Cut the Honeymoon Short

Generally, a lot of focus is put on the honeymoon. But have you ever considered the benefits of cutting it short? When my husband and I got married, he was getting over a throat infection. It was the middle of winter and we had planned to stay at a lodge for a few days. We ended up canceling our plans, not wanting to be that far away from a clinic if the infection came back. We still stayed at a themed inn for our wedding night, but went right to our apartment the next day. Both of us had two weeks off before going back to work. In the end, we were glad to have that time before getting back to the real world. I'm not suggesting you cancel your honeymoon. Simply come home a few days early, or give yourself a few extra days of time off. The transition time will be a starting block to your marriage. This was our experience:

Everyone still thought we were gone. We were able to lock ourselves in the apartment with no interruptions. If I remember right, we didn't even have the phone working until after a few days. We had plenty of time to open all of our presents and write thank you notes. The apartment got organized. Everything had a place. The majority of our things got unpacked. Anything left in a box after we went back to work was still there three months later. I can only imagine how little would have been unpacked if we only had a few days. The money that would have gone toward the honeymoon went straight into savings. That cushion was greatly appreciated when we both lost our jobs sixth months later.

It was a time to adjust to really living together. Not in a romantic getaway, but dealing with the realities of shopping, sharing a small bathroom, fixing dinner, etc. We were able to set up a routine so we didn't get thrown off when we got back to the reality of the work day. We learned how to cooperate and compromise. All of this would have been harder to do if we had immediately thrown ourselves back into our old schedules.

I would urge all engaged couples to schedule that extra time. If you even come home one day early, you still save money and have some sort of adjustment period. It's not worth it to come home from the honeymoon and go straight back to working and socializing. Give yourself that time. You'll be glad you did.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Prye.Com/ which is a site for Wedding Invitations.

Mary W. Jensen is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Creative Writing