Wedding Inspiration: Honeymoon in Fiji

I went to Italy on my honeymoon - and it was fantastic. I had never been, and it was a romantic, completely memorable, and incredibly fun trip.

Lately, though, I have been fantasizing about personal huts suspended over the water in a spectacularly beautiful setting. While I don't dive, being able to see the water beneath my feet and waking up someplace so lovely that it defies description sounds divine.

I am absolutely obsessed with Fiji. The Navutu Stars Resort, to be precise.

Fiji is on the opposite side of the world from the United States - over by Australia. However, if there was ever a time to be ridiculously extravagant on something, it's your wedding. I am totally rocking the boat here but, as a one-time bridal shop owner and event planner, I can say with absolute certainty your honeymoon is worth spending a chunk of your budget on at the expense of other aspects of your wedding. Believe me, I know the gown is important, and so is having a ceremony and reception you love and shared with the people you care about most. That being said, I can't emphasize enough that the honeymoon is the time that is absolutely for you and your sweetie to celebrate the next phase of your life. So why not go somewhere you can recuperate from all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) wedding madness and spend time together? It doesn't have to be Fiji or the Navutu Stars Resort...just somewhere you dream about.

Of course, the other option is to find a similar experience closer to home. In my case, someplace like 9 Beaches in Bermuda with over water bungalows, or the British Virgin Islands at Little Dix Bay with drop dead scenery and lots of pampering.

Keep in mind, though, if you do decide to go buck wild with your honeymoon, make sure you adjust your expectations about what kind of wedding you want to have. Price out all your expected and unexpected expenses using real data (not what you think things should cost) from vendors you are considering, and then plan from there. I can't tell you how many times at my bridal shop a bride would fall in love with a gown that was out of her budget since she spent a lot more than expected on her venue, flowers, or had a large wedding. The same principle applies to any part of your wedding you decide to spend a chunk of your budget on. Every choice you make affects the budget of all other aspects of the event - try not to get swept away with others' expectations, follow your heart, and you won't go wrong!