As an Encore Bride, I can tell you there is something really special about not waiting… and having to return to the “routine” of life (especially if you have lived together before the wedding). Either way, there will be YEARS you can live together and do mundane things (like work, laundry, the dishes etc). Keeping the romantic mood moving along into the Honeymoon is definitely worthwhile… afterall this is a time you will remember / look back on the rest of your lives. Weddings are nice, but the real goal here is Marriage, and that begins the second after you run off just the two of you !! That is what should be really appreciated and savoured… ala a Honeymoon.
That said, going from the Hectic Pre-Wedding Planning, thru to the Whirlwind Week, onto the Ceremony and Reception (and Wedding Night) can be EXHAUSTING. Add in a next-day flight to some far off place, and one can find themselves collapsed in an expensive Destination Hotel Room just sleeping away the time (and money).
If your Honeymoon plans include a jet-off to somewhere exotic, best to post-pone it for a day or two… and use the first day post Wedding just to veg in a nice Hotel, Sleep In, visit the Spa, Pool etc.
Personally, this time round… having figured all of the aforementioned things out from the last time…
Mr TTR and I are Eloping to a Destination Wedding on a Beach overlooking the Ocean on Christmas Eve. After which we’ll be going to a favourite bar near our condo for a Champagne Toast. Then off to a nearby Fancy Hotel for a romantic meal overlooking the ocean… and a Nightcap, before retiring to our Honeymoon Suite (same room I’m using to stay in the night before, and get ready before our Ceremony).
Next day is Christmas Day, we’ll be playing a round of golf… and having Christmas Dinner at our Vacation Condo. The 26th we pack up and head south to take in some sunshine, more golf and Florida Beaches for a week.
Then it is back home for a bit of “reality” (and our Back Home Reception with Friends & Family) before jetting off to Honeymoon Part Two, a Caribbean Cruise. Lol, the cruise was planned before the Wedding, hence the lag in timeframe.
Honestly, I am quite excited about the whole thing… and cannot wait. Mr TTR likes the fact that the Honeymoon is in two parts, each different from the other. A week of Golf mainly for him, and a week of pampering and exploring while travelling to exotic ports of call (things we both love, but especially me). I like the fact that it spreads the whole Newlywed / Honeymoon phase of our life out over a longer span of time
Hope this helps,