Congratulations on your engagement! You found The One, got engaged, and are in the midst of planning your magical wedding & honeymoon. YAY!

Many couples don’t know all the ins and outs of planning a great honeymoon! If you’re like most people, you probably have this idea, that you’ll just find a resort somewhere in a beautiful location, book it, get married, and head off to honeymoon bliss! But, as you start planning your honeymoon, it can be stressful and overwhelming trying to plan a honeymoon that gives you EXACTLY what you want! There is a lot of planning that comes into play to make sure you have a honeymoon full of relaxation & romance, instead of disappointment and frustration. There’s so much to consider, from which destination to choose, the best resort to stay at, as well as choosing an air itinerary that won’t have you checking in late at night, losing the entire first day of your honeymoon to travel!

This honeymoon planning guide is exactly what you need to have a honeymoon that will truly be fabulous! These 8 steps will help you put all of the pieces together for a relaxing and pampering honeymoon in paradise.

Ok, so let’s jump into these six honeymoon essentials!

1. Create a “Honeymoon Wish List”

Before you do any honeymoon planning, you and your future spouse need to
take some time to make a list together of what you both are hoping to get out of
your honeymoon. I call it a “honeymoon wishlist” Is gourmet food important to
you, do you prefer ala cart vs. buffet restaurants? Do you care more about
having a stunning honeymoon suite, or are you ok with the standard room? Are
you both wanting a beautiful long stretch of swimmable beach, or are pools
more important to you? What type of excursions would you like to enjoy? You
will want to have at least some of these settled before you start researching
destinations and resorts.

2. Don’t Base Your Decisions Solely on Recommendations

Recommendations are great, but you have to remember that you are a completely different couple than they are. What is great for one couple, may not be great for you! Your honeymoon is pretty important, you don’t want to take a chance on having an underwhelming or poor experience. It’s fine to take a recommendation, but use it as a starting point, not your end point. And PLEASE, don’t go to Trip Advisor until you’ve narrowed your selection of honeymoon resorts down to two or three options!

3. Do This Instead

Remember that list I told you to create in point number 1? Once you have that
list made, you’ll want to start thinking about past travel experiences, both good
and bad… What did you like or love about a trip you took, or what did you dislike
or hate, about a past vacation or getaway? Add these to your “honeymoon wish
list”. Now you will be ready to move on to point number 4.

4. Make a List of Potential Honeymoon Destinations

Now it’s time to start making a list of potential honeymoon destinations! Use
your honeymoon wish list to help you narrow down destinations that offer what
is on your list, then make a list of potential honeymoon resorts.

5. Research Possible Honeymoon Resorts in Your Targeted Destinations

Once you have a couple of honeymoon locations chosen, then it’s time to figure out which resort to have your ceremony and host your group. One of the most effective ways to choose a wedding resort & venue is to visit it first before you decide. In fact, many resorts offer special “wedding visit” packages to encourage you to visit their resort hoping you will choose them for your destination wedding.

6. Get a New Email Exclusively for Wedding Related Conversations

This is a great way to stay organized and not miss any type of important communication about your honeymoon. I always suggest that you create a special email address exclusively for your wedding & honeymoon. This way all of your wedding correspondence & conversations will be in one spot! Believe me, this will save you so much time and probably money in the end. The last thing you want is to miss a confirmation email that your honeymoon resort suite is almost sold out, booking because it was sandwiched between emails from Beach Body & your Grandmother’s cataract surgery!

7. Consider Getting a New Credit Card that Earns Miles

As long as you are going to be charging your wedding expenses, you might as well earn some reward miles to help you pay for your honeymoon, or at least pay you back for booking your honeymoon. This is a great time to open a new credit card that will earn you miles or points for future or even current travel. You could actually get a discount on your airfare if you play your credit cards right!

8. Consider Working with a Honeymoon Specialist

If you want to ensure that your honeymoon won’t be a disappointment, as well as, reduce the stress and frustration you may feel when trying to plan this all on your own, it may be worth it to invest in hiring a honeymoon planner. A properly trained honeymoon specialist knows how to take your honeymoon wishlist, and quickly narrow down destinations & honeymoon resorts, that will be perfect for both of you! They will also make sure that you receive ALL the honeymoon amenities & perks you will qualify for as well.

At the end of the day, you want your honeymoon to be your reward after
all of the stress, and time you spent planning your wedding. It should be a fabulous time of FINALLY getting away, just the two of you, where you can relax, be pampered and just focus on each other.

Whether you’re looking for an over-the-water bungalow or a secluded white sand beach where you both can unplug and unwind, putting these 8 steps in place will ensure that your honeymoon experience will be everything you hoped for, as well as one of your fondest new memories as a couple.

And, if you feel like you need a little help planning your honeymoon or just
want this pressure and stress lifted off of your shoulders, then I encourage you to schedule a free 15-minute honeymoon planning strategy session with me!

I would be honored to help your figure out everything you need for your honeymoon dreams to come true!