One way save money on your honeymoon expenses is to have a honeymoon registry! With the average age to marry increasing, most couples are living on their own before they get married, and have all the household things they need! This is part of the reason why many couples are considering honeymoon registries. If you are one of those brides who really doesn’t want a bunch more ‘things’, and would love a nice honeymoon instead, consider a honeymoon registry!

Most travel agents and tour operators will offer a honeymoon registry service. You can visit your local travel agent for more details. There are also services that will allow your guests to purchase particular parts of the honeymoon, so they know what they are contributing to! One of the ones we liked was www.honeyluna.com but there are many more.

Once you have registered, have your friends and family spread the word:) You can have some fun with it to. Get yourself a free website with a site builder and use it to share wedding and honeymoon details:) You can track how much has been contributed, share the wedding plans, post thank-yous to those who contribute, and include information on were to contribute for those who need to know:)

You could also have a “Honeymoon Shower” with a suitable theme (beach theme for a beach honeymoon, etc.) and guests can contribute to your honeymoon as their shower gift to you!

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On piece of advice that I have often given brides is to consider a B&B honeymoon. Generally, when you are working with a limited wedding budget, you have a limited honeymoon budget as well. There are plenty of great options out there for lower budget honeymoons, but there is nothing like an inverness bed and breakfast for a honeymoon. A bed and breakfast has a few great benefits:

1. Location - you can usually find a bed and breakfast close by, no matter where you live. By choosing to have your honeymoon in a place that is within driving distance, you can save a bundle on airfare.

2. Intimacy - A B&B is kind of like a mini hotel - with all the perks and less of the distractions. In fact, you can find bed and breakfasts that only offer one or two rooms for guests, which means you will have a great deal more privacy in the B&B and outside as well.

Of course, one bed & breakfast is not like the next. Each will offer a unique location, a unique environment and a unique experience. A little researching will mostly likely find you a perfect, romantic B&B for an affordable and yet unforgettable honeymoon.

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Destination Feature: Dublin, Ireland

Looking for a unique wedding or honeymoon destination! Most people automatically assume that a honeymoon at an all-inclusive beach resort is the best bang for your buck - but that’s not always true. Thanks to the internet and the amazing amount of information available online - planning your own honeymoon to just about anywhere can be both a fun and cost friendly option!

Ireland may not be your typical destination for a bride and groom - but it is unique, beautiful and definitely a memorable occasion. And it can be affordable if you are willing to do the leg work to find the best deals on Dublin Hotels, flights, activites and actractions, transportation and even meals. For example, you can find Dublin Hotels for as little as $30/night! Not a bad deal at all - that’s only about $210 if you stay for an entire week!

Who needs to lie on the beach when you can be touring romantic castles, visiting old style pubs, taking in historic sites and museums, and visiting or even getting married in historic churches that date back to the sixteenth century! SO romantic!

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One thing I hear a lot is “I can barely afford the wedding, we can’t afford another $3000 for a honeymoon. We’ll take one later.” My response? “You only get married once - you need to celebrate it. You can honeymoon without spending that kind of money.”

How? By changing you definition of what a honeymoon is. You don’t need an exotic location or a expensive resort - just a quiet, romantic place to get away from everyone and enjoy your first days as husband and wife.

So how do you do that? A bed and breakfast! These small hotels are generally much more private and intimate then a hotel for a number of reasons. They are smaller. generally with only a few guests at a time which means you have more privacy. They are often located in unique, quiet places with beautiful scenery and romantic, character homes.

You can find Bed & Breakfasts in almost any area you wish, like the Dallas TX Bed And Breakfast.  Prices vary, but if you pick a location that is only a few hours away you can easily find a location that will allow you to have an entire weeks honeymoon for less then $1000. Still to much - make it a weekend and spend just a few hundred.

In the end - the point is just to get away for a little while so you don’t spend the first days of your marriage fielding phone calls, surprise visitors, etc.

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I get a lot of questions from bride’s - it comes with the job. When planning a budget wedding, many brides don’t even consider the option of a fancy honeymoon. Who can afford to spend $3000 on a honeymoon when that would almost double you wedding budget? I also have a lot of brides who want to know what to do when they already have everything and don’t really need the things a traditional registry includes. A honeymoon registry is the perfect solution - almost. The problem with most honeymoon registries is that they are impersonal, expensive and full of loop holes you have to jump through in order to use the travel money collected.

The solution? Traveler’s Joy! The FIRST thing that caught my eye with this site is how easy it is to use. I took me a matter of minutes to set up an account, and a honeymoon page. Not only that, but unlike most most travel registeries there is no set up fee. You do pay a small withdrawal fee when you take the money out later, but even that is less then other travel registeries! And, if no one uses your registery, you pay nothing!

After creating my sample page - which you can see there, I looked into some of the options. For example, as you can see on my page, you can list specific parts of the honeymoon, even specific meals or events, which guests can choose to purchase instead of just giving money for a more personal gift. You can include pictures, information on your honeymoon plans, and they even have built in tools you can use to let everyone know were you are registered!

When one of your guests visits your personal honeymoon page, they can use their credit card to purchase specifics parts of your honeymoon, or just give money towards the total cost - either way, you receive an email letting you know so that you can thank them. They also have the option of purchasing a gift card to go with their gift….Incidentally - stats show that guests will give more if they can use a credit card - so a registry like this may result in large gift amounts as well!

SO, so far this all looks great. My last question - and the one I’m sure you all are waiting for was: great - but were am I allowed to use the money? Most honeymoon registeries are affiliated with specific travel agencies or travel packages which limit your choices. Travelers Joy is completely different because it is not affiliate with anyone at all. At any time, you can withdraw the money that has been gifted so far and use it were ever and however you please! That means you can go ANYWHERE and use ANY AGENCY you please! That is a flexibility you won’t find at most honeymoon registeries.

To make the most out of your honeymoon registery - read this article on their website: Honeymoon Registries: A Guide to Asking for Your Honeymoon as a Wedding Gift

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We Launched WEDDING WORDS on Sunday, and I am VERY excited to bring your our first ten WEDDING WORDS list:) Check out these great sites - the first to join our Wedding Words list!!!

dress - gifts - COUTURE - shower - photography - candles Designer - honeymoon - Fundraising -  Gown

Vendors - need a unique way to get your link out there? Wedding Words are affordable and effective! Click here to get your exclusive word on the Wedding Words page

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Meet Estelle Reyna - supermodel, celebrity star, travel connoisseur. Why would you care? Because: if you are looking for information on honeymoon destinations, Estelle.tv, Estelle’s website featuring travel information and podcasts, is something you do not want to miss!

So, this travel lover, who has seen places all over the world. If you were to ask her what destination she recommends most, her answer would be - PANAMA - “the ultimate paradise for lifestyle and business“. Estelle’s celebrity status has played a key factor in enhancing the discovery and image of this small country located in Central America.
Some of her Favorite Destinations and Resources:

Seen here at the grand opening of the Playa Bonita Resort & Spa, Estelle highly recommends this beautiful hotel and spa located on the golden beaches of the Pacific Ocean. if you click on the link above, you can watch Estelle walk you though the resort, it’s many wonderful features, and even some of the spectacular activities available for guests! If you fall in love with this resort, as I did, they even have a special Estelle Fan package option!

Now that you are hooked on Panama, take a moment to watch this interview with Ruben Blades - movie and music star, and now the Minister of Tourism in Panama. He shares some interesting information for tourists to help you prepare for your honeymoon. What you should see, cultural events and tradtions, features you should know about, and more.

Looking for more options? Another location that Estelle recommends is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort - a beautiful 5-star resort located in the middle of a beautiful Paname Rainforest! On her website, you can watch a video that will walk you though the resort, local attractions, shopping and more. Imagine, you and your new husband, falling asleep to sunsets like this one, in the romantic rainforest setting of the Gamboa Resort! An Estelle Fan Package is also available.

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I say honeymoons, most people say Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico, Florida, etc. If you are looking for something a little more unique and exotic: how about skiing in the Charmonix Valley of France? Not a fan of the cold? How about rock climbing?

Of course, anything in France is romantic - but many brides are looking for something romantic but more fun then sitting on the beach. Skiing and rock climbing are both a great way to get physical and have a blast for the couple who is a little to adventurous for white sandy beaches!

Basically, a honeymoon can be anything you want it to do. When you start planning a honeymoon, most people start with the expected choices and go from there. I suggest that you start with your interests. If you were just going on vacation, no wedding involved, would you still want to go there? Pick a vacation destination that you would be attacked to for ANY vacation, and you are more likely to really enjoy your honeymoon.

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Here is another great resource for all you brides-to-be looking looking for affordable honeymoon options. Rentalo is a great site that contains a complete database of rental cabins, lodges, etc world wide! From Canada to the Bahamas, California to Paris - were ever you want to go, you can find great deals on private vacation rentals here!

Some examples:

A Coral Beach Condo in the Bahamas starting at $64 per night - that’s cheaper then a hotel!!!

A two bedroom apartment in the French Riveria for $37 per night - NO KIDDING!!!!!

A Banff Boundary Lodge for as low as $61 per night!

What really shocked me was that I could find an apartment in the French Riveria for $100/night less then the cheapest place in Puerto vallarta, Mexico!! On a two week vacation, you would save $1400 - more then enough to cover the extra flight costs!! 

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Back when our mom’s got married, plus sized lingerie looked something like this:

Anything that even closely resembled a sexy nighty was ridiculously expensive and very very hard to find. Thank goodness designers have finally started to get a clue!! Today, you can find almost anything you wish - from bridal garters to wacky costumes, in plus sizes - and at really reasonable prices. Take the samples shown below: all available online in plus sizes, for less then $40!!!

Some Tips for Buying Plus Size Lingerie:

1. Shop online. The selection available online is much much more impressive then in store collections which tend to sell out rather quickly. THey are also generally more affordable online.

2. Consider what you wear regularly. The items that look good on you or you are most comfortable in while give you an idea of the type of lingerie to look for. Do you look great in halter tops? Look for halter styles. Do you prefer long skirts over short ones? Pick a floor length gown rather then a cami. You fill feel sexier and more confident if you are comfortable: and condifedence also makes you look sexier!!!

3. Check for styles that offer support. Even at my optimum weight, I have D cups. Any peice of lingerie that does not offer good bust support looks horrible on me. So, I stick to designs that have built in support.

So - go shop:) You’re a bride - enjoy it:)

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