If you haven’t decided  when or where to go on your honeymoon, start by reading my first post on how to approach the planning process and how to choose the honeymoon destination that’s right for you.  Check it out here!

So you’ve booked your flights and made all your hotel/resort reservations… now what?  If you’re consumed by wedding planning and worried that prepping for your honeymoon is falling by the wayside, don’t sweat it, just read on, soldier.  Today, in addition to sharing some location-specific details from part one of our honeymoon in the Seychelles, I’m first sharing four mission-critical tips that will ensure your honeymoon experience is unforgettable…

1.  PLAN SPECIAL EXPERIENCES AND ACTIVITIES BEFORE YOU LEAVE

This isn’t just another vacation, this is your honeymoon!   Be sure to plan a few extra special moments to break up the trip and distinguish it from your typical vacay.  Sometimes this means making reservations for special meals or fun excursions before you arrive.  In our case, Rich made a reservation to have a private dinner on the beach on our first night in the Seychelles as a special kick off to the trip.  We also made plans to have a couples’ massage during our stay and hired a guide and small boat to take us on a snorkeling and hiking daytrip to some small neighboring islands.  These special experiences made our honeymoon all the more memorable.  

2.  INFORM YOUR COLLEAGUES AND CLIENTS

Make special efforts to inform all of your work colleagues and clients of your honeymoon plans.  Include specific dates in your email out-of-office and include the contact information of coworkers’ who can respond to questions or emergencies while you’re gone.  Unlike regular vacations where you might occasionally be asked to check in or do a little work here and there, it’s important to really disconnect (really!) on your honeymoon, so manage expectations with colleagues and clients accordingly.  This is all coming from a workaholic extraordinaire that rarely (read: never) disconnects from my job, even on vacations.  I took a different approach when preparing to leave for our honeymoon which made for many grueling late nights leading up to the wedding to make sure everything work-wise was covered and done ahead of time, but it was the absolute best thing I could have done.  Rich and I were able to be fully present and soak up every last moment of our special trip.  

3.  GET A GOOD CAMERA (AND A SELFIE STICK!)

For this trip, you may want to venture beyond your iPhone photos and invest in something a little nicer.  We’re super into photography, so we brought our Canon 5D Mark III, a GoPro, and a simple point-and-shoot.  If you’re not a photography freak, there are tons of great point-and-shoot cameras (this one is fantastic and connects directly to your phone) and if buying a new camera for the trip isn’t in the cards, look into rental options.  We’ve used BorrowLenses.com repeatedly to rent camera equipment for one-off projects or trips, and even rented a few special lenses from the them for our honeymoon.  You can rent everything from the simplest point-and-shoot cameras to high-end professional photography accessories for very reasonable prices. As for a selfie stick, believe me, no one enjoys ridiculing them more than yours truly.  However, I got one in a gift bag at a conference a couple years ago, and after jokingly fooling around with it, I actually realized that there are some merits to the devices. [insert embarrassed emoji here] Especially if you’re off exploring without lots of people around to help snap a couples photo, there are easy ways to hold the selfie stick from a side angle so that the embarrassing pole isn’t visible in the picture and you’re able to come home with lots of great pictures of the two of you.  Get one that can hold your phone and/or point-and-shoot camera and no one has to know.

SWIMSUIT TOP: Marysia  |  SWIMSUIT BOTTOMS: Marysia  |  SHORTS: J. Crew  |  SUNGLASSES: old, similar HERE

4.  PACK TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF WEDDING FESTIVITIES

If you’re leaving for your honeymoon shortly after your wedding day, start packing at least TWO WEEKS (seriously) before your wedding.  You may think you’ll have time in the days before the wedding, but you will be shocked at all of the last minute things that come up and demand your attention.  There’s nothing worse than arriving at your honeymoon destination having forgotten lots of necessary items, or missing time with your family and friends on the day of the rehearsal dinner or wedding day because you’re rushing to pack for the honeymoon last minute.

> > CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING AND GET ALL THE DETAILS ON OUR STAY AT THE FOUR SEASONS SEYCHELLES! > >