How to: Save over $10,000 on Your Honeymoon

As J. and I get closer to our wedding day, one of the things we're starting to get especially psyched about is our honeymoon!  We're going to be spending 14 days in Hawaii on three different islands, and we are SO excited!  Of course, a trip like this does not come cheap, so in planning we spent a great deal of time thinking of ways we could maximize value on our trip.  One such way was to delay our honeymoon for about 3 weeks after the wedding- which pushed us out of peak travel season (and also boded well for my work schedule).  Read on for this and many more tips (twenty!) which ultimately have saved us $10,334.98!

(1) Include luggage in your wedding registry so you don't have to buy it yourself!  Estimated savings for two Hampton 5 piece luggage sets from Bed Bath & Beyond, $199.98

(2) Work with a travel agent!  For our honeymoon in Hawaii, we saved an estimated total of $1500 over the list prices for resorts and car rental for a two week trip.  Contact Lika at Blue Hawaii Vacations to work with the same person we did (no, they aren't paying me, they just did a great job)!

(3) Register for your honeymoon with a site like Honeyfund.  Every gift you receive gives you a dollar amount toward your honeymoon.  So far, J. and I have received $1180 towards activities for our Honeymoon in the form of shower gifts.  And if you are reading this and you gave us one of those gifts, we heartily thank you!!

(4) Watch currency rates.  If there is a particularly good rate, contact your hotels.  They will be more than happy to let you prepay for your room, and maybe even meals or activities.  This can amount to hundreds of dollars of savings, especially with the dollar as volatile as it is right now.   Since J. and I aren't going abroad, I'm not going to credit us with a dollar amount for this tip, but hopefully it will add up for you!

(5) Commit with your fiance, for the length of your wedding planning, to save all your spare change at the end of the day and keep it in a jar.  Bring it to a Coinstar machine before you leave for your honeymoon.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $300.

(6) Eat breakfast in your room, rather than out and about.  If breakfast for two costs an average $10 per person, you can save $280 over the course of 14 days!

(7) Do laundry at a laundromat (or at coin machines if they are available to you).  Estimated savings for 3 loads of laundry in a coin machine, as opposed to by resort staff: $75.

(8) Avoid peak travel times.  We worked with our agent to plan our honeymoon for the last two weeks of January, thereby missing the December holiday peak and sneaking in a trip before Canadian spring breaks begin in February.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $1500.

(9) Go to bridal shows!  They always have a contest or two you can enter for a free honeymoon, and chances are, you'll need some wedding resources anyhow.  Grab a friend or family member and cross your fingers!  As an aside, I myself have never won anything this way, but bridesmaid R. won a trip for she and her fiance, so its not a hoax!

(10) Look for specials where if you stay x nights, you get a night free.  We are getting three free nights this way on our honeymoon!  And even if they are not offering it on your travel dates, it can be worth calling to see if they will honor it for your trip- sometimes they will.  Estimated savings for J. and I: $600.

(11) Think about bed and breakfasts. When considering accomodations, J. and I looked at many B&B's, which generally ran $200-300 less per night than resorts, had lovely views, and included- you guessed it- breakfast!  Ultimately we went a different route but it was well worth the research.  Plus, websites like www.bedandbreakfast.com often offer discounts if you purchase gift cards there- so if your B&B is a member, you might save up to 20%.

(12) Book as many items as you can together.  You know you're going to need museum or tour tickets.  Why not book them together with your airport transfers, or car rentals?  The more you book together, the more negotiating power you'll have with a tour or travel company. Estimated savings for J. and I: $100.

(13) If you're not using a travel agent, be sure to compare the price of booking with the hotel directly with prices on expedia or travelocity.  It's often cheaper if you book directly since the hotel doesn't have to pay a fee to the travel website.  Also, in case the room rate goes down before your trip, the hotel can much more easily adjust your reservation.

(14) Cash in your credit card reward points!  J. and I have cash back cards and miles cards, but decided to use our cash cards during the wedding planing months.  We use them to fund deposits and payments whenever possible, and by so doing, we'll get an estimated $500 cash back before the honeymoon- that adds up to some nice dinners out!

(15) High-Low.  It sounds like a game on the Price is Right, but actually its a method of booking hotel rooms.  If you plan to spend time in a few locations, alternate between higher end and lower end resorts, or at least fancier and less fancy rooms.  In Maui, which is the priciest island we'll be visiting, we opted for a "low" resort, and are saving an estimated $800 (it would be $1000 but our 5th night is free- see point 10 above)!

(16) Check out Spa Week, a website devoted to offering discount spa services in many cities.  Even if your travel date falls outside of spa week's official dates, they will still have a fantastic list of spas offering discounted treatments!  Sadly, Hawaiian cities are not on this list, but many other destinations are!

(17) Buy your honeymoon clothes at the end-of season sales.  Going to Aspen?  Check winter sales in April!  For Hawaii, the best time to shop was August- I got great deals on shorts, flip flops, tees and swim suits!  For example, I snapped up an adorable lemon-yellow strapless dress at JCrew for $15, and madras shorts from AE for $10.  Estimated total savings $300.

(18)  Travel websites always suggest staying in Casinos, all-inclusive resorts, or going on cruises.  These are excellent ideas and I wholeheartedly support them.

(19)  Don't fly first class.  It's tempting, and believe me, I want to just this once!  But at a $3000 savings for the round-trip ugrade, I'll pass.

(20) Tell everyone you are on your honeymoon!  From what I hear, this often leads to a round of free drinks, dessert, amenities upgrades, and better seats.  Admittedly, in Hawaii, the honeymoon capital of the universe, this might not work as well for us, but in other destinations I think it could be just the ticket!

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