Honeymoon at Home: 25
Romantic Ideas
Who ever said you had to
go somewhere for your honeymoon? After all, the ultimate
destination of any honeymoon is the heart of your new love, and if home
is where the heart is, why can't you honeymoon at home? If you can't go
away for your honeymoon because of a lack of time or money, there's
plenty you can do to create a romantic place for yourselves right at
home. Prepare to sleep in, have breakfast in bed, and gaze lovingly into
each other’s eyes—totally unencumbered by the stress of traveling.
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You're thinking, "We just paid for the
wedding, we’re broke, and all we need is each other." Or you can't get
time off work. Or you can’t leave the dog. Or you're waiting to take
your “full-blown” honeymoon in six months.
The idea behind any honeymoon is to
take time to celebrate your marriage, to make the beginning special in
some deliberate way. If doing this at home appeals to you for financial,
work-related, or just personality reasons, we've got plenty of ideas
about how to honor your new beginning at home.
Although family and friends may be
in town, just state firmly that you’ll be out of communication with
people for a few days. Carve out this special time for yourselves. Don’t
answer the phone. Block your mail at the post office. Resist “back to
life as usual” for a bit. Tell one person (and perhaps only one) you are
“hiding out from the world” and how to contact you if something
immensely important happens.
Share the planning of your
stay-at-home honeymoon; maybe you could each plan what to do on
alternate days. Sprinkling some nice surprises for each other into your
plans will add an element of excitement and make great memories. (The
honeymoon doesn’t have to be jam-packed with excitement, though—remember
you’ll be tired from the wedding.)
Cost
Hey, you're staying home—you control
the cost! You can spend just as much as you would any other day, or
spend a fortune.
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Here are some ideas for making your
stay-at-home honeymoon special. Let's start with some ideas for getting
out of the house:
1. Relive Your First Date
Go back to the place where you went on
your first date and tell the manager you’ve just gotten married. Maybe
you’ll get a free dessert out of the meal. Take pictures. (Your
honeymoon is a great time to do goofy things.)
2. Be a Tourist
Contact your city's tourism office
(look in the phonebook under "tourism," "visitor's bureau," or
"convention and visitor's bureau") and request the packet of information
they send to tourists—you'll probably be surprised at what you've been
missing. (If you live in a rural area, contact your state tourism board
for information about your part of the state.) While you're at it, ask
the tourism official for her or his top recommendations for romantic
things to do in town.
3. Get Lost
Way back when, people used to go
walking or driving just for the fun of getting out and about. Pick a
part of your area you've never really visited and see where your noses
take you.
4. Advertise Your Marriage
Don’t take the “just married” sign off
your car for a few days and just glow in the smiles you get from people
you don't even know.
5. Splurge
If you're not spending money on a “fly
away” honeymoon, you may be able to afford to splurge a little. Go to
the most swanky, expensive restaurant in town; dress up and make a night
of it. The night after your wedding, register at a fancy hotel—at least
one with a Jacuzzi and great movies. A B&B may have wonderful atmosphere
as well. Go to a play, concert or museum—in short, do the things that
you'd like to do but don’t always have time for.
6. Share the Love
The funny thing about love is you get
more by giving it away. That's as true for newlyweds as for anyone else,
so find ways to share your love with others. Start by committing random
acts of kindness—both toward each other and complete strangers. One of
our favorite stories at the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation web page
(see the link below) is about a young woman who was waiting for a ride
in the rain when a young man came up, handed her his umbrella, and
walked away. When she asked how he would get it back, he just smiled and
shrugged. "It was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," the
young woman writes. "I still keep that umbrella, and when I look at it,
I think that perhaps, the world isn't all that bad after all." What a
way to start a marriage. Or go a step further and volunteer at a local
charity. It's probably best to contact the charity in advance to find
out the best way for you to help; be sure to mention that your visit
will be part of your honeymoon experience.
7. Practice for Your 'Real'
Honeymoon
This is silly but fun. If you are
planning a getaway vacation in the next few months—or sometime in your
blissful future—you could do a practice run now. Imagine both of you
want to go to Paris. Do a Parisian practice picnic: pack a basket of
French wine, cheese, a baguette, and fruit. Go to the local river and
call it the Seine River (which winds through Paris). Bring your French
dictionary and try to hold a conversation in French (or at least learn
the names of your surroundings in French!). You could modify this for
any destination.
Now for some ideas for going on a
honeymoon without even stepping out your front door:
8. Eat Cake
Eat leftover wedding cake at every
meal.
9. Post Little Love Notes Everywhere
Before going to the wedding, write down
some romantic quotations, poems, or things you love about your spouse;
post your love notes all over the house. The more the better! Put them
in places he/she wouldn't expect (sock drawer, cereal box. car). For a
good source of romantic quotations, see the link below.
10. Exchange Wedding Gifts
Some couples give each other gifts at
their wedding. Talk beforehand about giving each other a gift, handmade
or with a dollar limit, if you plan to do this.
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11. Dress Up the House
Dress up the house a little for the
occasion. Flowers (from the wedding?) in every room. Rose petals on the
bed (you can buy a large bag of petals, $10 or less, at many florists).
Or light the entire house with candles for a night or two.
You can take this idea a step
further by decorating the house in the style of wherever you would have
gone if you had the time or money. For a Caribbean island theme, for
example, you could decorate with sea shells, pictures of the ocean,
tropical fruit, and a CD of ocean waves or island music. The Internet
makes it possible to find items from your dream destination.
12. Do Breakfast in Bed
Take turns cooking breakfast for each
other.
13. Give Love Coupons
Give each other a set of honeymoon
coupons that you make yourselves or print from the web (search under the
terms "romantic coupons" or "love coupons"). Coupons could be for a
night on the town, going stargazing, or a backrub—you get the idea.
14. Cook Together
Cook a gourmet meal together, even if
you don't know how to cook. The trick to making this fun is letting go
of the outcome—you can always order out. Or....
15. Don't Cook
If you both hate cooking, make some
meals ahead of time and freeze them. Save leftovers from your
reception—cookies, meals, appetizers, a bottle of champagne. Or hire a
personal chef to come and make a meal for you; look in the yellow pages
or at hireachef.com. If you can't afford a personal chef, ask a friend
who really knows how to cook to make you a meal. And of course it goes
without saying that you could eat out or order in for every meal—you
wouldn't normally do that at home, but it's what you would do if you
were traveling for your honeymoon.
16. Indulge in Gourmet Treats
Keep some gourmet treats on hand:
Ghiradelli hot cocoa, brie and crackers, truffles in a dish, European
dark chocolate. And the web makes it possible to order many exotic foods
that you can't get at local stores.
17. Write a Dream Letter
Write letters to each other about your
dreams for your marriage. What do you hope your marriage will look like
in ten, twenty, or thirty years? Exchange the letters on the first day
of your marriage, and then save them to read on your wedding
anniversary.
18. Dance in the Living Room
Create a musical montage of your
relationship on a CD burner or MP3 player—songs that either remind you
of moments in your relationship, or say something significant about it.
Then spend the evening dancing in the living room.
19. Let Loose Your 'Inner Child'
Rediscover your inner child. Play games
like Twister and hide-and-go-seek. Make an ice cream soda and share it.
Eat popcorn at 9am. Rent a tank of helium and fill a room with balloons.
Make a "fort" out of blankets under the table.
20. Go Stargazing
If it's safe, climb up on your roof and
go stargazing; if you live in the city, find a place in the country to
stargaze. Bring a blanket, hot drinks, and a constellation chart. Wish
on the first shooting star you see.
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21. Combine Your Photo Albums
Buy your first photo album together, if
you don't get one at your wedding. Bring out your photo albums and
choose the best photos of each other from your dating days to put in
your new album—it's a great way to relive old memories.
22. Arrange for Live Music
Arrange to have some musically talented
friends serenade you at a pre-appointed time. Or hire a musician to give
you a personal concert at your house.
23. Dress Up
Go to a costume store and rent a few
fancy costumes just for fun.
24. Go Camping at Home
Go camping right in your own living
room or backyard—set up a tent, get a fire going in the fireplace, make
s'mores and tell scary stories.
25. Take a Bath
You know how you never have time for a
bath in the morning? Go out and buy some bath salts, soaps, oils, and
candles, and just luxuriate (especially nice after a hectic wedding).
Most of all, make time for simple
relaxation—catching up on reading, watching a baseball game, or just
sleeping a solid eight hours. What makes your honeymoon special is
spending time together.
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"Home is where the heart is" was never
more true than on this honeymoon.
Random Acts
of Kindness Foundation - Inspirational Stories
If you're looking to do some random
acts of kindness (idea #6), this site can provide both inspirational
ideas and opportunities.
hireachef.com
Yes, now you can have your own personal
chef cook a restaurant-style meal for you in your own kitchen. Check
your yellow pages or the extensive listings at this web site.
Lovingyou.com
"Browse through our collection of over 2,500 ideas
for the perfect inspiration to show your love exactly how you're
feeling."
Romantic Tips
and Ideas for Romance
Archive of romantic ideas and quotes.
theromantic.com
Another collection of romantic ideas.
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We're still looking for a book on
stay-at-home honeymoons—if you know of one, contact us.
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Your honeymoon story
Have you done this honeymoon? We'd love to hear about your experience
so we can share it with others . . . just
drop us a line.
Last Updated:
March 4, 2004
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