Honeymoons are expensive and too much pressure to be perfect!

We're almost at our one year anniversary and still haven't gone. We are planning a trip to Hawaii for later this year, which I am calling our "mock honeymoon". I don't really feel any pressure to make anything perfect. I'd like to stay in a nice hotel and do fun things...but what else is there about a vacation that needs to be perfected?

I don't understand your need to have a perfect honeymoon. Since when do honeymoons need to be perfect? I'm confused... what exactly is "perfect" for a honeymoon?

We picked our location and just went and had fun together. Yes, it was expensive, but no more than any other trip. We've been on other trips that were more expensive than our honeymoon.

I think you need to change your views and expectations of a honeymoon.

I guess its just the idea of a HONEYMOON being the most romantic trip you'll ever take! I might be too "in my head" about the whole thing! lol

I'm not sure why you feel pressure...it's just a vacation with your H.

No pressure shall be had!

Just create a vacation together, it doesn't have to be expensive necessarily, just a trip you two can do together <3

You're not alone. We're going on our HM (with friends) in June. We actually just booked it last week.

With kids, mortgage, car payments, school loans blah blah blah it just wasn't happening right away.

Yup, you're in your head. Get out of there. Go on a damn vacation with your husband and enjoy it

Our honeymoon was not perfect, but it was still the best trip of my life because we were celebrating the best event in our lives.

I have always viewed honeymoons as a time for you and your new husband to spend some time away and connect. To be honest, I have always understood them to be low pressure because a honeymoon takes you away from all your stress and gives you time to just be with the person you love the most.

As far as making it perfect, I think as long as you choose something that makes you both happy it will be perfect. That might be a month long European tour for some, a week at a resort for others, or a long weekend at a lakeside cabin for another couple, or anything else for that matter. I think you are looking at this wrong, or at the very least overthinking it. Plan a vacation like you would any other time. Knowing (or deciding) it is your honeymoon will make it special without adding anything else.

My honeymoon was not the most romantic trip I've ever taken. We went to Disney World and ran around like kids for the week.

My most romatic trip was about a year later when we went on a Europe Cruise vacation to England, France and Spain.

Sounds like you are too "in your head" about all this. A honeymoon is about having a fun vacation with just your husband where the two of you have lots of time to spend together. That's all.

I also wanted to add, we decided to wait because we wanted a "big" vacation at a all-inclusive resort. We deserve a vacation and you do too! Go for it. Mini-moons/long wkend trips are good but every now and then its nice to "go all out"

I felt the same way. FH and I travel a lot. And I had this weird feeling that our honeymoon should be the best vacation we ever have. It was unrealistic. Once I got over that, we finally settled on a location and I know we're going to have a great time.

Don't put so much pressure on it. Just pick a destination and go for it. Ours is only 5 nights so it's not this crazy extravagant trip.

Just do things you would usually do together. Its not about being perfect, its about YOU as a couple.

We didn't have the typical resort, romantic honeymoon. We went to Vegas for a couple of nights and took a road trip through Utah and the national parks in a convertible Mustang. It was awesome! We've travelled a ton all of over the world and we wanted to keep this more simple.

I also think your idea of multiple weekend getaways is fine! (And AWESOME!) More places to see and great to get away once in a while! There is no way you HAVE to do a honeymoon...if you do one at all.

I agree there is external pressure to do some kind of huge life-changing trip for the honeymoon. I think it is intensified for people who travel together often, they feel they have to find something even more exciting and exotic for the honeymoon. I don't buy into this. I would love to take this kind of trip with FH eventually, to travel around Europe and see a bunch of different cities, or go somewhere tropical and exotic. But right after the wedding, I just want to take off work and relax. I won't have the energy to explore a bunch of new cities that week, but I really wanted to go somewhere different together. We're just going to PR for four days. There are a couple fun outings we're interested in, but we're mostly going to relax. I don't think it has to be super expensive, but we did upgrade to a nice suite at the hotel because we could afford it. We can always do a big trip out of the country later.

Our honeymoon was absolutely perfect but only because we had the greatest times of our lives spending a whole week away from life together on a beach. We stayed in a airbnb condo and got amazing deals on our flights. We were able to spend 7 days in Maui and didn't even spend over $3000 for everything! We went snorkeling, golfing, got massages, had nice fancy dinners, went parasailing, and stayed at an amazing beachfront condo. We did all that in budget by shopping my ass off to find good deals. It can be done, and you deserve to take one. It was the best decision I made in regards to our whole wedding because that is where we made amazing memories as newlyweds. Do it and stop overthinking the "romantic" part of it. We didn't really focus on romance, but it was there because we were alone away from daily life.

We always planned to delay our honeymoon, but once it was time to start planning it I did feel a certain type of pressure about making it perfect/the trip of a lifetime/most romantic vacation. Once I let go of those ideas, planning was a lot easier and more enjoyable.

I guess i get what your saying cuz everyone has this mental image of how it should be. no stress go smooth romantic relaxing.... but in reality it should just be somthing for you guys to spend alone time together make memories and have fun

We did a mini-moon in vegas a few days after the wedding (booked thru Costco). We intended to go to Hawaii in september or the actual honeymoon but we ended up getting pregnant and decided to use the money to do some house stuff to get ready for the baby.

We didn't have any pressure, we knew we wanted to see some shows, gamble and eat well. The hotel room was a suite with a 2 person tub..romance was a no brainer. We even splurged and got a couple's massage at the spa.

We "half-planned" our honeymoon and it turned out great! We wanted to go somewhere tropical, with access to adventure, but was also off-the-beaten-path, so we chose Costa Rica! I picked the cities, he picked the hotels, and we booked everything through Expedia. We flew in and rented a car, then asked locals what they recommended. Note on renting cars/transportation: a 7-day-car rental cost $550, and they wanted a deposit of $500, which we received back two days after our return upon no damage, so know that upfront, but aside from that, everything was very reasonable. We only booked half-day excursions, and usually glanced over the options the night before, then signed up the morning or day of, so it was very relaxed and felt spontaneous, so that we could enjoy hanging out at the beach or a nice breakfast or dinner in between. Allow yourself time to breathe

Don't over-plan or feel like you are missing out on anything. It's good and important to have down-time. Have a general idea of what you two might enjoy, then talk with your husband, and let whatever come of it come. If we were to do it all over, would we have changed a few things? Perhaps, but we loved doing it together and we were happy with what we chose. It was unforgettable and we are so happy that we did what felt right to us - we made it ours.

We didn't take a honeymoon. We are having an "anniversarymoon" and going on our first anniversary. It's not about pressure to be perfect, but more a money and work timing thing. All we are doing is going to a resort, we haven't planning any excursions, just going to take each day as it comes. It's all about spending time with each other. Life gets hectic, so much lost time with loved ones.

@Denise - which hotel did you book? We are looking at the Vegas options right now for our honeymoon!