Oh Honey Honey: Part 3 - Why we booked it.

When David and I really started talking about our honeymoon, I learned something that changed our plans completely. I had always assumed that David would not want to go somewhere beachy or tropical because he grew up in San Diego and hates going to the beach here. When he told me that he would actually enjoy an island honeymoon and that his criteria for the trip were more important than the location, I started new research.

We ended up deciding to go to Jamaica - somewhere I have never ever imagined us going before, but we are super excited about it now.

[1] We don't have to worry about money while we're there - all-inclusive would be best.

- Not only did my research show me that the Caribbean (Jamaica, in particular) introduced the original all-inclusive resort, but it's really the only place to go to have the full all-inclusive experience. The idea of paying one flat rate for everything - super nice room, great service, fine dining for all meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, plenty of activities, taxes, and all tips and gratuity - seems to not exist outside of the Caribbean. I read that Hawaii does not have all-inclusives because the economy could not handle it and the resorts would not make any money. I have heard that there are a few all-inclusive resorts in Europe, but apparently they are incredibly expensive, and I have not found any information on them or what they actually include.
- Technically, we could have planned and budgeted everything out in advance and gone to normal (not all-inclusive) route, but that seemed like so much work and left room for unforeseen changes and charges.


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[2] We don't have to stick to someone's schedule or itinerary.

- Really, a cruise was the best option for us until we started thinking about this criteria. A cruise is really they only other way to have everything included and not have to count pennies during the actual vacation. However, cruises also have pretty strict schedules - yes, when they're at port we have all day to explore the area, but we also have to be back at the ship at a specific time so as not to be left behind. We decided we would not enjoy ourselves as much if we were worried about getting back. Cruises also have set dinner times, and often seat couples with other groups of people - both seemed to take away from the romantic and free feelings we wanted.
- The "no schedules" criteria was also the main reason we ruled out many of the places I actually really want to visit some day. My "must travel" list includes places like New York City, many places in Europe, etc. We decided these places would not be fitting honeymoon spots because there are so many places and things I would want to see that we would constantly running from one thing to another.
- The all-inclusive Caribbean resorts really stood out in this category - I read many travellers' reviews where they said they didn't look at a clock once during their stay. Many of the restaurants do not require reservations, and we would be staying in one place at the resort instead of trying to fit everything in or worrying about our room leaving us to get to the next destination.

[3] We can relax all we want, but still have fun things to do.

- True, we decided not to go somewhere full of places to go and things to see because we wanted to relax, but the idea of strictly relaxing and laying around with nothing else to do made me feel like we'd eventually get bored. My impression of Island resorts has always been that people lay around the beach all day, every day and there's not much else to do. When I discovered that our resort includes kayaking, windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, tennis, golf, beach volleyball, board games, and more for free as well as the option to book additional tours and excursions, I was sold. The beach and pools are there for true relaxation and the moment we get bored, there's plenty to do.


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[4] I would really like to go on a zip line / ropes course of some sort.

- What can I say? I love 'em. I'm sure there are many places we could have gone to do this, but since Jamaica met the rest of our criteria and the resort offers a ropes course and zip line through the jungle as one of their tour packages, it was icing on the cake.


Does your honeymoon destination fit all of your criteria? Did you end up going somewhere completely unexpected like us, or are you going to a destination you've always dreamed of?

Stay tuned for more specific information about our resort and why I'm so very excited!

Oh honey honey, part 2: Your turn.

Part one.

Okay, so I asked what the best honeymoon option was to fit our stipulations and desires, and clearly we were all on the same page. My research quickly took me to the Carribbean, just like most of you suggested. I guess the "all-inclusive" part tipped you off. In fact, Jamaica introduced the very first all-inclusive resort to the world and the Caribbean has shaped what we expect out of such places (and are really some of the only true "all-inclusive" options with room, food, drinks, activities, tips and gratuities, taxes, and transportation included).

So, before I spend time talking about our own trip (which is officially BOOKED!), I wanted to let ya'll know that if you haven't yet booked your caribbean vacation/honeymoon, you need to run - don't walk! - to Sandals.com where they are offering 65% off their land rates (and more!) for any vacations in 2010 if you book before Wednesday!!! I spent a LOT of time getting quotes for various options, and if you can swing it, some of the nicest rooms and resorts have offers for getting the 65% off plus up to two nights free and $250 in spa credit. Really, one of the vacations that I priced at $5,000-ish was a full $12,000 off from what it used to cost! There are less elaborate packages with major savings as well.

Many sources have told me that the Sandals resorts are some of the best all-inclusive resorts in the world. In fact, the only downside in most cases was that they tend to be too pricy. So, go! Book some of the best hotels at a great rate and thank me later.

Happy Hundred (and one)!

Yesterday was my one hundredth post on The Bride Side. Since I didn't actually notice until last night, and friday seems a great day to celebrate, today's post will be a celebratory, commemorative, one hundred and one post. Thanks so much to every lovely person who has been following and commenting - you are all so dear to me, and your encouragement and suggestions are what keep me going.

Please have a great Friday, and fabulous weekend, and enjoy this jaw-droppingly amazing, super unique, and way stylish wedding that I found on Style Me Pretty.



The bride wore PURPLE! She's a clothes designer, so her dress was an incredibly important to the wedding day. I have a bridesmaid who would probably die and go to heaven when she sees this. I think this is hands down the most beautiful colored wedding dress I have ever seen, and it inspires me to use even more non-traditional and unique elements in our own wedding. I especially love how the bridesmaids' white dresses throw more of a twist on the tradition and balance out the color.



The groom didn't look so bad himself. I love his well-fitted grey suit, and the comfort in knowing that black shoes look okay with grey. This is very similar to the look we're wanting for David (which I will discuss in another post).


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and the details! Ahh - swoon! The deep purple looks so sophisticated and elegant while still holding such charm.

Simply Bloom, the photographers of this wedding are now also officially on my must-stalk list. I'm in love!

Oh Honey Honey.

Just a few days ago, David and I started taking our honeymoon thoughts and plans much more seriously. I guess I finally realized that in order to go anywhere that takes advance planning, we would have to have it figured out, like, yesterday.

In a perfect world where we had all the money we could dream of, we would honeymoon in Europe. More specifically, we would honeymoon in Ireland, Italy (Cinque Terre!), and Greece.


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We would stay in Ireland because we visited some friends in Northern Ireland last January and loved it. David felt more connected to the place and the people than anywhere else, and I would love to be able to see it in the summer. Plus, the word "honeymoon" originated in Ireland, so the idea of going there on our honeymoon makes me smile.


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I went to Cinque Terre for a one day hike while I visited Italy a few summers ago. The very moment I saw the town of Vernazza, I knew I wanted to go back there with David, and thought our honeymoon would be a great time. As soon as I told him about Vernazza and showed him pictures, David mentioned wanting to honeymoon there without knowing I had the same thought.


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Greece, to me, is somewhere that I dream of going but don't really feel I will ever justify doing so. Once, David promised me that we would go there together someday, so I figured it would be a perfect addition to our dream honeymoon.

Unfortunately, to go to these places and get the quality of vacation I'm hoping for our honeymoon, we would have to stay a very long time and spend a lot of money. There would be so much to do and take advantage of while traveling Europe that we would be too busy to fit it into a reasonable amount of time and still feel relaxed, and I'm sure that juggling transportation, multiple hotels, and exchange rates could end up costing us. big time.

When thinking more realistically - on a poor people's budget - we came up with a few options as well. We decided we would like to vacation in Maine, experience California's lovely bed and breakfasts, or take a cruise from a nearby port.


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I would really like to visit Maine someday, but I've decided that it just doesn't feel like a honeymoon to me. Plus, I have so many friends spread across the country that I would feel bad flying somewhere without a visit or two. Also, if we're going to spend money on airfare, we might as well go somewhere more exotic, right?


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The bed and breakfast idea is still a very ideal and charming one to me, but if we can, I would rather leave our own state. Again, this is definitely something I want to do someday, but not necessarily for our honeymoon.


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Going on a cruise is a great option because it provides an all-inclusive vacation to multiple destinations without any work. We're fortunate enough to live near a few ports, so we wouldn't have to include any travel costs. However, I have been on cruises to both Alaska and Mexico, so no affordable cruise leaving from California would feel very special or new to me. This was our prime option for quite awhile, but after I thought about how I get sea sick, have already been on the potential cruises, and we don't want to follow a strict port/ship schedule, we have pretty much decided against it.

So, now that we have vetoed our prime options, we started from square one. When David and I compiled our most important desires for our honeymoon, we got this list:

[1] We don't have to worry about money while we're there - all-inclusive would be best.
[2] We don't have to stick to someone's schedule or itinerary.
[3] We can relax all we want, but still have fun things to do.
[4] I would really like to go on a zip line / ropes course of some sort. (Not totally necessary, but it would be fun... haha)

Where can we go that would fit this criteria and not destroy our wallets? Any suggestions?
I've been doing a lot of research, but haven't come up with the perfect answer yet.

Where are you going on your honeymoon? How did you decide?

Dress me up: Part 5 - A Decision!

Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.

I left off by saying my choice between my final three dresses was an obvious one, and it was. One dress seemed to be the perfect combination of the elements I loved about the other two, and it was absolutely perfect for the look/theme/feel of our wedding.

So, which one did I choose?

This one, more than any others, is a no fiance zone. David, you really don't want to click further.