Relax: It's Your First Vacation Together
by Kip Tabb
The bride and groom sprint down the church steps, racing to their car beneath a shower of rice. Into the car they leap the car suitably trimmed with cans and noisemakers, the windows painted white with "Just Married" and other declarations of love. Off they drive, rushing to the airport or some other such place to begin their new life together in an exotic vacation paradise in one of marriage's most treasured traditions: the honeymoon.
Except that's not quite the way it goes especially on the Outer Banks, where many couples have already had a chance to experience as unique and wonderful a slice of paradise as there is anywhere.
After a week of family, friends and celebration, many newlyweds are taking the simple route and spending a few extra days on the Outer Banks a week to do nothing other than relax and take time adjusting to their new life together.
Event coordinators often suggest that newlyweds delay their honeymoon for at least a little while. I strongly urge them not to take it right away, one wedding planner suggests. "After days and days of other people and everything that happens, they are physically exhausted. The intensity of it just wears them out."
Also, just the physical logistics of getting to a honeymoon location can be daunting. If a couple is planning on flying to their honeymoon getaway, they may need to leave the Outer Banks at five or six in the morning to get to the airport on time.
Many couples are opting to spend a few extra days on the Outer Banks to decompress and because of that, Wednesdays and Thursdays have become more popular wedding days. "It gives people time to get here, relax and have some time after the ceremony," says a leading event coordinator.
One of the simplest solutions for where to go on their honeymoon is for the couple to spend an extra week right here on the Outer Banks. That has become a popular option, and to many couples it becomes a part of a yearly renewal of their vows as they revisit Corolla, Nags Head or Hatteras to celebrate their anniversary. Located sound-side in Corolla, The Inn at Corolla Light with its romantic honeymoon suites is the perfect place to begin your wedded bliss. Another wonderful local
honeymoon option is to stay in one of Moore Island Properties' charming guest cottages in Manteo.
On the other hand, a distinct advantage of planning a honeymoon after the wedding ceremony is that it gives the newlywed couple a chance to recover and the opportunity of some quality time together.
One of the most important aspects of planning a honeymoon is perhaps the one piece of the puzzle that no one wants to look at. Very few have access to unlimited wealth, so a realistic budget is perhaps
the first step in creating a successful honeymoon.
The internet is an excellent resource for planning a honeymoon budget, but this is an area where local resources may also prove very helpful. A number of wedding planners and event coordinators on the Outer Banks are members of professional organizations that specialize in honeymoons, and most planners have worked with couples to plan their getaway.
It is not only money, however, that must be budgeted when planning a honeymoon. Today's couples live very full, busy lives, and creating time to get away is difficult at times. Because of that, many couples plan a series of "mini-honeymoons"- weekend and long weekend excursions that are easier to plan and easier on the pocketbook.
Much of the planning that goes into a honeymoon has to do with what a couple wants, and actually, with proper planning the range of what can be accomplished goes way up.
Every vacation destination has a peak season and an off-season and the savings available in the off-season can be substantial. But don't be fooled; just because it's the "off-season" does not mean your destination is not desirable. October and May are considered off-season on the Outer Banks, and there are very few places as beautiful as it is here in the spring and fall.
Also, decide what you really want from your honeymoon. Do you want to be pampered, but your budget only calls for a week of hamburgers? Then plan a mini-honeymoon and enjoy being pampered. If what you want is the experience of an exotic land, then opt for simpler accommodations and spend more time exploring your tropical paradise.
The point is, it is your honeymoon and it should be what you want something unique and special and wonderful. Something the two of you will always look back upon and smile.
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