As my husband and I approach the two-month mark of wedded bliss, I become more and more thankful that we decided to delay our honeymoon.
We tied the knot in September this year and will vacation at Walt Disney World over Christmas — making it a full three months after our wedding to take our honeymoon (or Disneymoon as I like to call it).
When we first began tossing around ideas for honeymoon destinations (you can read about our initial planning here), we were about 10 months out from our big day. So, we had quite a bit of time to plan a trip if we wanted to leave the Sunday or Monday after the wedding — which is what we thought we would do.
Our original plan was to head to Key West for one week after our nuptials, and we even got as far as picking our hotel and pricing out the entire trip.
Then, just before I began booking, something inside of me told me not to do it, and I am so glad I listened to that little voice.
Taking that pause and exploring other options helped me realize that perhaps right now is not the time for a week in the Florida Keys. Instead, I priced out what it would cost for us to go (back) to Disney World for one week and was pretty satisfied with the quote.
The fella and I talked it over and decided that if we were going to do Disney for our honeymoon, we would go all out — stay at one of the deluxe resort hotels, enjoy nice dinners each night, pay a visit to the spa, drink around the world at Epcot, etc.
Also, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to check off a big item on our (OK, my) Disney bucket list — be in Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day.
Justin was surprisingly fine with the idea of going to WDW over Christmas.
After all, this would be the perfect time in our life to take this trip.
We plan to start a family soon and probably won’t be able to make it back to our favorite vacation destination for a few years.
Additionally, because Christmas is one of the busiest times of year to visit WDW, it will be years (and I mean years) before we take that on with children. Like, those tiny humans will need to be grown and able to handle their own before we do Disney at Christmas with them.
So, we said why not. Actually, we said f*** it, but whaterver.
While our initial reasoning for postponing our honeymoon for three months was based on our immediate family goals, in the months since our wedding, I have realized 10 additional reasons why a delayed honeymoon is actually the best.
Here they are:
1 /// You’ll have more time to plan the trip of your dreams. I can’t imagine planning our honeymoon on top of planning our wedding. Our trip would not be nearly as good if I would have planned it in conjunction with the wedding. I have been able to take my time and research which restaurants we want to dine at, make sure we have the best possible reservations, plan romantic excursions, and really figure out how to maximize our time.
2 /// Since you’re planning your dream trip, you’ll have more time to pay for it: While the Key West trip would have been incredible, it was far more expensive than we could have afforded while also paying for our wedding. Deciding to go to WDW three months after our wedding gave us an extra few months to pay off the trip. It also means that we can do more activities, not feel guilty about spending money, and really enjoy each minute of our vacation since we had more time to save for it. After all, this is our Disney trip of a lifetime.
3 /// You’re going to be exhausted after the wedding. When I woke up the morning after our reception, I was so relieved I didn’t have to do anything because I was exhausted (mentally and physically) after all the wedding fun. If I would have gone directly from full-blown wedding mode to honeymoon travel, I would have been miserable and we would have spent the first three days of the trip just recovering from the wedding.
4 /// You’ll be emotional. I was, at least. My adrenaline was running so high the day before and the day-of our wedding that once my husband and I were finally alone that night after the reception, I cried. I honest-to-God sobbed uncontrollably for 30 minutes, and I truly could not control it. I didn’t have any time that entire day to really stop and think about my emotions or anything that was happening around me, so when I got back to our hotel room that night, all that I had bottled up just expelled. It actually took me a few days to fully recover.
5 /// Family is still in town. We had family members who we rarely get to see in town until mid-week after our big day. It was really nice to spend extra time with them apart from the wedding and not feel like we had to rush off to the airport.
6 /// Vacation time for work can be difficult to secure. My husband and I both took off a full week surrounding our wedding because to finish last-minute preparation. It would have been extremely difficult for us to tack on another week out of the office. Especially since my husband works in commissioned sales. Taking two weeks off would have killed his paycheck for the next month.
7 /// Look at the time of year you’re going. Is it hurricane season? This is something that we definitely did not think about when we were originally planning a Key West honeymoon for September. Hurricane Irma slammed the Florida Keys the week before our wedding, causing major devastation and closing the Keys for a couple of weeks.
8 /// It gives you something to look forward to in the months after the wedding. When you are planning your wedding, you constantly have something to look forward to. Then, you blink and your big day has come and gone. Choosing to take our honeymoon three months after our wedding has given us something to look forward to for the rest of the year. It is actually very exciting.
9 /// You still get all the honeymoon swag and recognition. If you’re worried that a postponed honeymoon won’t feel like a real honeymoon, don’t. You are still on your honeymoon no matter how long after your wedding you are vacationing, and that means you are still deserving of all the free swag that comes with honeymooning. I know Disney often treats their honeymooners to “magic moments,” so don’t be shy about telling anyone what you’re celebrating.
10 /// Take a mini-moon or a staycation with your partner instead. Planning a delayed honeymoon doesn’t mean you have to return to work the Monday after your wedding. Instead, take a few days off and stay home, count your wedding money, open your gifts, and just enjoy the alone time with your new spouse. You’ll be really glad you did.
