Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle: Prepare Mentally, Physically and Emotionally for the Best Time of Your Life

By Vlady Peters

You’ll find everything you need to know about a Honeymoon to remember in ‘Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle’

Whether you’re thinking of leisure from dawn to dusk, activities day and night, great dining experience, learning new skills, touring nature’s wonders or exploring some of the most exotic cities of the world, this book will help you plan the honeymoon of your dreams.

Whatever your budget, there’s something out there that is just right for you.

Is it a case of a Honeymoon with a child or two to consider? Take them with you. While there’s plenty of Honeymoon locations for just adults, there are also places which will welcome your children and even your pet.

Find out where the celebrities go, where kings and queens and princes and princess make their stay and see whether you’d like to be two of those special people for a week or two.

Money no object? There’s castles and palaces waiting for you - from the ice structures in the north, to the traditional castles of the more moderate climates.

Travel by plane, boat or train. Do your own touring in a car caravan or even your bike.

See the world in your own way

Decided to make you Honeymoon destination also your wedding destination? Learn the best way to plan it whether it’s just the two of you, or your guests will be following you there.

The world is your oyster. Visit such fabulous cities as Moscow, London, New York or see what such countries as China, Japan, Africa or Dubai have to offer.

Visit the totally romantic, culturally uplifting, historically amazing, or just fun places you’ve only heard about but have always wanted to see.

‘Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle’ will introduce you to the world and give you practical tips on making the most of your Honeymoon time together.

This book has been written in two parts. The first part is all about you; how you can prepare to bring out the best in yourself physically, mentally and emotionally to start your honeymoon on the right foot. It takes into account that just as a wedding couple your needs will be different from those of other couples, so will your honeymoon.

Perhaps this is your very first honeymoon - perhaps you’re trying again. Perhaps you have no one to please but yourself. Perhaps you have responsibilities which can’t be forgotten just because you’ve decided to get married. Perhaps you’re young and perhaps you’re not. Perhaps you’re substantially younger or older than your spouse. Perhaps you’re as fit s a fiddler, perhaps you’ve seen better days.

Whatever your situation, the first part of the book will concentrate on what you can do to bring out the very best in yourself, whether this is to make sure that you’re looking and feeling great, that you have all the confidence in the world wherever you’re going to find yourself, that your choice of your honeymoon destination will be based on understanding of what’s on offer and how it fits your needs.

In the second part you’re given a look at all the choices that are open to you in deciding on where to go, and what to do on your honeymoon. The choices are many and varied and open up a view of the world in a meaningful way so that you can zero on what is important to you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vlady Peters
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780987322135

Vlady Peters

Planning a Wedding Ceremony? Vows Renewal? Baby Naming?Budgeting for your Honeymoon Travel or the decorations for your Wedding Day?Looking for Wedding Vows that will exactly express what you feel?Have you been asked to officiate at a Vows Renewal Ceremony for a family member, or a Baby Naming Ceremony for a friend?Whatever the occasion and wherever it is to take place, whether it’s simple or formal, money no object or need to keep the ceremony budget in mind, you will find everything you’re looking for in this author’s books.Whether you want a traditional Wedding Ceremony or looking forward to creating a Wedding Ceremony all your own, whether you intend to have a Wedding Reception at home or leaving all the details to a professional Wedding Planner, whether you intend to spend your Honeymoon just up the road from where you live, or travel miles into the exotic world, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to plan that special event.

Book preview

Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle

Prepare Mentally, Physically and Emotionally for the Best Time of Your Life

by

V M Peters

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Disclaimer

This book was written as a guide only and does not claim to be the final definitive word on any of the subjects covered. The statements made and opinions expressed are the personal observations and assessments of the author based on her own experiences and were not intended to prejudice any party. There may be errors or omissions in this guide. As such, the author or publisher does not accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage that may have been caused, or alleged to have been caused, thought use of the information contained in this book.

Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle: Prepare Mentally, Physically and Emotionally for the Best Time of Your Life

by

V M Peters

Copyright 2014 V M Peters

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Books by V M Peters published by Smashwords

Love and Romance Book

1. Californian Poppy: A Love Story

Self-help Books

1. 1,000+ Answers to Your Wedding Questions

2. How to be a Profitable Celebrant: Practical Tips on Running a Profitable Celebrancy Business

3. Celebrating Love’s Special Moments

4. Wedding Words: Perfect Words for your Wedding Ceremony

5. Celebrating Love’s Special Moments

6. You can be a Successful Officiant

7. Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle: Prepare Mentally, Physically and Emotionally for the Best Time of Your Life

ISBN: 978-0-9873221-3-5

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Table of Contents

Introduction

PART ONE - GETTING READY

Chapter One - The Elegant Lover

Chapter Two - The Organized Lover

Chapter Three - The Savvy Lover

Chapter Four - The Attentive Lover

Chapter Five - The Thoughtful Lover

Chapter Six - The Appealing Lover

Chapter Seven - The Sensuous Lover

Chapter Eight - The Passionate Lover

Chapter Nine - The Seductive Lover

Chapter Ten - The Unforgettable Lover

PART TWO - GETTING THERE

Chapter Eleven - Places to Stay At

Chapter Twelve - Castles and Palaces

Chapter Thirteen - Watery Cities

Chapter Fourteen - Seeing the World

Chapter Fifteen - Spouting Water

Chapter Sixteen - Getting Lost and Found

Chapter Seventeen - Honeymoon and Children

Chapter Eighteen - Special and Unique

Chapter Nineteen - Simply Romantic

Chapter Twenty - Honeymoon Trips

Chapter Twenty-One – Man-Made Wonders

Chapter Twenty-Two - For the Cultured

Chapter Twenty-Three - Health and Happiness

Bibliography

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Introduction

While there’s a tendency for couples to think of Wedding and Honeymoon planning as two separate events, in fact, much of the planning you do for your wedding will also assist you in having a perfect honeymoon and a lifetime of good habits.

You want your skin satiny smooth, your body strong, healthy and flexible, your hair shiny and smooth for those perfect wedding photographs? You can think of your beauty treatments as a one-day wonder, beginning and ending with your wedding day, or you can make it a lifetime commitment to good grooming and healthy living.

As you plan your wedding, you may hear the saying, ‘guests come first’. No doubt you think that once your wedding day is done, and you start thinking about your honeymoon, there will be only two people you will need to consider - yourself and your partner.

This may have been the case in the days past. Today there’s a chance that either you or your partner have children, or you have other responsibilities which can’t be put on hold for any length of time.

Some of the contemporary options are Familymoons as enjoyed by Reese Witherspoon, her new husband and her two children. Even some royalties have recognised that a honeymoon can be a great time for bonding with the children that are to be part of the new family.

And then there’s the phenomena of destination honeymoon where the two of you are joined on your wedding day and your honeymoon by your guests. The big thing here is to make sure you please your guests as well as yourself, and that the togetherness with the guests doesn’t intrude on your togetherness as a couple.

There are even Babymoons where the couple are already expecting, hoping to expect by the time their honeymoon is finished, or looking forward to a fabulous time just the two of them, before returning home and discussing the idea of starting a family.

What is the ideal length of honeymoon? Whatever time or money you have to spend on it. There have been those rich and famous who spoke of honeymoons in terms of months - perhaps even a year. And then there’s Minimoons which might be a matter of days. As a new bride, Queen Victoria might have had the means, but apparently she didn’t have the time, so she opted out for a Minimoon which lasted only three days.

Planning a wedding, whether you’re doing it for the first time, or following the example of some of our many married celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Artie Shaw and Mickey Rooney who between the four of them celebrated 33 weddings in all, can stretch both your patience and your budget. Yet most couples do it automatically. Why? Because they want a day to remember.

As you begin planning your wedding consider how these plans can help you create a honeymoon as well. According to one set of statistics, more than 90% of couples who choose a traditional wedding will celebrate their togetherness by taking a honeymoon. On an average, 14% of the wedding expenditure will constitute the honeymoon. In practical terms, the honeymoon will cost three times as much as the average yearly vacation that the couple will take throughout their lives.

Is the cost and time invested in planning a honeymoon worth the effort?

Obviously the details of the success or otherwise of a honeymoon are not readily accessible. Still, there are just enough hints being dropped to suggest that rarely does it exceed expectations. Quite the contrary, in fact! And it seems no different whether it’s a repeat performance or the very first honeymoon for both partners.

As far back as 1815, Lord Byron, described by Lady Caroline Lamb as mad, bad, and dangerous, described his honeymoon as a ‘treaclemoon’ with little sunshine but plenty of clouds. And while treacle is often associated with sweetness, in the case of Lord Byron’s honeymoon, it’s more likely treacle stickiness that he was thinking of.

More often than most people realize, the honeymoon has little resemblance to what either one or the other spouse imagines it will be. And while there are many reasons that honeymoons are not as memorable as they should be, the most likely reason is that couples tend to think of a honeymoon as a vacation planning it accordingly.

If you think of your honeymoon as little more than getting away from your everyday existence, then you can only expect to be disappointed. Whether this is your first marriage or your fourth, to make your honeymoon truly memorable you need to start planning for it in the same organized, systematic way as you’re planning your wedding day. Only in that way will it be inevitably as memorable as you expect your wedding day to be.

More than 60% of the newlyweds choose a honeymoon in a foreign country hoping to taste something unique and different. Yet, in the majority of cases, it will be little more than a holiday like every other holiday they have ever had, except a great deal more expensive.

But it can be different. It can be more than just a vacation. Instead of concentrating your attention merely on the choice of the location, make it an extension of your wedding planning where you bring to the occasion the very best of yourself.

This book has been written in two parts. The first part is all about you; how you can prepare to bring out the best in yourself physically, mentally and emotionally to start your honeymoon on the right foot. It takes into account that just as a wedding couple your needs will be different from those of other couples, so will your honeymoon.

Perhaps this is your very first honeymoon - perhaps you’re trying again. Perhaps you have no one to please but yourself. Perhaps you have responsibilities which can’t be forgotten just because you’ve decided to get married. Perhaps you’re young and perhaps you’re not. Perhaps you’re substantially younger or older than your spouse. Perhaps you’re as fit s a fiddler, perhaps you’ve seen better days.

Whatever your situation, the first part of the book will concentrate on what you can do to bring out the very best in yourself, whether this is to make sure that you’re looking and feeling great, that you have all the confidence in the world wherever you’re going to find yourself, that your choice of your honeymoon destination will be based on understanding of what’s on offer and how it fits your needs.

In the second part you’re given a look at all the choices that are open to you in deciding on where to go, and what to do on your honeymoon. The choices are many and varied and open up a view of the world in a meaningful way so that you can zero on what is important to you.

V M Peters

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PART ONE - GETTING READY

Chapter One - The Elegant Lover

Beginning at the Beginning

It’s an exciting idea, when planning a honeymoon to want to buy a totally new set of clothes for the duration of the honeymoon. And there have been people, who, being able to afford it, did just that.

When King Edward V111 abdicated to marry the American socialite, Wallis Warfield Simpson, like all brides she decided to adhere to wedding traditions.

For ‘Something borrowed’ she carried a lace handkerchief which her aunt lent her for the occasion.

For ‘Something new’ she slipped inside one of her blue suede shoes, a gold coronation coin emblazoned with the face of her husband to be.

No one could see what she had for ‘Something old’, because that happened to be underwear trimmed with antique lace.

But as to ‘Something blue’ she decided to make it her whole new wardrobe for her honeymoon and many years after. This included her bridal outfit of a cocktail dress with a fitted jacket, wrist-length gloves, high-heeled sandals, and a hat. The rest of her trousseau of 80 dresses and 40 hats was in the same shade of blue, which became something of her signature color.

However, unless money is no object, buying a totally new set of clothes just for the honeymoon, depending on the style of the honeymoon, could mean an array of clothes that you’ll wear once and never again. According to the experts, at any given time most women wear only 20% of the clothes in their wardrobe, 80% of the time. In other words, there’s a lot of wasted money right there in your wardrobe right now.

So before deciding on yet another splurge take a good, long look at the wardrobe you already have. Like the experts you might make some very interesting discoveries.

Firstly, you might find some pieces of clothing that you haven’t worn for years because they no longer fit, you never liked them in the first place, or they are seriously out of date. Don’t continue to hoard them with the idea you might be able to fit into them at some future date, or that they are really too good to abandon. Pack them up and send them to some charitable second hand store. At the moment all that their doing is giving you a feeling that you have more clothes than you have.

If, as you look through your wardrobe, you find some interesting but solitary pieces in your wardrobe which don’t seem to go with anything, but that you really like and could wear, decide what would go well with it and go out and buy it. Always think of your wardrobe in terms of creating as many outfits as you can with the same pieces of clothing.

If you give yourself enough time to get together a wardrobe which will not only satisfy your desire for some interesting clothes for your honeymoon, while extending the wardrobe you already have, you could take advantage to the many sales being offered throughout the year. At the same time, don’t be afraid to visit second-hand stores.

Not only will you be doing something good for the environment, you might also be surprised at some of the outfits carried by these stores - and the state in which you will find them. Some of these clothes will definitely have been loved and worn to death. Others will look as though they have been barely worn at all. And the best part of all, you could find some very original items unlike those stocked by the franchised stores all over the country side.

Once you have an idea of what you already have, make a list of what you really need for your honeymoon. Never leave home without a list of what items of clothing are necessary for your complete honeymoon wardrobe. Make an actual list so you don’t get diverted by something that looks great but is not pertinent for your particular need.

Dressing for those Faraway Places

If you’re planning an overseas trip, check out the dress standards of the particular country you’re going to visit. The taste of some still runs to the formal. Others are more casual. Ooze self confidence by being in tune with those around you. Don’t let your dress be so different from the citizens that you stick out like a sore thumb at best, and offending them by disregarding their conventions at worst. The more at home you are the happier you’ll feel with yourself, your spouse, and the world around you.

When travelling overseas, things being as they are, apart from taste, consider the matter of security. You want to present yourself as a person who is part of what goes around you. Don’t dress so casually that a glance will reveal you as a ‘tourist’, or worst, so flashy, that a ‘wealthy tourist’ pops immediately into the mind of those around you. Keep that expensive jewellery either at home, or in the luggage, if you must bring it along. And stow it away somewhere safe as soon as you’re able.

While on your honeymoon you might be attracted to those clothes that are manufactured for the delight of the tourist. This might be a hat or a T-shirt with a picture or a logo identifying the city, town or country you’re visiting. Keep this type of article for wearing once you get home as obviously wearing it in the country of origin will proclaim a tourist. As much as possible, you want to seem part of the scene, a local rather than a visitor.

And speaking of security, if you’re a woman, check out the most secure way of carrying your money and your documents. A handbag with zips, and which you can carry close to the body, might be a better idea than one which can be snatched at. For a man a neck or body wallet is less predictable than bum bags which tend to be associated with tourists.

Fitting like It Should

Wherever you are, whatever you’re wearing, ensure that the style of clothing allows you to be physically comfortable. Don’t truss yourself into something too small or too tight. If you do need to distract the eye by not emphasizing your generous proportions in the shape of a paunch, wear your shorts or slacks higher at the waist instead of under your belly. Wear your sweater or jacket long, without any dramatic color changes between the jacket and your pants.

If you’re a woman with the same problem, wear your clothes in layers, with blouses and jackets that end well below the troubled area, without a deep contrast of color between the top and the bottom. If it’s your bottom that’s the problem, don’t emphasize the fact with a very tight skirt.

Aim for a good fit around shoulders and the neckline. If you’re a woman with a generous bust show it off if you want to, but not by accident. Whether you’re standing or sitting or bending let your clothes contain you. Similarly if you’re a man, don’t play any gaping games. Let your coat collar lie smoothly around your neck and on your chest.

Avoid slacks that are too long or too short, socks that aren’t long enough to cover your legs when you sit down, tee shirts covered with pictures or messages that are rude, crude, and have the capacity to offend those around you.

Young at Heart or Just Young?

Are you perhaps marrying late in life, to someone substantially younger than you? Between your engagement and marriage attend as many fashion parades as you can, and do window shopping and trying on endlessly. Make yourself familiar with what is being currently worn.

By now you have probably acquired a wardrobe large enough for every event of your life – a lot of them life-long friends. Shopping for clothes may no longer loom high on your list of priorities. Or you might even find that when you do need to buy an outfit for some special event, you tend to gravitate to the type of clothes that you are already wearing. Take time out. Saturate yourself with what is here and now to present to your partner someone who is not living in the past.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways of updating your wardrobe is through the use of accessories. Check out the scarves, belts, handbags and jewellery being currently worn, and see what these can do for your own wardrobe.

Play up every good point you have and downplay or camouflage or work around your weak points. Open up a short, thick neck with an open neckline, and decrease the length of a long neck with a necklace, scarf or high collar. If you’re a short person keep your slacks cuffless and your jackets short. Minimize wide and broad shoulders with deep and narrow necklines, while improving the look of narrow shoulders by wearing shallow necklines.

If you’re built on generous proportions don’t hide yourself behind baggy clothes. Instead, lead the eye away from the problem area with a scarf or a necklace or a well draped jacket or tunic. The idea is to stay away from the waist and tummy area which are not as small as they used to be. And just as baggy clothes do not flatter, neither do see-through or clinging-to-your-body materials.

Don’t be one of these people who try to fool themselves into believing that they are not really as big as, in fact, they are, by squeezing themselves into a smaller size. It might make you feel good when you’re buying the outfit, but it will certainly not flatter you - especially in those areas which you can’t see. And you will definitely not feel physically comfortable, which, in turn, will make you less at ease than you otherwise would be.

Clothes that fit, whatever their size, will be more flattering than when you’ve squeezed yourself into something that is simply too tight for you. If you’re a man who has difficult sitting down in the trousers you’re wearing go to a shop and find a pair that fits. You probably need a pair two sizes larger than the one you’ve been squeezing yourself into.

Speaking of men, they are not as happy trying on clothes as women. So beware. Don’t just check the size of what you’re wearing right now, and take another one off the rack when you go shopping. Even if you’re wearing the same size, different brands can have the same size tag but be smaller or larger than the brand you’re wearing right now.

Use colors that flatter your skin tone. Whether you’re the palest of blondes or the darkest of dark, your skin has either a rose pink or peach pink undertone. The former leans to the cool blue tones, while the latter leans to the warm yellow. To flatter your natural skin tones simply choose colors and textures which support your natural cool or warm skin tone. Keep away from colors which, while they might be the fashion color of the season, are not your colors. Looking pale or sallow is not a flattering look no matter what fashion dictates.

Been There

It’s a fact that fashion has a way of recycling itself so a woman of a certain age might find the clothes that she wore in her youth appearing in shops and on the young. While these clothes might look great on the youth of today, it might look simply out of date on someone of your age. So resist the temptation to rewind the clock by wearing the clothes of your youth - even though they are now the height of fashion. Wearing youthful will not necessarily make you look or feel younger.

Feeling like really starting all over again? Make a pile of those clothes that you are still wearing all the time. Make another pile of those that are still wearable but you haven’t bothered because they need to be cleaned or altered or need a stitch or two. Your third pile should consist of those clothes that have been in your wardrobe for years but no longer fit. You continue to hoard them because they are still so good, and, who knows, perhaps one of these days you’re going to lose those extra kilograms. Lastly collect those clothes that are totally out of fashion but, the way fashions turn around, they might be in again.

If you really want to start your life anew, get rid of the clothes that don’t fit, don’t flatter you, have been out of fashion for years or will not apply to your lifestyle from now on.

Have a good look at what you have left. See if you can create new outfits out of ones that you’ve worn only in one particular style. For example, if you’ve been very much into suits, see if you can split the suits and create a less formal look with new shirts or blouses. And when you go out to buy this new item, consider what other pieces in your wardrobe will go well with it. Ideally, every new item you buy should allow you to create at least two new outfits, apart from the one you decided on initially. Separates are the easy way to create fashion variety.

But apart from creating a coordinated wardrobe where you will never have to worry about having nothing to wear, this might be also a time to test your creativity. Try on colors that you’ve never tried before. Look at the possibility of wearing jewellery. If you’ve never been a jewellery person, visit some second-hand stores. Here you can often find the unusual, the distinctive, the bizarre, which could be just what you need to make you feel different in a good way.

While a lot of older women seem to enjoy florals and stripes, solid colors are more sophisticated, and, with the right accessories, lend themselves more easily to the latest fashion trends.

And whatever you decide on, try to lead the eye to your best features, be it good legs, curvy waist-hip area, nice bust or great hair.

Speaking of which, if your hair is beginning to look thin and fly-away seek a hairdresser who will suggest the best hair cut for the condition of your hair. This doesn’t necessarily mean the shortest hair style under the sun, but one which will make the best of your hair texture.

A Change for the Better

According to some experts, clothes are used not only to keep a person warm, but in some ways have the same function as animal fur and birds’ plumage - to attract the interest of the opposite sex. According to these experts, selecting your clothes, especially when making a change from what you normally wear, is the easiest way to boost your sexuality in the way your partner views you.

If your wardrobe tends to be fairly monotone - you wear mainly black or mainly white because they’re safe colors - show your partner that you’re not out of surprises yet. If your style is predictable - mainly tailored or mainly casual - experiment with a different look. If you’re a man who never wears a suit, or a woman who never wears slacks, how about letting yourself find out whether what you’ve adopted is really what is best for you.

And don’t be dissuaded by the idea that your partner loves you, and has always admired you, in the particular manner that you dress. Of course they do. But it doesn’t mean that they won’t find you a little more stimulating if now and then you switch. After all, isn’t there something about change being the spice of life?

There’s the story of a man whose first wife never wore slacks because she found them unflattering. One of the things he appreciated about his second wife was how fantastic she looked in pant suits. Of course if you see yourself as a pants person, you might find a skirt or a dress give an unexpected zest to your personality.

As for color, just because he or she has commented how blue looks fabulous on you, they didn’t really expect you to adopt that color for the rest of your life. It was a compliment. It wasn’t meant to be the last word on what looks good on you.

If you’ve always clung to the familiar and comfortable, experiment now. There is such a thing as too much of the same color in the same outfit. No matter how fabulous you look in it. To make sure you don’t become the man or the woman in blue, break up the mass of color with complimentary or contrasting colors in the smaller items of your clothing.

Apart from too much of the same color, beware of too many colors vying for attention. This includes too many patterns or too many striped or spotted items keeping your partner restless as he or she looks at you. This doesn’t only apply to color. If your outfit consists of a number of pieces break them up so that every piece isn’t severe or fussy. Match the simple with the decorative, and the severe with a bit of frivolity.

Even if you feel your grooming tastes have by now fully developed, try new colors, textures, and styles and see what happens. Looking into your wardrobe you’ll find some color and some style predominates. This will give you an indication of what you’re comfortable with. And what you’re comfortable with usually means that it flatters your natural skin tone or your figure. As long as you stay with similar color and style, you’ll not only look good but feel comfortable as well. On the other hand, if you’re a jeans and tee shirt person, don’t be afraid to go a little more formal for your honeymoon for a change of pace.

Best Foot Forward

What about shoes? Not something that you give much thought to. Believe it or not, you’re in the majority. It’s rather amazing that so many otherwise well-groomed people stop at the ankles. Don’t be one of them as, according to fashion experts, they are one of the things that people notice about you when they first meet you.

In ancient Rome, footwear styles indicated the social status of the wearer. The emperor’s shoes, which were a type of a boot, were secured with four red thongs. Senators’ shoes, on the other hand, used black thongs to identify their position in society. In dramas, actors wore specific footwear to indicate the type of character they were representing. In a comedy they would wear a lighter type of shoe then when playing a tragic character.

While these days people don’t stress too much about their shoes, there is still the idea that some shoes are more appropriate to the style of the clothes a person wears. And just as important is the state of the shoes themselves.

Fix, or get rid of those shoes with