Whatever happened to giving the couple a gift, even if it is cash/check?? I don’t know this couple that well – but in their picture it doesn’t appear to me that they are an established couple with a set of dishes, toaster, blender, etc. If this dream honeymoon is really their dream, save for it instead of asking your friends and your parents’ friends for it. Trust me – it will mean more – that first vacation my husband and I took with money we had save for that purpose is still one of the best vacations we have taken! We’ve been married 15 1/2 years.

We’re going back to the same resort for our third anniversary this June. Only five days this time, and under $2000 (airfares and hotels have gotten more competitive). The only thing that went up was the car rental (to $60).

All told, a week away, eating lunches and dinners out (we brought breakfast items to cook at the townhouse we rented), cost $2300, $2000 of which was a gift from my parents.

If you’re into food I would recommend treating yourself to one fabulous meal. We ate at one really fancy restaurant on our trip, the bill came to $200 (we got a bottle of champagne), but the food was fabulous and the waiters treated us like a king and queen. We STILL talk about that meal, it was so special.

Definitely mention you’re on your honeymoon, especially if you’re someplace known for good hospitality like the South!

My wife and I didn’t take a honeymoon– I was laid off from my job a week after we were married . . .

We plan on an anniversary honeymoon in the future, but we get mini-honeymoons every other weekend when our four kids are with their other parents . . . divorce does have one silver lining.

It was a magnificent trip, of course, but looking back on it, it was a financial mistake.

It would eliminate the need for the modifier later.

I’ve also done a lot of camping in my life, and sometimes you “win” and have a great experience, and other times it rains and the bikers in the site next to you keep you up late, and wake you up with Harleys at dawn. Or the two year old wakes up at down and cries in the site next to yours. I’d caution the frugal to know the campsite you are visiting well BEFORE you show up to celebrate your nuptials — and underline the point that your new spouse needs to be as much into it as you are.

Overall, though, I would encourage people to have a good time on their honeymoon and do what they like to do — and then pay CASH for it :)

It worked for us!

For extra credit, diagram the above sentence!

(This may seem a bit macabre: on the way there we stopped at a funeral. A cousin had died, and the timing fit exactly, and it was exactly on the way.)

Anyway it’s cheap, relaxing and no travel hassle!

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon. Not quite “all-inclusive”, but close enough so that once we got on the boat, we didn’t have to do ANYTHING if we didn’t want to, and didn’t absolutely need to spend additional money, either. Our best “event” during the 5 days was probably when we got off in Key West and just walked around together.

For DH and I, it was absolutely the best call. We spent less than $300 on the entire week-long thing, including all of our gas, groceries, motel stays on the way there and back, and the campsite. But what we got in return was 6 days of heavenly solitude, romantic excursions, canoeing, hiking, hundreds of beautiful photos and a lifetime of memories.