Budgeting for the Honeymoon

By the time the wedding's paid for, the honeymoon budget can feel like an afterthought. It shouldn't be. This is the bit you'll actually remember in five years, long after you've forgotten what the chair covers cost. The trick is to plan the money for it as carefully as you planned the day, and that starts with a real number rather than a hopeful one.

Decide what the trip is for, then set the figure

Before you look at a single resort, agree between you what this trip is meant to do. Is it pure rest after a hectic year? A proper adventure you'd never normally take? Two weeks of doing absolutely nothing by a pool? The answer changes the whole budget, because a fly-and-flop in the Mediterranean and a multi-stop trip across Asia are not in the same league cost-wise.

For a sense of scale, the average UK couple now spends around £4,550 on their honeymoon, according to Aviva's 2025 research. That's an average, not a target. Plenty of couples have a wonderful time for half that, and plenty spend a great deal more. Use it as a reference point, then build your own figure from the ground up.

Break the cost down properly

A honeymoon budget that's just one big number is where overspending hides. Split it into parts so you can see where the money's actually going and where you've got room to move.

Build a buffer of around 10% on top for the things you can't predict: a baggage fee, a pricier exchange rate on the day, a spa treatment you talked each other into. A trip with no slack is a stressful one.

Where to stretch each pound

The single biggest lever is timing. Travelling in shoulder season, the weeks either side of the peak, often cuts both flights and hotels significantly while the weather's still lovely. Many couples take a small "minimoon" close to home straight after the wedding, then save the big trip for a few months later when prices have dropped and the bank account has recovered.

A few more honest savers:

• Fly midweek where you can; Tuesday and Wednesday departures are usually cheaper than Friday or Saturday
• Book flights and accommodation separately and compare against a package; sometimes the package wins, sometimes it really doesn't
• Tell the hotel you're on honeymoon when you book; a free upgrade or a bottle of fizz is common and costs you nothing to ask
• Use any air miles, credit card points or hotel loyalty perks you've been sitting on
• Set aside spending money in the local currency early, in chunks, rather than one nervous transfer the week before

Let guests be part of it

If buying a toaster feels beside the point when you've already got a kitchen, a honeymoon fund is one of the most useful things you can ask for. Guests genuinely like contributing to something real: a night in the overwater villa, a meal out, the snorkelling trip. It feels personal in a way a fourth set of towels never will.

You can keep it simple by adding a honeymoon fund to your wedding website alongside the RSVP and travel details, so guests give towards the trip in the same place they're already sorting out their reply. Break the fund into named experiences rather than one big pot if you can, since people enjoy choosing the bit they're paying for.

Track it like you mean it

Once the money starts going out, deposits for flights, the hotel balance, the excursion you booked early, keep a running tally somewhere you'll both see it. It doesn't need to be fancy. The point is that neither of you gets a nasty surprise three weeks before you fly.

The couples who come home relaxed rather than quietly anxious about the credit card are almost always the ones who set a clear number, split it into parts, and gave themselves a bit of breathing room. Do that, and the only thing left to decide is whether it's a second cocktail or a nap. Ideally both.