Recession fails to curb newlyweds’ passion for dream honeymoon

RECESSIONARY blues are not preventing newlyweds from cutting back on their dream trip, new research has found.

A survey conducted by Hotel.com showed that 98% of couples are still planning to honeymoon after their wedding, and one in four said budget should not be a factor as a honeymoon is a once in a lifetime experience.

However, one in eight (12.6%) did admit they would be happy to take a shorter break directly after the wedding and wait until they have more money for a bigger holiday, showing a shift in attitudes is beginning to emerge among newlyweds trying to be more sensible with their money.

Nearly two-thirds agreed that more deals are on offer during these recessionary times.

In terms of spend, 21% said they were willing to spend between €3,000 and €4,000 on their dream holiday, while 9% said they would be prepared to splash the cash right now, spending a massive €8,000 plus on their honeymoon.

The honeymoon is considered an integral part of wedding celebrations with 85% of newlyweds taking it immediately after their wedding and only one in 10 waiting to go away at a later date.

Work commitments and financial strains are cited as the main reasons for delaying a honeymoon.

Director of Communications for Hotels.com, Alison Couper, said it was not surprising that newlyweds were not prepared to sacrifice their honeymoon as it is such an important part of the wedding celebrations. “Now is a great time to honeymoon as there are some fantastic deals available around the world,” she said.

According to the survey, the most popular foreign countries for Irish couples who planned to marry and honeymoon in the one destination were the Caribbean, Italy, Spain and America.