A honeymoon is not just a vacation. We all know that. It is the first trip you make as husband and wife, a time when you will take great pleasure in calling yourself Mr. and Mrs., a time when all the little things you do together on a daily basis take on so much more meaning and become so much more exquisitely beautiful because you are doing them together as a married couple.

So planning that first honeymoon trip together is an exercise in self-perspective. Will your honeymoon be the dream, once in a lifetime vacation that will never happen again for either of you? Will it be the trip where you pull out all the stops in terms of the money that you spend and the things that you do together? Will it be a trip that takes you to exotic locations you have only dared to imagine until now?

Some people prioritize life after the wedding. Maybe they are buying a new house or condominium. Maybe they are moving to a different city and taking on a new job. Perhaps a child is immediately on the agenda. For some, financial concerns far outweigh any consideration whatsoever: if an overnight or weekend stay at a local hotel is what is on offer, then make it the best it can possibly be for the both of you.

In fact, that would be the rule for any option, whether it is a luxurious honeymoon or a simple one: it is your honeymoon and yours alone. Make it an outstanding experience on your terms. If you and your loved one just adore roughing it out on a road trip, camping and sleeping out under the stars in tents and sleeping bags, make it the best camping expedition ever. This does not mean you have to spend a lot of money.

Usually making a memorable experience means taking the time to think things through before you start. This means taking as many opportunities as possible to create romance between the two of you, to find fun and interesting things to do together, to explore new activities that you both might enjoy, to set aside plenty of time for being alone.

The planning stages are the perfect time to talk to friends and relatives about their honeymoon experiences. What worked for them? What did not work? What would they have done differently in today’s world? Sometimes reading about other honeymoon experiences online in blogs and in forums can give you ideas you never would think of on your own. They can also lead you away from possible errors in judgment. Sometimes a word to the wise is sufficient.

Most of all a honeymoon is about creating the time and space to share the love you have for each other. A honeymoon is the beginning of your life together as husband and wife. Take the time to set that firm foundation on which to build a future that can grow in ways you never imagined.