Planning of travel and exciting adventures is the perfect way to escape from the stress of wedding planning. Honeymoons come in all shapes and sizes, and I really wanted to help inspire you to decide on the kind of dream trip you would like after the big day. You’ve planned your wedding, booked your venue, sorted your guest list, and you’ve started short-listing amazing local wedding suppliers…perhaps it’s time to start planning the honeymoon too!  Whatever your budget, time constraints and personal interests there really is something here for everyone to get excited by.

I have quotes from 99 real couples from their wedding reports here on wedissimo, with the honeymoons that they have planned and been on. Grab your partner, a notepad and pen and start dreaming…

 

Mini Moons

 

I am seeing more and more couples having mini moons. From short breaks in the UK to a sunny week in Europe they are a great option to quickly get away and unwind. If you have children you don’t want to leave behind, limited annual leave to take or a small budget for now this could be the perfect option for you.

 

“We went on a 4 night ‘mini-moon’ to Amsterdam and stayed in a beautiful two floor apartment.  We are planning a longer honeymoon to Mexico for our first anniversary.” Lisa and Owen’s wedding.

“Mini-moon – We went to Hay-on-Wye for 5 days straight after the wedding and stayed in Gabriel’s Yurt, an idyllic place we found on Canopy and Stars website. It rained 80% of the time which gave us the perfect excuse to say in, rest, read, drink red wine and re-live all our memories of the big day. It did stop raining long enough for us to attend a few events at the Hay festival which was fun. We are already planning to go back next year.” Jennifer and Damien’s wedding.

“We had a quick three day break in Bath and stayed at the Bath Priory. It was a real treat to dine in their Michelin starred restaurant. We also spent some time in the rooftop pool of Thermae Spa in the town centre. It was great experience to look over the city whilst immersed in the warm waters from Britain’s only natural thermal spa.” Julieta and Ben’s wedding.

“We stole away for 3 days post wedding for our “mini moon” to the wonderful and secluded Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and are currently planning our big trip to Cambodia and Loas.” Jacqueline and Peter’s wedding.

“We skipped off to Spain for a week to a lovely resort after the wedding for a little minimoon. We didn’t want to do the official honeymoon straight after the wedding.” Darron and Aisling’s wedding.

“Although we haven’t had a proper honeymoon yet, we went on a family holiday to Disney Land Paris a few days after the wedding, it was with our daughter, my sister and my mum so not ‘exactly’ a honeymoon but it was lots of fun and we all enjoyed ourselves!” Lydia and Phil’s wedding.

“We haven’t been on our proper honeymoon yet which is in the Maldives. We are going in November when it’s not the rainy season and Richard is quieter at work. We did go up to the Lake District for a 5 night ‘Mini-moon’ straight after the wedding to wined down and relax which was lovely. We stayed at the Langdale Estate in their new Brimstone hotel. We both enjoy walking, swimming and eating so got everything we could have wanted from a mini break.”  Richard and Rebecca’s wedding.

“A minimoon in Mykonos.” Amy and Chris’s wedding.

“We had a minimoon for 5 days, camping up on the north coast of Scotland in Durness – absolutely beautiful! My mum and dad had bought us an amazing beast of a tent for our wedding present so we went off up there in that. It was stunning and by all accounts it was raining all over the rest of the country but we had beautiful weather! Glorious!” Katy and Thomas’ wedding.

“We had a ‘mini moon’ straight after the wedding, spending a couple of days in a little tree house near to Tunbridge Wells and then 3 days in Brighton staying at the Hotel Una – we love Brighton so much and do spend quite a lot of time there. It was so great just to be able to spend a few days there relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere after the whirlwind of the wedding. Our friends and family very generously gave us money towards a honeymoon abroad which we are looking to get booked next year, once we decide on a location, we just can’t decide!” Andrew and Sarah’s wedding.

“We had a week long mini-moon in St Ives straight after the wedding and we are embarking on a 6 month honeymoon in August!” Emily and Andy’s wedding.

“We went away for the wedding night and following night at the Satlhouse harbour hotel in Ipswich but didn’t have a proper honey moon as Dan went back on operations in the Middle East 3 days after the wedding. We spent the Sunday in Dedham and had a local pub lunch and went rowing on the river there. We may try to have an English cottage get away (somewhere like Southwold, Suffolk) at the end of August when Dan is back and before the baby comes!” Faye and Daniel’s wedding.

“We already had a summer holiday in Crete booked for after the wedding so we turned this into our minimoon. We are planning on visiting family in Hawaii next year for the big honeymoon.” Charlotte and John’s wedding.

“We went on a mini-moon to Somerset for a few days straight after the wedding. We’re doing two bigger honeymoons – a week in Madeira in July, and a week in Italy in September.” Tom and Cerian’s wedding.

“For our ‘mini-moon’ we hired a luxury cottage in rural wales. It was lovely to get away for a few days and relax together. We had a great time, eating our wedding cheese and drinking champagne in our roll top bath – heaven!” Kat and Matt’s wedding.

“We had a mini honeymoon for two nights in Perthshire at a place called the Steading http://www.steadingaberfeldy.co.uk/. On the Sunday after the wedding we were so tired and it was nice not to have to travel too far. When we arrived at the B&B there was champagne and homemade tablet waiting for us. We sat outside at night next to the brazier and opened our cards. Great walks and yummy pub dinners at the Ewe at Fortinghall. We’re planning a bigger trip later in the year to South East Asia and Australia.” Luigi and Emily’s wedding.

“We had a mini-moon in Edinburgh just after the wedding, but we’re off to Kenya for a Safari in August and can’t wait.” Steven and Helen’s wedding.

“We went to bath for a couple of nights a the week after the wedding just to get away for a couple of days and we plan on having our honeymoon to San Francisco and LA etc later in the year.” Jo and Ian’s wedding.

 

Multi-Destination

 

For the indecisive couple, choosing more than one location is ideal. You may need to consider travelling between destinations and how much time you may need off from work.

 

“Planning a multi trip of a lifetime to the US and Caribbean in Feb 2014.” Sally and Ian’s wedding.

“Flying to Cape town from Newcastle via Amsterdam.  We booked the whole thing ourselves. We choose high rated B&B’s rather than stopping at more touristy hotels. Our first port of call was Sun Cottage In Newlands village, Cape town for 5 days (http://www.suncottagecapetown.com/).  We set out to see as much of the town as possible. Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, table mountain, cape point, boulders beach, 2 oceans aquarium, v&a waterfront and city tour bus.  The gem we found was the afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel, which to say took it to a whole new level. We then spent 2 days then in the winelands at dieu donne guest farm.http://www.dieudonne.co.za/. taking in tours of the wineries capped off with a master tasting at Fairview, again something to behold. We then flew to Johannesburg to catch a connecting flight to inhambane in Mozambique for another week, stopping at an eco lodge called blue foot prints http://www.bluefootprints.com/.  After the fast pace of racing round cape town this was the complete opposite a place of tranquillity to just unwind off the grid with nothing but the ocean and watching the whales to amuse you.” Rebecca and Neil’s wedding.

“Our honeymoon is booked for November where we will be spending 3weeks travelling to Florida and the Dominican Republic.” Charlotte and Neil’s wedding.

“We chose to go to London for 4 days on our “Mini Moon” after the wedding. Then we are planning a longer honeymoon to Italy next year.” Karl and Kate’s wedding.

“Minimoon at Slaley Hall at Hexham, planning main honeymoon somewhere hot in winter.” Philippa and Graham’s wedding.

“We had a few nights in London staying by the river and enjoying a show at the theatre and visiting some of London’s attractions. We headed back to Oxford for our friends’ wedding the following week and then jetted off to the Maldives for the rest of our honeymoon, which Jamie’s parents had organised for us as a wedding present! We had an amazing time in the sun and enjoyed what the island had to offer – beautiful beaches, a sunset boat trip and a dolphin safari were some of the highlights.” Jamie and Becca’s wedding.

“We flew to San Francisco first thing Monday morning. We spent a few days exploring and taking in all the sites – Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, travelling on cable cars… we were even interviewed by a local news team filming a feature on Valentine’s Day while we were enjoying ice cream sundaes at Ghiradelli’s, and ended up on TV! From SF we hired a car and drove down the coast to LA, stopping in Monterey and San Luis Obispo for a few nights on the way. Such a stunningly beautiful coastline! We were only in LA for an afternoon before catching a flight to Mexico the next morning but we made the most of it and packed lots in. We spent the second part of our trip in Cabo, Mexico. After all that exploring and driving we took full advantage of the wonderful weather, amazing views from our balcony and of course the swim up bar with its constant supply of frozen margaritas. I didn’t want to leave! A whirlwind, amazing 2 weeks, and while nothing could top the wedding day, the honeymoon came pretty darn close.” Daniel and Maria’s wedding.

“It started with Italy, then moved onto the Maldives but we finally went to Mauritius.  It was pure 5* bliss and it could not have been any better! I really didn’t think we would need a honeymoon so soon after the wedding – we left the tuesday after – I thought we could hang around for a few months and then go, but WOW – it was exhausting and the honeymoon was the only cure! It was magical.” Michelle and Tracy’s wedding.

 

UK

Image by Campbell Photography

 

Why not stay close to home. Supporting local businesses and being eco friendly, the UK has so much to offer newlyweds.

 

“We went off to Holt in Norfolk for a few days after the big day – Claire (Mike’s sister) and Dave (her husband) treated us to a lovely B&B for our wedding present.  It was very luxurious for us, our usual holiday experience is camping.  We drank champagne every day and ate loads and watched lots of Wimbledon in our gorgeous bedroom!” Ella and Michael’s wedding.

“4 nights on the Isle of Wight at the Priory Bay Hotel, visiting Sean’s relatives. With a blessing at Sean’s mum’s local church with a tea party afterwards to meet Sean’s family and their friends who could not attend the wedding. Followed by 3 nights in Bournemouth at the Burley Court Hotel with my parents catching up on the events of the wedding day! We go on holiday together to Bournemouth every year so it was nice to take my husband there! US honeymoon: a trip to Reno and LA to visit friends.” Susie and Sean’s wedding.

“We stayed on the Isle for a few more days, but our actual honeymoon will be later this year. We are looking in to visiting Sicily.” Sarah and Jamie’s wedding.

“We stayed for a week on the land where the wedding had been held, and chilled out with lots of friends, enjoying a week of non stop camp fire and lots of saunas! And occasionally escaping to the pub in the local village.”Mary and Jona’s wedding.

“We wanted to stay in the UK because we didn’t want to leave Daisy for too long so went to Sussex for 4 days. It was Fantastic! Total luxury at  http://www.5thelawn.com/” Emily and Stephen’s wedding.

“We headed off down to Cornwall for our first family holiday. It was relaxed, fun and was our idea of a perfect holiday. We ate good food and did touristy stuff during the days and chilled in the evenings. Just what we needed after the fun of our wedding.” Sarah and Adrian’s wedding.

“Both our families are originally from Scotland, neither of us had really explored up there, and I’d always wanted to visit Skara Brae, so we got the train up (with a picnic hamper of bubbly and nice nibbles) for two weeks of relaxing and sight-seeing. Ross’ uncle is one of the big-wigs of a hotel chain so he got us the family discount on an amazing hotel on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh; we stayed with his aunty in her beautiful apartment in Glasgow for a few days; and borrowed her car for an epic drive through the glens up to Orkney, where we rented a lovely cottage (Kingston Apartments). We basically ate and drank our way around Scotland, which is what makes us happy anyway so it was brilliant!  As people had given us money for our honeymoon we decided to document how we were spending it and blogged the trip for everyone to see.” Ross and Jemma’s wedding.

“3 days alone at Gleneagles- dinner at Andrew Fairlie, Spa, more Spa, cocktails, afternoon tea, Tapas… *sigh*… My folks brought the kids up to join us and we then had 3 days at the Kenmore Lodges on Loch Tay in Perthshire with the kids to have some nice chilled out family time in style.” Matt and Becca’s wedding.

“We spent a week on the Isle of Skye in the most beautiful little cottage with fabulous views of the mountains and sunsets over Loch Scavaig, generally drinking lots of wine and indulging in the amazing seafood available on the island. We then spent another week across on the mainland of Scotland in the Cairngorms at a B&B we’ve been a few times before and love. The weather wasn’t quite so kind to us on the second week though.” Donna and Simon’s wedding.

 

Europe

Image by A Click For Two

 

Europe has a great mix of culture, city destinations and beach holidays. With less travel and complications with visas it makes it a simpler honeymoon option.

 

“We asked guests for contributions to our honeymoon and went to Croatia. We split the honeymoon in two, the first part was in a little town called Omis where our balcony looked across a huge canyon where we went white water rafting and climbing. The second part was relaxing and sight-seeing in Dubrovnik. I would definitely recommend Croatia it’s a beautiful country and everyone was so friendly, we had a brilliant time!” Louise and Elliott’s wedding.

“We had a lazy week in a boutique hotel in the little town of Kas in Turkey. We then had a week at home being tourists in London. We were very lucky as the weather at home was nearly as amazing as the weather in Turkey!” Tom and Vix’s wedding.

“South of France & St Tropez. After discovering our little surprise of having a bun in the oven we decided not to go extravagant with the honeymoon, instead we took a trip to stay with my parents in the south of france which is like a second home to us. We went for two nights in between to St Tropez, which was a lovely relaxing break and just what we needed!” John and Charlotte’s wedding.

“No sooner had we finished taking down the venue than we were rushing to the airport to fly to Greece for our honeymoon. Paul had organised the first week of the holiday with our own villa in the Pelopennese followed by a luxury spa hotel overlooking Nafplio. The second week we left to a whim, ending up staying near ancient Olympia and the stunning Voidokilia Beach.” Emma and Paul’s wedding.

“Naturally we went to France but decided to travel around more – we sailed to Northern Spain then drove up through France staying and 2 different villas before visiting my dad for a few days.” Oliver and AJ’s wedding.

“We went to Sardinina – which was totally magic! We hired a car, drove round the island for 12 days, mixing awesome boutique hotels with wonderful rustic farm agriturismos, eating to the brim, seeing flamingos, turtles, wild horses, roman ruins, quartz and wild beaches, walking in canyons and scrambling up rocks, drinking fresh spring water, bandit museums, classic sailing boat trips, sea kayaking, natural swimming pools, sea urchin’s eggs picked off rocks, wine, cheese, meats, gelato, sun, great people, the trip of a lifetime!” Noy and Hugh’s wedding.

“We went on a mini tour of Italy – Florence for 3 nights, then Sicily in a villa for a week, then 3 nights in Verona. It was beautiful. We organised it ourselves and I used Air Miles I’ve saved up for our BA flights. I also booked hotels through offers on Hotels.com and Quidco – it meant we got the top notch rooms for less!” Nicola and Simon’s wedding.

“We went to the Isles of Scilly for 5 days and stayed in an annex of a farmhouse with an enormous comfy bed, a golf buggy for getting around, and a fully stocked kitchen. The Scilly Isles really are very beautiful and perfect for walks and relaxing.” Nic and Mat’s wedding.

“We had 6 days in a gorgeous mountain village in Crete… a much needed break.” Jo and Wayne’s wedding.

“We stayed in Italy for a couple of days after the wedding and James surprised me with a stay at the wonderful Casa Vissani – a two Michelin star restaurant and boutique hotel on the shore of Lake Corbara – and a night in Rome.” Kelly and James’ wedding.

“5 nights, spent on the Amalfi Coast in Italy  – it was stunning, and romantic, and we loved it, but unfortunately could only have a very short honeymoon as I had to come back to run the London Marathon.” Naomi and Francis’ wedding.

“Cruise to Norweigan Fjords.” Debbie and Mich’s wedding

“The Feversham Arms and the South of France this August.” Thomas and Catherine’s wedding.

“We decided to go to Malta for a week on honeymoon. It seemed fitting, since it was where Graym had planned to propose if we hadn’t had to cancel our holiday last year! We had a wonderful time, and hired a car for the weekend so that we could drive around Malta and Gozo. We also took a boat cruise around the whole island and stopped at the Blue Lagoon in Comino. It was incredible.” Chloë and Graym’s wedding.

“Neil and Steph (Adele’s Brother and Sister in Law) kindly let us borrow their beautiful house in Tusson  (France) for a week, we then stayed in a tree house near Bordeaux for a few nights before flying home.” Adele and Liam’s wedding.

“Our first trip abroad together was to France. I’d been itching to get to Paris for some time so we incorporated this into our very first holiday. I can’t remember why now, perhaps one of us couldn’t get the time off work or something, but we only had 24hrs there which just went too quick. We kept threatening to return but just didn’t get round to it. As soon as the honeymoon subject was broached it seemed an obvious choice to both of us. Paris in the spring after all, what could be more perfect?” Rob and Sam’s wedding.

 

Beach

Image by Weber Photography by Wes + Liz

 

Many couples feel like they need total rest and relaxation after their wedding. Pack plenty of swimwear, great reading material and high factor sun block.

 

“We went to The Paradissus Rio De Oro in Cuba! Breath-taking is one word you could use to describe it. We had a sea view villa located on its own private beach surrounded by crystal clear waters and cabanas to lounge in all day long! There was an endless supply of gorgeous cuisine from different locations of the world along with a 24hour bar service!!! Just what you want on your honeymoon!” Jordan and Emily’s wedding.

“We had a 10 day trip in Mauritius at the Shandrani Hotel and resort. The sea was turquoise, the food was amazing and we were treated like royalty. We had never been abroad on our own (always going with friends or family) so it was a bit of a shock to be somewhere so amazing! The highlight was swimming with dolphins in the wild which was a massive dream come true.” Katie and Gavin’s wedding.

“Maldives and Singapore – holiday of a life time.” Vicki and David’s wedding.

“We went to Mauritius and stayed at the Four Seasons in an ocean bungalow. From the moment we walked in, everything was so luxurious, it was almost embarrassing. I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone. I’d like to live there!!” Claire and Nathan’s wedding.

“We spent the first 10 days of our honeymoon in the Seychelles, staying on a private island for the first 4 days followed by a resort on the main island for the remainder. The final 6 days of our break were spent in Malaysia, split between exploring downtown Kuala Lumpur together and visiting Peter’s father and his family. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and came back feeling so refreshed.” Naomi and Peter’s wedding.

“We went to the Sandals Halcyon in St Lucia, and had the most amazing time. With weddings there almost daily it was lovely to see so many loved up people :).” Helen-Marie and Luke’s wedding.

“One week in the Maldives, it was paradise. We saw dolphins for the first time, we swam with tropical fish and Matt got drunk on two cocktails and tried to persuade a waiter to take a photo of his foot as it was identical to Brad Pitt’s. Matt told the waiter’ take a photo of my foot, you can tell everyone you met Brad Pitt’. What a numpty!” Matthew and Caroline’s wedding.

“We flew out to the Maldives the day after the wedding for an unforgettable week on Kuramathi Island. We booked with Kuoni and used their gift list service to allow our guests to make contributions towards it. The week was spent relaxing in the sun, snorkelling with sharks, rays and dolphins and sampling every cocktail on a very extensive menu!” David and Nathalie’s wedding.

“We spent a child free week in The Maldives. Absolute paradise and a great way to unwind after all the madness!” Vanessa and Colm’s wedding.

 

US

Image by Kaelyn.Elizabeth Photography

 

The US is a great destination to do a road trip. Hire a motor home, plan your route and have an adventure.

 

“For the honeymoon we decided to make our American dream by visiting the Big Apple, San Francisco, we crossed the desert by car to Las Vegas and finally a bit of relaxation in Miami beach. Very tiring trip, travelling a lot, but in the last few days we relaxed. Personally I would avoid too many days in Las Vegas. Overall beautiful and an unforgettable experience.” Wendy and Geremi’s wedding.

“We set up a Honeyfund and the incredible generosity of our guests has meant we can make our dream trip across America a reality. We are taking three weeks in November and heading to New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Zion/Bryce/Grand Canyons and ending up supping wine in the California vineyards!” Katy and Ben’s wedding.

“We booked a last minute trip to New York. We went for 6 days, and it was fantastic – definitely the best option for us. We ate, saw the sights, shopped and geeked out in museums.  Then we went to V Festival a few days later; not as glam, but we had so much fun!” Rory and Kim’s wedding.

“We went to New York and stayed at The Royalton. I had never been to the US before but Mark adores New York and wanted to show me his favourite places. We set up a honeyfund instead of a traditional gift registry as we have been living together for five years and already had most things for our home. This seemed like the ideal way to have a once in a lifetime trip.” Emma and Mark’s wedding.

“One month in California travelling in a motorhome with Mabli, surfing the coast and trekking the mountains.” Simon and Ffion’s wedding.

“We went to the USA, we spent the first 4 nights in New York and then 11 in Florida. We had a really relaxing time and went on plenty of rollercoasters!!” Laura-Michelle and Jack Alexander’s wedding.

“This was something we had always wanted to do, a California road trip! Vegas (we had a blessing at the Graceland Chapel with Elvis!) LA, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Monterey, Santa Cruz and finally San Francisco. We hired a convertible Mustang and stayed in some amazing places from the Queen Mary in Long Beach to the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood!” Jim and Katie’s wedding.

“We hired a Camaro and drove from Vegas, to San Diego, LA, Pismo Beach, Monterey and San Francisco, before a relaxing week in Mexico. It was AMAZING!” Lucie and John-Paul’s wedding.

“We went for 2 weeks to Vegas and then LA.” Louise and Ian’s wedding.

“Florida for two weeks (a villa in Orlando and Amelia Island), and Las Vegas for one week. Florida for shopping and relaxing, (we stayed at Dean’s friends villa) and Las Vegas because we hadn’t been before and didn’t fancy three weeks just Dean organised the whole holiday but not in secret. Vegas was an eye-opener!! Florida was mega relaxing although Villa had a games room so we had a couple of arguments over Dean having to win at pool!!” Rebecca and Dean’s wedding.

“We had two days in Orlando, visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Universal Islands of Adventure, then we drove down to Miami and spent a week by the beach. On our last day we even managed to see the Miami Heat play in the NBA playoffs, which was a dream come true for Tom!” Sarah and Tom’s wedding.

“We’ve both taken six months out to see some of the world, so we’ve headed to the USA travel and make some memories.” Shane and Gillian’s wedding.

 

Canada

Canada has fantastic scenery, pretty seasons and so much to explore.

 

“We have just returned from a big trip to Canada where we spent three weeks exploring the sights of Toronto and Vancouver. We enjoyed finding out all that the HUGE country has to offer. Highlights include attending a baseball game in Toronto and mountain biking in Whistler.” Jennifer and Damien’s wedding.

“We received incredible contributions towards our honeymoon from our friends and family as wedding gifts, and are planning to backpack around the West Coast of Canada on our first year anniversary; something we’ve wanted to do since we were 18. It’s lovely to have something to plan and look forward to.” Emma and James’ wedding.

“A week on Vancouver Island in a snazzy apartment (Black Rock Ocean Front Resort) organised by the brilliant Nick French (http://www.thetanzaniaspecialists.net) It was stunning.” Jess and Will’s wedding.

 

Africa

Image by Nadine Aucamp

 

Africa is an exotic choice for honeymooners. With options to go on Safari or relax beside turquoise seas.

 

“We went to Morocco, to Marrakesh, the atlas mountains and Agadir. It was wonderful with great food and wine, very hot weather though!” Kate and Daniel’s wedding.

“For our Honeymoon we went to Madagascar as we are born adventure travellers! We chose Madagascar as Africa is one of the only continents we haven’t travelled together. We are lovers of wildlife and enjoyed days trekking in the rainforest with Lemurs & cruising the shores watching the majestic Humpback Whales migrating to breed.” Tori and Joss’ wedding.

“A 4 day safari in the Masai Mara followed by 10 days on the Mombasa coast.” Joanna and James’ wedding.

“This was Rich’s bit and he organised a trip of a lifetime… It started with a 1st class flight to Nairobi (OMG IT WAS AMAZING) champers on arrival, then 5* service thousands of miles in the air. We then flew from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara where we were picked up and driven to the Karen Blixen camp for 4 days of amazing safari’s and delicious food. Our accommodation was in permanent raised tents that were the height of luxury and looked out over the Maasai river and hippos bathing! After some near misses with some Lions and a hippo we left the peace and tranquillity of the Maasai Mara and flew on to Zanzibar in Tanzania.

We stayed at the Barazaar resort in Zanzibar and it was HEAVEN from start to finish.. our beach villa had more square footage than our house in London and in the centre of it was a giant four poster bed, surrounded by curtains and decorated in sumptuous and exotic gold tones. The décor of this hotel was out of this world and most of my holiday shots are pictures of the amazing décor or views out to Sea! We ate and drank like kings and had the most amazingly romantic time… I will definitely be making Rich take me back! We then finished the holiday in my favourite way, with a shopping trip and BA 1st class travel home! DREAMY!” Claire and Richard’s wedding.

“We flew into Cape Town, spent 7 nights driving through and staying in the vineyards and across the ‘garden route’. Then we flew up to Sabi Sands for 3 nights to a private game reserve and from there we flew onto Mauritius for 8 nights. Incredible!!” Katie and Brad’s wedding.

 

South America

South America has unique culture and history ripe to discover, not to mention great weather.

 

“We are planning  trip to South America in December to climb mountains, eat steak and drink wine – our favourite things!” Sophie and Charley’s wedding.

“PERU! Wonderful!” Céline and Zeno’s wedding.

 

Asia

Asia is rising fast in popularity for the perfect honeymoon. Tropical paradise or incredible city landscapes in Hong Kong.

 

“Our honeymoon was a mountain bike tour of Bali. Not exactly a typical honeymoon but absolutely the best way to any country as the bikes gave us access to all the little villages and back waters. The bikes were parked up for the second week and we spent our time relaxing in several beautiful hotels followed by a few days in Singapore.” Sarah and Ross’ wedding.

“We had our proper Honeymoon in April this year to Japan! We had wanted to go for a long time and even talked about it on our first dates together so it really was a trip of a lifetime! It was everything we thought it would be, an amazing country and amazing people.” Becky and Robert’s wedding.

“We honeymooned in Hong Kong and Bali. It was amazing. We went two days after the wedding so we were still riding the wedding high. We had such a fab time although the jet lag was horrific for the first few days. We went to Disney land in Hong Kong, got the tram up to the peak and did lot’s of shopping. Bali was mainly chilling by the pool… oh and riding elephants! I hope we can go back one day and re-live the dream.” Sam and Gary’s wedding.

“The honeymoon will be in Vietnam, which we still need to plan CANT WAIT!” Neil and Sophie’s wedding.

“The honeymoon was as magical as the whole day. We travelled to Vietnam (Hanoi,  Halong Bay, Hoi An, Nah Trang) with a stop in Bangkok on the way there. Organised via Original Travel.” Celine and Gavin’s wedding.

“Few days in Kuala Lumpur followed by 10 days on Tioman Island in Malaysia.  We stayed at the Japamala resort where there were just 13 individual rooms which are set into the jungle landscape and into the hills surrounding the beach.  It was simply relaxing.” Cat and Alex’s wedding.

“We went to Bali & Lombok with one night in Kuala Lumpar it was perfect.” Kate and Ronan’s wedding.

“We chose a 3 week trip to Thailand, as it has a completely different culture, beautiful beaches and tasty food. We left the organising to Turquoise Holidays, who tailor made our trip starting at the north, then travelling to the centre and finishing on Islands of Thailand. Our main gift list was through Bottom Draw where guests could make contributions towards activities and things we wanted to do while we were away. We learnt to cook traditional Thai food at ‘A Lot of Thai’ with Yui, the lady that taught Gordon Ramsey Thai food! We rode elephants in the jungle, Snorkelled, ate authentic Thai cuisine and relaxed on the most beautiful beaches. It was a life changing and truly inspirational trip.” Claire and Rob’s wedding.

“We spent two weeks in Thailand, and couldn’t have asked for a better honeymoon. We started off in Bangkok, then went on to Koh Samui and Ko Tao. We had the busiest two weeks of our lives, making sure we made the most of every minute we were out there. We snorkelled, scuba dived, rode elephants. You name it, we did it.” Natalie and Guy’s wedding.

“We went to Hong Kong for a few days followed by a week of lovely relaxation and monkeys at the Island of Langkawi  in Malaysia. We ended the holiday by spending a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur.” Vicky and Stephen’s wedding.

“Sri Lanka – a chance to catch up on some MUCH needed sleep! It’s the one holiday you have every excuse to just chill. We loved and needed every minute of it!!” Conal and Tamsin’s wedding.

“Pure luxury at the one and only Royal Mirage at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai.  I grew up in the Middle East and so it was great to go back to this part of the world.  We met up with old family friends who showed us the sights and treated us to a wonderful champagne brunch at the Al Qasr hotel a must for anyone visiting Dubai.” Nikki and Russell’s wedding.

 

Unusual Destinations

Image by Nisha Ravji

 

Why not think of different options such as Australia, New Zealand or even Iceland for an unforgettable trip.

 

“No honeymoon yet, but we have a trip to my family home in New Zealand planned for the end of the year.” Ken and Carrie’s wedding.

“Mike and I are going to New Zealand in August for our honeymoon plus an extra celebration that my parents are putting on for all my friends and family who couldn’t make it over. What’s not to love about that – I get to wear my dress again!!! Woo hoo!!” Mike and Hannah’s wedding.

“We would like to go to Iceland to see the Northern lights sometime in the next year.” Cathy and Greg’s wedding.

“Mexico, we travelled around the west coast for a couple of weeks, it was beautiful – a perfect mixture of relaxation and adventure.” Christina and Damian’s wedding.

“Travelling to Bali and Lombok for 1 month and then to Australia to work and travel for 11 months. Just a little break!” Ryan and Natalie’s wedding.

 

I hope this feature has helped you to get some ideas for your honeymoon. Where are you planning on travelling to after your wedding? Or where did you go away for your honeymoon? I’d love to hear from you XOXO Lou