Happy Thursday everyone! I have an apt post for you today seeing as our Jackie is currently bronzing her b-hind on her honeymoon; so jealous right now! We are thinking of (envying) you Mrs Curtis! Whilst I was sat envying Jackie, I counted down the days till I get to bronze my own b-hind whilst guzzling down copious amounts of mojitos and chomping on my bodyweight in pulled pork on the beach - precisely 81 days and counting (wow don't I sound glamorous - yes I am bordering on wanting our honeymoon more than the wedding ;-)). Then I realised honeymoon's haven't really been spoken about much in the 'real bride/real weddings' section of the blog, after all the glitz and glam of the wedding is over by that point and that's what we talk about here in the Rock My Wedd-o-sphere! It's certainly one of the things I am looking forward to most, so maybe you are too, therefore, let's talk about it more!

So how did it all begin? This GREAT excuse for a holiday after you've just married the man of your dreams is said to stem back to the 1540's and we have our very own Brits to thank for it. As with most things, there are various stories about its origin, for example, newlyweds would drink a honey potion every day for the first month after their nuptials. Or mead was drunk at the wedding and for a month after (sufficient quantities for one full cycle of the moon), as both were believed to boost fertility! According to the online etymology dictionary (which by the way, if you didn't know before - because I didn't, there I fessed up - etymology means the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history) in the 1540's it was known as 'hony moone'; the "indefinite period of tenderness and pleasure experienced by a newly wed couple". 'Hony' was said to reference 'the new marriage's sweetness' and 'moone' a reference to how long it would last. It is also said to be the '"post-wedding holiday", with the words honeymooned and honeymooning coming about in the early 1800's. Another possible origin, closely linked to above is in reference to the 'waning of love' as quoted from Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum "Honeymoon, is a term proverbially applied to such as to be new married, which will not fall out at the first, but the one loveth the other at the beginning exceedingly, the likelihood of their exceeding love appearing to assuage, the which time the vulgar people call the honey moon". Not so nice? Translated into 21st Century language, it was the period when married love was said to be as sweet as honey, which waned in the same time period as a full cycle of the moon. Mmm, a lot to chew on there! Personally I think it was just a great excuse to 'consummate' ones marriage, whilst carrying on the 'party of love' together with those butterflies in your tummy and de-stressing from the prepping - all at the same time!

'Usually' and I use the term loosely, honeymooning starts straight after the wedding, that's what has always been the thing to do. We have all seen the movies and heard the tales of the bride and groom jumping into a decorated carriage after their reception, maybe even Cinderella-like at midnight, off to some romantic retreat to 'get to know each other a little better' (you know what I'm saying heh heh ;-)) But times 'they-have-a-changed' and that's generally not as practical anymore. With the rat race the way it is these days, lots of people leave their honeymoon to a later date. Whether it is due to tying up loose ends with the reception or venue, spending time with family and friends who have travelled for the celebrations (we fit into this category) work commitments, lack of annual leave or finances (and any other life interfering factor that can denounce fun), sometimes a honeymoon just isn't practical straight after a wedding anymore, so more and more people choose to do this at a later date. Heck, some people don't even have a honeymoon and choose to put the dinero toward a house deposit instead (I like your savvy thinking here sisters!) We actually discussed postponing ours, after all, we are flying half way round the world for our wedding, but I don't mind admitting that I had a diva moment... "Um no, I think not! I would quite like two weeks of uninterrupted bride and groom party time in the sun please!" So off we will be jetting to our favourite destination en route back to New Zealand. While we are on the topic of New Zealand, SO many people come here for their honeymoon and no, before you ask I have not been paid by the tourist board to do a shameless plug, but if you are struggling to decide on a destination I can vouch this place would be a pretty awesome retreat. No matter what you're into, NZ really does cater for everyone, infact the more I write, maybe we should of just honeymooned at home?! You could come here and do the whole thing, wedding and honeymoon! Another bonus is just last year the land of the long white cloud had its law changed and same-sex marriage is now legal here - so proud of this little country I call home.
Here is another option, why not save your romantic vacation for your Babymoon... "Say whaaaat?!" I hear you holah? Oh yes, or there is your Minimoon, your Familymoon or your Grandparentmoon... ok I made the last one up, but the first two are actually 'moons' that people have these days - whoever moderated the honeymoon trend has made a few buckaroonies eh! I heard about this Babymoon craze not so long ago from a close friend of mine, to say the least I was baffled. But my ol' 7 months, preggo'd up, buddy said she was off on her Babymoon for their last hurrah as just Mr and Mrs with no plus one! I think it's a super cute idea actually - and what a last hurrah they had, even got bloody nakey-noodled in the hot tub and all! That's probably more than I would even do on my H-moon

If you are still thinking about whether to H-moon or not, will you try something new? Or are you craving the traditional B&B in an undisclosed location? What about a safari or action adventure full of ski diving and bungee jumping? I have also heard of yoga retreats and a weeklong couples detox in a beautiful Thai sanctuary (personally I cannot think of anything worse, our wedding would probably be annulled by the end of the Honeymoon if we did this, no-one needs to combine hangry times with romance, show me the vino!) What about camping, glamping or tramping? A roadtrip, ski trip, cruise or city break maybe? There is the other option of course, screw the locale and get yourself on trip advisor and look for the best hotel room the planet has to offer, you may not want to leave the hotel room after all, eh hem... so pick the place with the best bed! What ever you might like to do, here is some destination-love to lose yourself in this Thursday afternoon...

Where are you off to/what did you do? What are your plans instead? If you are a destination bride, are you staying on for a week of Mc'fun-in and Mc'lovin'? Tell us your plans and your preparations. Speaking of which, don't even get me started on honeymoon fashion for poolside chic, nail polish and bikinis... that's a whole other post!

Before I sign out for this week, can we please have a big shout and celebratory champagne glass 'chink chink' for our RMW Real Bride Miss Stef who is getting married to her sweetheart in two wee days!! Och aye the noo! (If you didn't know she's Scottish I haven't lost my marbles) We are all thinking of you gorgeous and will be sending lots of love your way.

Sarah xxx