The Most Common Honeymoon Mistakes to Avoid

I went to Aruba with my wife for our honeymoon...

I would like to thank Jan Moeser from Elk River Travel for providing the list of the "most common honeymoon mistakes to avoid."

Not starting your honeymoon planning early.
The number one mistake most couples make is leaving your honeymoon planning until the last minute. This trip is the first of hopefully many vacations together as husband and wife; let’s not underestimate the importance of it. Not only can you save significantly if you book early, you better your chances of getting your first and or second choice of resort or cruise.

Not taking a honeymoon.
Okay, life is busy, hectic and sometimes downright chaotic. But seriously: Will your job, company or family really fall apart if you take some much deserved time for yourselves? Now is the time to relax! You’ve survived your wedding day, danced the hokey-pokey and now it’s time for you. Even if it’s only a day or two, take the time and make it special. The last thing you want to do is look back years from now and regret that you didn’t take time for yourselves.

Forgetting to bring your sense of humor.
No matter how carefully you plan your trip, sometimes things can go wrong—even at a world-class honeymoon destination. Don’t let anything ruin the overall purpose of your trip, which is to have a fun and romantic time with your spouse. Laugh it off and you’ll only remember the good stuff. Just think of any hiccups as great stories to tell the grandkids.

Scheduling all of your time with activities.
With all the pre-wedding excitement, mad dashing and last-minute issues, you may not realize how exhausted you are. Most likely, it'll certainly hit you a day or two after the Big Day. So even though eight hours of fishing sounds wonderful, don’t plan it for the first part of your honeymoon. Instead, consider say, a couples’ massage, as the best way to start your honeymoon. Be sure to leave yourselves enough relaxation time.

Not using a travel agent to help you plan your honeymoon.
Travel agents are your advocates: They offer personalized service, travel knowledge, and can be someone to lend a hand or ear when you’re looking for the perfect place to begin your life together. Travel agents don’t work for an airline, cruise or tour company – they work for you. Let the experts find you the best values, industry deals and discounts that only they have access to. Let them do the many hours of research for you; they understand you’re a little busy right now.

Do I need a travel agent for my honeymoon?

I wrote in my last blog about my honeymoon to Aruba...and how my wife and I would have never picked Aruba, if it weren't for the advice of our travel agent. Her experience allowed her to find us a place to honeymoon in August, while staying outside of the hurricane belt.

We had enough decisions to make about our wedding- and it was so nice to let someone else do the research on airfare, prices, hotels, excursions, etc... Our travel agent had other couples visit Aruba- and was able to provide insight that we would have never found if we were just booking our trip online.

Some travel agents do not charge any service fees...while others may charge a small service fee for their services. Do some research and find a travel agent that can meet your needs- and stay within your budget.

Bursch Travel is a great local travel agent, and there are a number of others in the Central Minnesota Wedding Association.

Happy planning!

The Honeymoon

I know a lot of couples struggle with what to do for their honeymoon...

• Should we take a big trip and go somewhere out of the country?
• Should we take a road trip and stay a little closer to home?
• Do we do take our honeymoon right after the wedding...or wait until later?
• Do we even need to go on a honeymoon?

I know my wife and I struggled with these questions as we thought about what we wanted to do for our honeymoon. As we were discussing this with my parents, my dad gave me a piece of wisdom that I still remember very clearly.

"You only have one chance in your life to take a honeymoon...if you wait and do it later- it's just a vacation."


My wife and I were considering a weekend trip to our family cabin near Shell Lake, WI...but after listening to others, we decided to plan a trip to Aruba for our honeymoon. I think we made the right decision.

Our wedding was in August...and we knew that we wanted to go somewhere warm. We had gone on vacations together, but we never went somewhere warm.

I called our travel agent to discuss different honeymoon options. A big reason we chose Aruba was that it is outside of the hurricane belt. This is something I would have never considered on my own...and am glad our travel agent knew her stuff!

In my next post, I will highlight a great travel agency that is a member in the Central Minnesota Wedding Association and is GREAT to work with when planning your honeymoon.

"Must Know" for Destination Weddings

In my last blog, I wrote generally about my experience with destination weddings- and have a few more tips to share.

The biggest thing people planning the wedding need to realize is that if your wedding is outside of the United States- the customs and culture in the country you are visiting are also different. Specifically, how people respond to "scheduled" events and timelines. People in Mexico have a very different interpretation of time than we do in the United States. Their culture is a lot more laid back and not as concerned with the minutes hand on the clock.

If you are the type of person that needs everything to be "on-time" - a destination wedding may not be for you. In my experience, there is always something that is "running late" hours before the wedding starts...flowers, chairs, officiant, etc...

Most of the resorts do have "wedding coordinators"- but often times this person is juggling multiple weddings or working on other projects at the resort.

My biggest pieces of advice for people...hire a travel agent to help you work with the resort and go into the wedding realizing that all of your plans may be subject to change. If it is outdoors- there is always a chance that it could rain- or something may not show up on time.

Find a travel agent you can trust and has experience working with destination wedding resorts. Their services are less money than you think and will make your wedding planning experience a lot more pleasant and less stressful.

We have a number of great travel agents in the Central Minnesota Wedding Association- be sure to check them out during your search!