Several factors go into planning the perfect honeymoon: cost, location or locations, and length of time, and of course, romance. All these factors relate to each other, and if you play your cards right – you can really use this opportunity to impress your new wife!

Cost is obviously a major factor. If you only have $1000, that three-week dream vacation in Jamaica would be pretty hard to pull off – it' ll cost you at least that just to fly there and back! Not to mention getting three weeks vacation probably means you' re taking some time off unpaid – something a lot of people can' t afford to do.

One thing to consider when budgeting for your honeymoon is whether or not to go to an all-inclusive resort. A great thing about them is that they' re really easy to budget for. You know exactly how much you will be paying. It' s nice not to have to worry while on your honeymoon about whether or not you can really afford that desert or one more mimosa.

However, you also have to consider whether you would really spend that much money if you went to a pay-as-you-go establishment. Are you really going to take advantage of the all that the all inclusives offer? Will you eat a lot of food, drink a lot of drink, and take advantage of at least of range of other services offered? If you and your fiancée tend to be less extravagant, it might be more cost-effective to skip the all-inclusive resort.

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Location

Where you go will depend on several things – and obviously money is one of those things, along with where you and your new wife want to go! When you' re making all of your travel arrangements, keep in mind what it' s really going to be like – that 7:30am flight may sound like a good idea because you get to your destination early enough to enjoy it, but are you really going to want to get up that early after partying late into the night at your reception?

You also want to make sure that there is nothing being planned for the next morning. A lot of families like to have a brunch to send the bride and groom off. You don' t want to ruin anyone' s plans by having to rush to the airport.

A good intermediate step is to find a local bed and breakfast or nice hotel for the first night. You still get to spend some quality time with your new bride without the stress of having to travel immediately after the wedding.

No matter where you go – turn off your cell phones! This is your time together – make it special. You can always check your messages later.

Length of Time

This factor is usually dictated by work schedules, something you won' t have a lot of control over. However, you can make sure you use that time to its greatest extent. Australia may be a really cool place to go – but if you only have a week of time together, you don' t want to spend four days of that traveling.

Consider places a bit closer to home if you' re short on time. Remember – it' s the time you spend together, not the place you go, that really makes the honeymoon.

Romance

In a lot of ways – this is the most important part of your honeymoon planning! No matter where you go, or how much money you spend, if you put a little extra thought into the honeymoon your new wife is going to be pleased.

If the place where you' re staying doesn' t automatically have extra perks in their honeymoon suite (or if you' re not staying in their honeymoon suite), arrange to have the room decorated, and have something special ready for when you get there – maybe champagne and strawberries, or her favorite chocolate.

This is your chance to shine – so be creative! Leave a poem on her pillow or have breakfast delivered with her favorite flowers.

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