Honeymoon A'Go-Go

There is undoubtedly some statistic about the percentage of the total wedding budget spent on the Honeymoon part. And I imagine it's high. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE going on vacations, exploring new places, and relaxing away the days in a quiet, beautiful space. I've had the blessing and pleasure of traveling all across the U.S. and the western hemisphere. But I have also found that a retreat center a couple hours away or a drive through southeastern Kansas will just as easily do the trick for me. And most importantly, I've learned that no destination is worth financial debt. While I'm grateful for the trips I've been able to take, and on which I've taken family and friends, many of those trips are scarred with the knowledge that they were "paid for" with a credit card I had no intention of paying off at the time.

If a couple pays just $2,500 for a honeymoon on a 17.99% credit card, and pays only the minimum payment, it will take a little more than 15 years to pay off that balance and the no-longer-newlyweds will have paid more than $4,000 extra in interest. Sobering, no?

But I digress.

THANKFULLY the good Lord has brought me to a very different place in my heart about finances and debt. And Brant is naturally very wise, conservative and debt-averse, so we're a perfect match at this point in our lives (praise be to God). By the time Brant and I are one year into our marriage, we will be completely debt-free except for the mortgage on the house Brant bought, which will become our married home on July 3rd, and in which we can comfortably live on one income.

What does all this have to do with our Honeymoon? Or our wedding in general? If there is a soap box on which this blog stands, it's that a wedding, a honeymoon, a rehearsal dinner -- none if it is worth the enslavement that comes with consumer debt. And if the bride and groom in question are willing to be content with whatever they can afford with cash, they can find real and lasting joy (and freedom!) in "alternative" ideas for all elements of the wedding process, including the honeymoon.

For example, I know a lot of very lucky people who have houses in other parts of the country besides the city in which they live. My Aunt and Uncle on the Szambecki side, for example, live in Ohio but own a house on Captiva Island, Florida, which is off the gulf coast of Florida near Ft Myers. I was happy to swallow any pride about asking for hand-outs and call my Uncle to see if the house would be available for use July 4-10. He said YES!

So Brant and I -- filled with disbelief and gratitude still -- get to stay for free at our honeymoon destination! We'll still have to fly ourselves to Ft Myers, drive ourselves to the house on Captiva Island, and feed ourselves, but lodging costs are huge and we do have an offer from some generous parents to pay for our flight as well.

The moral of the story is: There are lots of ways to save money on the honeymoon, and one way is to ask around to friends and family to see if any extra houses, timeshares, etc, are available. As we say in fundraising, "You don't G-E-T unless you A-S-K!"

Here are some photos I found online of Captiva Island. I look forward to posting pictures from our trip in just 6 1/2 short months!!