By Dominic Donaldson

It is the summer, and the season for weddings is upon us. I have a few friends getting married, and having endured the obligatory hen weekends, I have a chance to savour watching them making their vows and hearing the tales of honeymoon hotels on exotic beaches and country retreats. Here is a guide to some of the ways that the happy couples and their generous guests have chosen to celebrate the union.

It has become fashionable of late for couples to ask for vouchers towards booking honeymoon hotels. This is mostly down to the fact that many people now live together for a few years before tying the knot. As they have everything they need, the request for traditional gifts of toasters, kettle sand bedspreads has all but disappeared. Instead, it is a chance for man and wife to spend a week or two in a luxury location with chandeliers, silk sheets and champagne on tap.

Most honeymoon hotels offer a specialist service so that upon arrival there is a magnum of bubbly on ice and a hamper of fruit and the finest chocolates. This can be requested by the guests who have clubbed together to send their friends on a wedding holiday of a lifetime. If booking a honeymoon hotel on behalf of the couple, make sure that you find a place that reflects their interests and offers a romantic environment in a destination such as Marrakech or Venice.

If at all possible, make the whole package a surprise; just give them a brief idea of the type of climate or activities that will be involved so that they pack the right kind of clothes. In addition to this, ask them to hand over their spending money and get it converted into the correct currency or travellers cheques. This can then be put in with the travel tickets; a great wedding gift for them to open on the day.

Not everyone likes to have such a surprise thrust upon them, so some newlyweds organise their own honeymoons. One couple I know asked for money towards their honeymoon, and due to the generosity of all the guests were able to take a month long honeymoon break to discover the jungles of Borneo. The honeymoon hotels here would not be to everyone’’s taste, and I can”t image what look would be on the bride’’s face if she opened a present containing insect repellent and a mosquito net as a honeymoon hint.

About The Author

Dom Donaldson is a wedding expert.
Find out more about Honeymoon Hotels around the world for a romantic break or a wedding present at Rooms For Romance.