How to Save For Your Honeymoon
How to save for your honeymoon
Your honeymoon is more than just another holiday – it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in your life. Wherever you go and whatever you do, this is one break that’s worth spending a little extra on. But the costs can quickly add up, especially if you’ve already shelled out a considerable sum on your wedding. Rather than compromising on your dream honeymoon holiday, there are ways to plan ahead and raise the money you need to book your ideal trip.
While some couples yearn for two weeks in the sun doing as little as possible after all the stress of planning their big day, others will have a taste for adventure and seek an active escape where they can try new sports and activities. Whatever your heart’s desire, follow the simple tips below to help you save for your honeymoon. Look forward to enjoying every moment as you look to the future with your perfect partner.
Set your budget
The annual National Wedding Survey conducted by Hitched.co.uk found that the average cost of a honeymoon for UK couples in 2022 was £3,800. Your honeymoon should be a spectacular trip that you’ll never forget. If you’ve got a specific destination in mind, your first step should be to cost everything up to see if it’s a realistic option. That way, you can put together a clear plan to save up what you need to in the time you have available.
Of course, you might not want to restrict yourself to just one place. If that’s the case, we’ve got a great selection of multi-centre honeymoon holidays that provide excellent value for money and the chance to explore more of the world.
Another option when you want to experience various places is to book a cruise holiday for your honeymoon. Our sister company, Viva Cruise, offers a wealth of wonderful voyages with many of the world’s best cruise companies, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity and Norwegian.
Give yourself plenty of time
The more time you have to save, the easier it will be to build up a pot of money to spend on your honeymoon. You’re also more likely to nab a better deal by booking ahead. Of course, you’re likely to have considerable wedding costs to budget for too, so if your first trip away as a married couple is just as important as the wedding, why not delay your honeymoon for a few months after the event? That way, you’ll have something to look forward to when the excitement of your wedding is over, and you can use those extra months to save more cash.
Review your expenses
If you’re organised and start looking at how to save for your honeymoon in plenty of time, as mentioned above, you could rack up a decent amount of money by cutting back on your outgoings. For example, you might have a gym membership you don’t use much or be subscribed to lots of TV streaming services you don’t often watch.
Other small things like insurance provide an opportunity to save money every month. Let’s say your car policy is due to renew - rather than letting that happen automatically, you might be able to save hundreds by shopping around online.
With rising living costs and food inflation affecting so many of us, something like batch-cooking your meals every Sunday for the week ahead could save you a considerable sum, too. This can help you eat more healthily and potentially put a hundred pounds or more aside every month. That can soon mount up if your honeymoon is still a couple of years away.
You may not have noticed how much the cost of your daily takeaway coffees has risen recently or how much extra you’re spending on petrol. If you regularly commute to your job (and depending on what you do for a living), you might want to ask your boss if you can work from home an extra day per week, even if it’s just temporarily.
Switch any outstanding credit card debt
We’d never advise anyone to go into debt when booking their honeymoon. But, if you already owe money on your card and are paying a lot of interest each month, you can make savings by switching to another provider.
Despite the recent rises in interest rates in the UK, it’s still possible to get a 0% interest deal on balance transfers with some banks and credit card companies. Typically, this will be restricted to a specific time period, such as six months or a year. But if you’re paying £50 a month purely in interest, for example, you could either use that to pay off your balance quicker or save it each month for your honeymoon fund.
Look at your utility bills
You don’t need us to tell you how much energy bills have gone up in the UK recently. If you’ve been with your existing supplier for a while, you might be able to get a better deal by switching. There are lots of price comparison websites that do all the hard work for you once you’ve entered your details. This can also apply to things like your mobile phone and broadband contracts, although you should be aware there will likely be a charge if you try to break your contract before it’s due to end.
Even if you’re only able to save a small amount, like £20 per month, that money is better in your pocket than that of your energy company. Over the course of a year, the sum you save could translate into an extra special evening out on your honeymoon or more luxurious transfers to and from the airport.
Get strict with your wedding expenses
You’ll have plenty of non-negotiables for your big day, but there may be some other areas where you can save money and put that towards your honeymoon instead. In 2022, a Hitched.co.uk survey found the average UK wedding cost was £18,400. There may well be costs within that you can either reduce or do without altogether.
It comes down to a matter of personal preference - how do you want your big day to be? By shopping around and/or being creative, you might be able to make savings on catering, photography or other expenses such as transport for your guests. As with anything in life, it pays to do a bit of research, and who knows, you could land yourself a bargain or two along the way.
Round up your spending to save
Many UK banks offer their customers a way to automatically round up their spending with the difference going directly into a savings account. For example, when you spend £4.50 on your debit card, it would automatically round this up to £5, with the extra 50p going into your savings.
It’s the modern-day equivalent of sticking all your loose change into a big jar and counting it up months or years later to see how much you’ve got. Rounding up your transactions helps many people put money aside when they otherwise wouldn’t have.
If you think about how often you use your debit card, those small amounts of 30p here and 75p there will soon start to gather momentum and give your honeymoon fund a much-needed boost. Once you’ve set up this feature on your account, you don’t need to give it a second thought; everything will happen automatically.
Take a savvy approach to payday
When you know what your monthly outgoings are on things like your mortgage, rent, energy and food, you can easily work out a budget for other things like hobbies and socialising. When you get paid by your employer, you can set up a standing order to transfer a set amount to your savings account. For example, you might have, on average, £300 a month left to spend, and if it’s in a separate account, you’re much less likely to fritter it away on non-essentials.
Get some easy cash by changing banks
We wouldn’t recommend this if you’re happy with your current bank and the service they provide you. However, if you’ve been a bit disgruntled with your financial institution for a while and they’ve maybe closed their branches in your local area, it can pay to look at switching.
It sounds like it would be a lot of hassle, but the Current Account Switching Services guarantees a painless and stress-free process. Many banks are now offering up to £200 to switch your current account, although you should always check what terms and conditions apply before switching.
If you and your partner have separate accounts, you could quickly and easily have an additional £400 for your honeymoon adventure in return for very little effort.
Take on the 1p challenge
This is based on a simple idea. You start the year by saving 1 pence, then 2 pence the next day, and you increase the amount by 1p every day. At the end of a calendar year, you’ll have amassed a rather tidy sum - £671.61, to be exact.
If you and your partner challenge each other to do this, after 12 months, you’ll have over £1,300 to put towards your honeymoon, a sum not to be sniffed at. You won’t miss such a small amount of money each day, so this is a fun way to generate some extra cash without sacrificing anything.
Try this once a month
Do you think you and your fiancée could manage one weekend a month where you spend no money at all? Termed a ‘no-spend weekend’, doing this can not only be a bit of fun, but it can also help you appreciate where your money usually goes and how much needless spending you might be doing.
If you’ve already got movie streaming services at home, why go to the cinema? When did you last visit local museums that provide free entry? Can you make something tasty from the things you already have in your kitchen cupboard, fridge or freezer rather than ordering a takeaway online?
The money you save could end up being a large amount, depending on your usual weekend habits. For example, if you’d typically spend £100 over the course of a weekend, you’ll save over a thousand pounds and have a laugh trying to come up with creative ways to enjoy yourselves out and about without parting with any cash.
Research the cost of living
Another way to save for your honeymoon is to reduce how much you’re likely to spend while you’re away. This will give you more money to pay for the trip itself. Honeymoon essentials such as food and drink can vary widely in cost depending on your chosen destination.
One of the many great things about the internet is that you can carry out more detailed research on places to eat in advance. If you’re visiting a popular city, you can save money on eating out and accommodation by exploring neighbourhoods away from the centre.
Saving for your honeymoon is so much easier when you’ve got a clear budget nailed down in advance. It will give you added motivation to turn your dream trip into a reality.
Ask for contributions
More and more couples are living together now before they tie the knot, so it’s likely that between you, you’ll already have many of the essentials for married life before you get hitched.
Do you really need another kettle or toaster? If friends and family are keen to help you start your married life with a wedding gift you’ll love, asking for contributions towards your honeymoon can be a great idea.
Instead of fine china, bedding or cutlery sets you’ll never use, you’ll be set up for the trip of a lifetime with memories that will last forever. Guests can donate any way they like, but it’s handy to give them a secure link where their contribution goes straight towards your honeymoon fund. Ask us about this when you book.
Sell things you no longer need
Most of us have cash in the attic in the form of stuff we decided to keep but have no intention of ever using again. These could be things like golf clubs, gym equipment and musical instruments. Getting married is a great time to make a fresh start and start your new life together, free from clutter and useless items.
It’s easier than ever to list things online via eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, so you can raise extra funds without much hassle. If you and your partner have items you’d like to get rid of, you might be surprised by how much it all comes to. Even if it’s not a huge sum, it all helps, and you’ll have more storage space for other things as a result, so you can’t lose.
Stay closer to home
Depending on what your honeymoon priorities are, you might be able to have a similar experience far closer to home. For example, do you need to go to the Caribbean when the South of France is a short flight away?
While this won’t give you actual cash in the bank, exploring the various options available to you and thinking carefully about what you want and need from your honeymoon experience could mean you don’t need to save up as much as you initially thought.
Timing is everything
You can pay less for your honeymoon holiday by travelling outside of peak season. As well as saving cash, this also means resorts and cities are a bit quieter when you visit. A less frantic honeymoon can be a godsend if you’re flying out straight after your wedding and need some time to decompress and chill out.
Avoiding school holiday dates and going in the spring or autumn rather than summer months could save you a small fortune without impacting your enjoyment. It pays to do a bit of research into the best months to visit specific destinations, like in this Maldives blog post.
You should also explore dates for significant events and festivals in your destination of choice, as these can have a big impact on the cost of flights and accommodation. For example, if you want to visit Venice during Carnival time or when the Film Festival is on, you’ll have to pay a premium compared to other times of the year.
You should also think about the day of your departure and arrival because you might be able to get a better deal if you fly midweek rather than on the weekend.
Cut the costs
If it’s taken a long time to save for your honeymoon, you don’t want to fritter away the cash on non-essentials. To cut down on expenses, book a luxury package holiday so that all your costs are included, and consider staying in a self-catering villa or apartment.
Wherever you go, don’t forget to let people know you’re on your honeymoon. Everyone loves a newlywed couple, and you never know, you might get upgraded to a luxury suite or be offered some fancy cocktails, free dessert, or a nice bottle of champagne on the house.
Pay for your holiday in instalments
It makes sense to break down the cost of your honeymoon into manageable chunks. Paying an affordable amount every month is far easier than getting your hands on a lump of cash all in one go.
At Viva Holidays, our customers are welcome to pay in interest-free instalments, with deposits starting at only £49 per person. Bookings can be made up to 12 months in advance, with full payment due eight weeks before your departure date. Learn more about our Peace of Mind Guarantee.
Book multiple mini-moons instead of one big trip
Who says you need to do things traditionally regarding your honeymoon? For example, rather than saving up for one long holiday, you could spread the cost across lots of shorter trips and save up in between journeys. These are sometimes called mini-moons.
Our romantic honeymoon holidays start from four days away - meaning you can experience beautiful cities such as Venice and Florence without having to splash out a significant sum. Depending on your preferences, saving for a mini-moon can be relatively straightforward. Long, relaxing honeymoons can be a wonderful way to start married life together. However, having multiple mini-moons to look forward to can extend that brilliant buzz you get after your big day and give you even more to look forward to.
Start planning your trip
Now you’ve sorted the budget for your honeymoon; it’s time to decide where you’ll go. There are so many exciting places to see, whether you’re planning a big long-haul adventure or a mini-break just a short hop from home.
Picture yourself lying on one of Bali’s blissful white sandy beaches holding hands with the one you love as you make plans for the future. Alternatively, you might like the sound of hitting New York City for a thrilling time sightseeing and living life to the full in the Big Apple.
We’ve got a remarkable range of honeymoon holidays whether you’re looking to splash out or have an amazing time without breaking the bank.
Start by browsing our honeymoon packages to see what takes your fancy, or get in touch with us if you’ve already decided and want to get a great deal.
