7 ways to save on your honeymoon

View mobile site

Friday, June 6, 2014 | 1:54 a.m.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Atlanta Bargain Hunter

Posted: 2:14 p.m. Thursday, June 5, 2014

Once the wedding is over, you’ll want to start things off right with a fabulous honeymoon, yes? Maybe, depending on where you live. Fewer than half of couples married in Alaska and Nevada plan to book a honeymoon, according to TheKnot.com’s 2013 Real Weddings Survey.

The average honeymoon costs about $5,000 and it is the one thing on which couples do not want to scale back. Even if a budget honeymoon is not part of your plan, you can still save a little money with these strategies:

Ask for help: Lots of couples use honeymoon registries to which guests can make financial contributions, to help them reach their honeymoon goals.

Be flexible: You may have your heart set on a specific destination, but if you’re trying to save money, it is better to let timing determine where you go. In fact, if you can be flexible with timing — as in taking your honeymoon a few weeks or months after your wedding — you may be able to score even better travel deals. Start by looking at the cost of travel to your desired location during the time you plan to go and create a short list of options. According to WalletHub, the top five Honeymoon destinations for your wallet in 2014 are Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York.

Hit the road: Flying anywhere is going to cost you as airfares creep higher and higher. Planning a road trip can save you hundreds of dollars depending on your destination.

Shoulder the burden: You can travel during off-season, but the time between peak and low seasons — known as shoulder season — may provide you with the peace of mind that your trip won’t be ruined by bad weather, while still offering cost savings.

Comparison shop: Packages may look tempting, but always price out the cost of items separately to see if you are really getting a good deal. If you have no desire to invest the time in doing that, try booking with a travel agent. You will pay a fee, but the agent can do the legwork to make sure you are getting the most affordable options for your trip.

Take a halftime: Remember how you cut your guest list in half to save on your wedding? Now cut your honeymoon in half. Instead of two weeks, take a week and see how much you can save.

Spread the news: Tell everyone you see that you are newlyweds. You may get upgrades or at least, free champagne.

For more wedding coverage:

See photos of Atlantans getting married and submit your own

Wacky wedding roundup

5 ways to save when attending a wedding

Photos: Searching for a budget wedding dress

Find a dress for less

Nedra Rhone

About Nedra Rhone

Nedra Rhone finds and shares tips on money, deals and consumer issues in metro Atlanta for the AJC.

Connect with Nedra Rhone on:FacebookTwitter

Send Nedra Rhone an email.

Today on MyAJC.com

Cleland in the center of D-Day celebration

Comments (1)

DeKalb DA: Judge should accept Crawford Lewis plea agreement

Campaign trail runs through Plains once more

AJC Day Pass

“, “id”: “writecapture76645721”, “widget_prototype”: “writecapture_widget”});

Mayor Reed, wife welcome new baby

“, “id”: “writecapture16091853”, “widget_prototype”: “writecapture_widget”});

© 2014 Cox Media Group. By using this website,
you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices AdChoices .
Learn about careers at Cox Media Group

View mobile site

Enterprise Feedback Management
Survey Software

Select a display name and password

Already have an account? Sign In

{* #registrationForm *}
{* traditionalRegistration_displayName *}
{* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *}
{* traditionalRegistration_password *}
{* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}

Tell us about yourself

{* registration_firstName *}
{* registration_lastName *}
{* registration_postalZip *}
{* registration_birthday *}
{* registration_gender *}

{* agreeToTerms *}

{* /registrationForm *}

Already have an account? Sign In

{* #registrationFormBlank *}
{* registration_firstName *}
{* registration_lastName *}
{* traditionalRegistration_displayName *}
{* traditionalRegistration_emailAddressBlank *}
{* registration_birthday *}
{* registration_gender *}
{* registration_postalZip *}
{* traditionalRegistration_passwordBlank *}
{* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirmBlank *}

{* agreeToTerms *}

{* /registrationForm *}

We have sent you a confirmation email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.

We look forward to seeing you frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.

Don’t worry, it happens. We’ll send you a link to create a new password.

{* #forgotPasswordForm *}
{* forgotPassword_emailAddress *}

{* /forgotPasswordForm *}

We have sent you an email with a link to change your password.

We’ve sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.

To sign in you must verify your email address. Fill out the form below and we’ll send you an email to verify.

{* #resendVerificationForm *}
{* resendVerification_emailAddress *}

{* /resendVerificationForm *}

Check your email for a link to verify your email address.