By Kathy Jodrey

Are you in the exciting process of planning your wedding and honeymoon? Congratulations! The days ahead will most likely be filled with anticipation, joy, and some degree of stress.

After all, you want your wedding day to be perfect. Whether you’re planning an extravagant destination wedding in Hawaii or a small ceremony followed by a casual gathering of family and friends, this day will be remembered forever.

What lies ahead, of course, is the real prize. You’ve found your soul mate, and now have the chance to blend your two lives together in an amazing bond. What better way to begin your journey together than to share a relaxing, romantic honeymoon?

This will be the vacation you’ll remember for the rest of your days, and you won’t want to skimp. You’ll want to spend your time joyfully experiencing activities that you may not usually be accustomed to. Just picture a romantic candlelit dinner enjoyed aboard a sunset cruise, an exhilarating horseback ride along a gorgeous stretch of beachfront, or a day spent snorkeling among colorful coral reefs.

Sure, this all sounds fantastic, but it can be very expensive. Many newlyweds are focused on goals such as buying a house, and the reality is that luxurious honeymoons are an extravagance that may be out of your reach. If this is the case for you, you’ll be delighted to know that you can have your cake and eat it too!

Yes, you can have the honeymoon of your dreams without spending your savings or going into debt to pay for it. You can afford to go to that expensive restaurant, unwind with side by side massage treatments, or spend the day parasailing. Whatever it is that you envision when you think of the perfect honeymoon, you can do.

And best of all, you can create the vacation of your dreams through traditional means! All this is possible due to the brilliant concept of the honeymoon registry. This is a variation of the traditional bridal registry. Rather than create a registry of gift items you would like to receive, such as silverware or towels, you and your betrothed create a wish list of honeymoon experiences you would like to have.

This has become a very popular alternative, given the times. A large majority of soon to be brides and grooms have moved away from home, and have accumulated the household items that have typically been given as engagement, shower, and wedding gifts. Many couples, in fact, live together before marrying, and are not in need of these items at all.

If you fit this profile, your guests may find it difficult to give you a special gift that will be meaningful to you. What better way for them to add to your happiness, than to provide you with an experience that will last a lifetime?

Creating a honeymoon registry is a simple process. You’ll want to find a reputable company to register with, and follow their instructions. As with a traditional bridal registry, you’ll want to break your requests into affordable chunks. For example, if your airfare will cost $500, you could make 2 requests for $100 each, and 6 requests for $50 each. This is much like the typical process used, in which a couple may register for a single place setting of china, and include 12 such requests.

Your honeymoon registry can be very simple, or extremely detailed. If you’re not sure exactly what your plans are, you can request such things as airfare, hotel payment, water activities, etc. If you know you’ll be staying at a particular hotel, your registry might include 7 requests for 1 night at that hotel. You get the idea, right?

When your family and friends purchase your requested items, the money is placed into an account that you can draw on at any time. This affords you the opportunity to prepay expenses such as airfare and hotel prior to the honeymoon, then to draw additional funds from your account to pay for excursions as you go. You have the flexibility to use your gift money when and where you please.

Many honeymoon registry services provide extras such as a wedding website, online registry announcements that can be emailed to your guests, and invitations that can be downloaded and printed. And for those friends and family who are still not too sure about computers, transactions can be made by phone.

So, time to start dreaming of your perfect honeymoon, and make it happen! Have fun!

About The Author

Kathy Jodrey is a travel industry expert, specializing in honeymoon registries. If you’re planning a honeymoon or a bridal shower and would like more information, you may find more detailed information on her website: FreeOnlineTripAdvisor.com.

Tags: For Weddings