You can picture the perfect honeymoon. The elegant room. The sumptuous meals. The romantic setting. Then along comes that four-letter word: Cost. Budgeting for your honeymoon is a necessary part of the whole process, just like budgeting for the wedding itself. How much you will spend depends on many factors: where you honeymoon, when you travel, the length of your stay, and more.

According to the most recent figures of the Travel Industry Association of America, honeymooners spend an average of $1,402 per couple compared to $421 spent annually on regular trips. Young couples, age 18 to 24 years, spend the most on honeymoons, averaging $1,873. And as many as one-third of all honeymooners spend over $2,500 for that once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Shopping for a Bargain

So where do you start? Begin by doing a little comparison shopping. Prices vary greatly, not just from destination to destination but from resort to resort. And within the same resort, you’ll find a full menu of price options, depending on factors like room view and length of stay. The “rack rate” or price you are quoted if you call a property is usually the highest; through tour operators and wholesalers you can often receive substantial discounts.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. The following list provides you with all the emergency items that you will need for your destination wedding.

Toiletries

• Hand cream
• Perfume
• Tissues
• Hairdryer
• Cotton balls, cotton swabs
• Brush, comb
• Makeup for touchups
• Travel size hairspray, hair gel
• Makeup remover
• Bobby pins, hair elastics, barrettes
• Nail polish in shade worn
• Headband or clips for pulling hair back while applying makeup
• Nail polish remover
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
• Nail file
• Mouthwash/breath mints
• Tweezers
• Baby powder
• Small grooming scissors
• Deodorant
• Curling iron, hot rollers
• Safety pins

With the growing popularity of destination weddings, a new set of “rules” has developed. Knowing basic destination-wedding etiquette will help you and your guests have a memorable celebration and vacation all in one. When planning your wedding, keep the following in mind:

Give Your Guests Advance Notice
You will want to send out your wedding invitations earlier than you would if your ceremony were closer to home. This will give your guests plenty of room to determine whether they can get time off from work or other obligations.

One of the most important and exciting decisions a bride-to-be can make is what wedding gown she will wear. Most brides think long, white, and flowing when envisioning their wedding dress. If you’re planning a destination wedding, you have more options. Here are a few tips to make selecting your destination-wedding gown easier:

Dress for the Weather
If your wedding locale is tropical, opt for something that flows with the island breezes, like silk, light satin, or even cotton. Warm wedding destinations allow for informal destination wedding gowns including spaghetti straps, capped sleeves, or a romantic and sexy off-the-shoulder looks. If you’re the traditional type, it’s perfectly acceptable, and very lovely, to wear a sleeveless gown with a floor-length skirt. More daring brides might opt for a Hawaiian or other style batik dress to really get into the spirit of the islands.

When we think of the State Department assisting Americans abroad, we usually picture political tensions or travelers who have run into trouble with the law. However, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs will also assist travelers during an emergency situations, such as a hurricane.

If you are involved in an emergency situation, go to the nearest US embassy or consular office (or embassy or consular office of your home country) and register. Bring along your passport and a location where you can be reached.

The honeymoon is the beginning of your new life as husband and wife. These first few days as a married couple you begin your new adventure based on your likes, dislikes, dreams, budget and time constraints.

For the couple short on time, and possibly cash, a destination close to home can prove to be just the honeymoon getaway a couple needs. Many cities offer a variety of beautiful inns and hotels along with fabulous dining and entertainment experiences throughout the year. Larger cities, or those geared specifically to tourist and convention activities, will offer a wide array of shopping, theatre, dining and sightseeing opportunities. For those with a greater sense of adventure, hiking, rock climbing, rafting and outdoor camping are other low cost options which can be scheduled for as long or as short of a time as you have.

Historically honeymoons lasted 30 days. At that time, the first most important (well, make that second most important) honeymoon activity was the drinking of mead, which was said to increase fertility.Today only a few lucky honeymooners get to spend a month on their trip (with or without the mead). Just how long can you afford to take for your honeymoon?

There’s no prescribed time: take what the two of you feel comfortable in taking. A long weekend at a wonderful local inn can be a magical honeymoon. So can a four-night Caribbean getaway, a week-long cruise, or a two-week tour of Europe. It’s completely up to your own tastes, budget, and time constraints.

When you are deciding on a honeymoon spot it should ideally be a place that the two of you have never been. The adventure of exploring a new destination can add to the excitement of the honeymoon. Make sure that it isn’t too remote unless you are both into that kind of thing and be sure to know a little about the area before you go. Beware of areas with bad drinking water like some areas of Mexico. Montezuma’s Revenge can ruin a honeymoon!

You will never forget that first night together as a married couple so splurge and reserve the honeymoon suite. If you can’t afford it for the entire honeymoon, at least do it for the first night. Many destinations have special honeymoon packages with hot tubs, massages, and champagne. How’s that for getting pampered?

Bring some romantic accessories for the room with you just in case you can’t find what you want on site. Pack satin sheets and romantic aromatherapy candles to turn the suite into your own little love nest.

Of all the details to cover in your destination wedding planning process, none is more important than fulfilling the legal requirements for marrying away form. After all, the whole destination wedding becomes a moot point if you do not wind up with a legally valid marriage when you get home!

Two important tips to consider:

• Some locations have very little red tape and others have a laundry list of requirements. If you choose a location outside of the US, we highly recommend using a wedding planner to help with the legal details. Very often the venue will provide this as part of a package, but even if you must contract with someone independently, it is well worth the expense for the peace of mind.
• Requirements change from time to time! Most Department of Tourism provide links to official government sites that outline current marriage requirements and it is well worth taking the time to do your homework.

Questions to ask as you research:

What are the residency requirements?
Since some countries have lengthy residency requirements before you can legally marry, it is actually one of the first things that you need to research and understand before you finalize the location for your destination wedding. If you find that you need to be in the country for 30 days before you can apply for a marriage license, it may not be a practical option.

Is there a waiting period?
Some destinations require a certain amount of time between when the application is filed and the wedding ceremony itself so be sure to build enough time into your travel schedule.

What are the entry requirements for the destination?
Check with your destinations consulate or embassy for current entry requirements. Passports are routinely required for entering and leaving countries outside the US. Your destination’s consulate or embassy can also tell you if you need a visa for entry.

Passports are issued to U.S. citizens by the US Department of State and are required to enter and leave countries outside of the United States. As of January 23, 2007, this now includes Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. You will also be required to present your passport to re-enter the United States after your destination wedding or honeymoon.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling or returning from a U.S. territory which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

New Application for a U.S. Passport
To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to an issuing office. To find the closest location and download the application form, go to http://travel.state.gov/passport