or a pay-as-you-go vacation?

The planning stages

1. Settle on a budget.
How much are you willing to spend on airfare, transportation, hotel, food, tours and activities, and shopping?

2. Find a travel agent.
At any other time you could research the travel yourself and invest a lot of time in the planning. In this instance, you have so much other planning to do that you don't need to add another headache.

3. Zip your lips?
Whether to tell the agent -- or anyone else you talk to -- that you will be on your honeymoon is a 50-50 gamble. In some cases, it may get you special deals, or free room and seating upgrades. On the other hand, you may also be charged more because people think you're too blinded by love to pay attention to your wallet.

The most important thing to plan on doing, however, is to relax and enjoy your trip. Shed all the wedding stress and take a deep breath. It's all over. Now all you have to do is go home and write thank-you notes for all of the gifts!