Does the idea of getting married and immediately hopping on a plane seem overwhelming? While the traditional honeymoon takes place immediately following the wedding, many couples are choosing to delay the big trip by weeks and even months!

As someone who chose her wedding date solely based on when I could go on my honeymoon (Spring Break–I was a teacher), I’ve found myself intrigued by this “delayed honeymoon” trend.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed that choosing a wedding date has gone from  “plan your wedding for when you can also honeymoon” to “get married when you want…honeymoon when you want!” And while I’m an advocate for tossing some wedding traditions, I also find myself wondering how it feels to get married and then jump immediately into “real life,” without the buffer of a traditional honeymoon.

So in today’s edition of Ask a Real Bride, I’m reaching out to couples who chose to wait to go on their honeymoons. I hope their perspectives help you determine if a delayed honeymoon is right for you!

Consideration #1: Weather

We got married in February and honeymooned in June. Our motivation for honeymooning in June was the weather in the mountains was just fantastic and it was a more calm time for both of our career fields. We got married in February because I couldn’t wait to be his wife! -Stacy R.

 

We had our wedding in March but waited until June to take our honeymoon because we are both teachers and wanted to wait until summer break…We didn’t plan a June wedding because it is hurricane season in South Florida and our ceremony was outside. We wanted the best chance of good weather. -Camile L.

Consideration #2: Time to Plan

We got married in September and went on our honeymoon at the end of October for the below reasons!

-get packed up and moved in together

-send out Thank You cards before the honeymoon (this was a great deadline)

-rest a little bit before a big trip

-Caitlin V.

We got married in October and honeymooned in March. There were a couple main reasons for this. First I think we were pretty tired and overwhelmed from planning a wedding and everything that went with that. Second, although we knew exactly where we wanted to go (Thailand), we didn’t know everything we wanted to do and didn’t want to plan a wedding and a honeymoon at the same time. -Kevin M.

 

Best of Both Worlds: Two Honeymoons!

You also have the option to take a short trip immediately following the wedding, and save a more extensive and expensive trip for later on in your first year of marriage!

We went on a “Minnie moon” to Disney for the weekend because Daniel couldn’t get any extra time off from medical school. We went to Cancun that summer in between medical school and residency for our full honeymoon! -Marybeth H.

 

We did a low key budget friendly honeymoon right after the wedding, which was wonderful because we didn’t have to stress about planning a big vacation and a wedding. But then we planned a second honeymoon (which actually turned out to be a baby moon LOL) to Europe about 8 months later. I loved it because it allowed us more time to plan and save up the money. Our relationship built so much in the first months of marriage so it was just a really fun time together! -Kimberly M.

 

We really wanted to take a big trip to Europe for our honeymoon because neither of us had ever been, but with all the stress of planning the wedding ourselves and the fact that it was winter, we decided to do a short trip to an all-inclusive in DomRep instead and keep the Europe trip as a goal for later in our first year. While the DR trip was technically our honeymoon, we really just took it as a chance to recharge after the wedding. We refer to the Eurotrip that came later as #HoneymoonRedux! -Oscar F.

 

A Warning:

If you wait too long to go on your honeymoon, it might not happen!

We were tour guides to family who traveled from Switzerland to our wedding in Florida. The original plan was to have our honeymoon a couple months later but we got pregnant instead and went straight to nesting! -Samantha G.

Should You Wait to Honeymoon?

You might want to consider it if:

• The ideal weather for your wedding date is not ideal for your honeymoon destination
• Your honeymoon destination requires major planning
• You are moving in together and want time to adjust
• You need time to save up for travel expenses

If you’re ready to start planning your honeymoon, we’ve got plenty of resources to help you get started! Get inspired by our list of dreamy destinations, check out our step-by-step honeymoon planning guide, and even find out how to register for your honeymoon!

Whenever you decide to go on your honeymoon, I hope it’s the trip of a lifetime!