Sept. 9th 2021

Chris and I decided to put off our big honeymoon in Greece until next summer, when we hope that Covid will be a thing of the past! Or at least…less of a thing lol. Instead, we planned a little “minimoon” and took some time off where we wouldn’t have to stress about international travel plans being affected by ever-changing regulations.

While some couples plan extravagant trips abroad, and others hop to the nearest body of water, not everyone honeymoons the same way, and some couples skip it altogether. Whether its the time off work or the cost or otherwise, honeymoons aren’t a priority for everyone. However, I truly believe as newlyweds it is so valuable to have that special time after the wedding to just BE with each other! It doesn’t have to be an international trip, but even a small romantic rendezvous can extend the bliss of your wedding and create a memorable entrance into the new chapter of your life and marriage.

Right after the wedding, we stayed a few extra days on the East coast at the family shore house. It was nice to not have to travel home immediately after the wedding but it didn’t really feel very “honeymoon-y” at all, as we ended up spending most of our time with family rather than alone with each other.

Thankfully – Chris had already booked a stay at a resort for the week after we got back from the East Coast. There are a few things I think about when I think, “honeymoon.” A honeymoon is when newlyweds spend time just BEING with each other. Instead of all the monotony of daily life and routines and responsibility, we get to relax and spend time with each other, just the two of us, as a married couple. That means, no cooking, no cleaning, no TV, no laundry, no yard work, no entertaining people, no answering the front door.

So although our little vacation in the desert wasn’t Greece, it WAS exactly what we needed. We got massages every day. We popped champagne. We called housekeeping. We ate at the best restaurants. We lounged in the lazy river and ordered poolside drinks. We slept in (a little). And most importantly, we took the time to enjoy going from fiancé to husband and wife.

Now that I have experienced it, I REALLY see the value in honeymoons. That time after the wedding can be so magical if you spend it relaxing and giving your full attention to your new wife/husband. It was so nice to simply recognize the fact that we just made one of the biggest commitments of our entire lives together and to fully celebrate that. The wedding truly did go by so quickly and it would have been a rough transition to go from the happiest day of our lives to normal, every day routines immediately afterwards.

Our minimoon wasn’t crazy extravagant like our wedding was. And while we didn’t travel very far, it gave us the opportunity to press pause on life and truly be in the moment with each other. I couldn’t be more grateful that my husband made that happen for us! And in the next few months…I’ll be back to planning but this time for our big honeymoon abroad 😉

With love,

Ashley Jo