Money as a couple: How to plan a honeymoon budget you won't be paying off for a year
A honeymoon budget works best when you set the total from what you can save, then price flights, stay, food, activities and a buffer to fit. A ten-night trip for two comes to about 5,020 in a worked example.
By Wealtie Team · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Set the honeymoon total from what you can save without borrowing, then fit the trip to it.
- In a worked example, ten nights for two comes to about 5,020, including flights, accommodation, food and a buffer.
- Saving 5,020 over ten months takes about 502 a month.
- Plan the honeymoon budget alongside the wedding budget, because both come out of the same savings.
How do you plan a honeymoon budget?
Start with the total you can save without borrowing, then build the trip to fit. Picking a destination first and working out the cost afterwards is how honeymoons end up on a credit card.
The wedding and the honeymoon usually come out of the same pot, so plan them together. The wedding budget helps with the bigger half.
What goes into a honeymoon budget?
Here's ten nights for two, in round numbers that work in any currency:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Flights for two | 1,400 |
| Accommodation, 10 nights at 160 | 1,600 |
| Food, 10 days at 90 for two | 900 |
| Activities and excursions | 500 |
| Local transport and transfers | 200 |
| Travel insurance | 120 |
| Buffer | 300 |
| Total | 5,020 |
Accommodation and flights are more than half. If the total's too high, those are where you'll find the most room.
How can you spend less without spoiling it?
Agree in advance on one or two things that matter most to each of you, like a special dinner or a particular excursion, and protect those in the budget. Then cut elsewhere first. Change the big lines, not the experience:
- Fewer nights: cutting two nights saves 500 in this example, on beds and food
- Timing: travelling outside peak season or a few months after the wedding can cut flights and stays
- Mix the stays: a few nights somewhere special and the rest somewhere simpler
- Closer to home: a destination you can reach by train or a short flight
- Tell people: many hotels offer something small for honeymooners if you mention it when booking
Set a daily amount for food and activities before you go. In this example, that's 140 a day for two, so you know what each day can carry.
A honeymoon fund on your wedding registry is another option, where guests contribute toward the trip instead of buying a gift. Decide together whether you're comfortable with that.
How much should you save each month?
Divide the total by the months until you travel. 5,020 over ten months is about 502 a month. Over six months, it's about 837.
Open a separate account for it the week you set the date, so the money doesn't get mixed up with wedding deposits. Put any cash gifts toward it if that's what you've agreed.
If that doesn't fit next to wedding savings, push the trip back a few months. A honeymoon in the off-season after the wedding is often cheaper and less rushed, and you'll have had time to save.
Who pays for what?
Talk about it early, the same way you'd talk about any shared cost. Some couples split everything equally, some split by income, and some pool everything once they're married. How to split bills as a couple goes through the options, and they work for a trip as well as for rent.
If one of you is paying more toward the wedding, it might make sense for the other to cover more of the honeymoon. The important part is agreeing it before you book.
What should you watch out for?
Costs that aren't in the price you see:
- Resort fees and taxes added at checkout
- Baggage fees on flights
- Transfers from the airport
- Tips, in places where they're expected
- Card fees abroad, covered in foreign transaction fees
Check passports and entry requirements early, especially if either of you is changing your name. A booking under a name that doesn't match your passport can cause problems at the airport, so many couples book under their current names.
Book refundable or flexible options where you can, in case the dates change. And buy travel insurance when you book, not just before you go, so you're covered if you have to cancel.
What about starting married life without debt?
Coming home to a credit card bill is a tough start. If the honeymoon you want doesn't fit what you've saved, a smaller trip now and a bigger anniversary trip later can work well. Saving for a goal together helps when you earn different amounts.
How do you save for a honeymoon in Wealtie?
A shared account lets both of you see the honeymoon savings grow, with owner, editor and viewer roles. The account owner needs Pro to invite, and the other person can be on any plan. Each of you moves money into it as a transfer, which isn't counted as spending. During the trip, log costs in a Honeymoon category so you can see where it went. The shared accounts page has more, and your expense categories show the trip's total.
Questions people ask
Whatever you can save without borrowing, set before you pick a destination. A worked example of ten nights for two comes to about 5,020.
Cut a couple of nights, travel outside peak season, mix special stays with simpler ones, or choose somewhere closer to home.
Divide your total by what you can save each month. 5,020 takes about ten months at 502 a month.
Usually the couple, split however you've agreed to share other costs. Talk about it before you book.
This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your situation is your own; check the numbers that apply to you before you act on them.
