Want a Happy Marriage? Take a Honeymoon!
WRITTEN BY Honeyfund and Alexandra Dillard | Display photo by Rachael Schirano Photography
The utterance of the word “honeymoon” conjures visions of limbs intertwined in the sand, couples massages at sunset and clinking Mai-Tai glasses. If this sounds like a luxury, it’s because it is! The benefits of taking a honeymoon are great, as we will outline here shortly, but there’s an elephant in the room. Household income plays a natural part in who can afford to take a honeymoon. And since 92% of couples pay for their honeymoon on their own, heavy barriers emerge.
When discussing honeymoons, two factors rise to the top: the marital benefits and the financial costs. To address both of these subjects, we turned to none other than Honeyfund and its CEO and co-founder, Sara Margulis.
If there’s anyone who knows about honeymooning and funding a honeymoon, it’s Sara!
MEET HONEYFUND
Honeyfund is an online honeymoon registry that allows friends and family to contribute towards your dream honeymoon. The registry is broken into specific wishes, just like a traditional registry’s list of physical items. But instead of deciding between a set of wine glasses or an espresso machine, Honeyfund gift givers can give a plane ticket, guided tour or surf lessons, for example. Couples and gift givers are then connected in a special way, as the gift giver knows what part of the honeymoon they are contributing to.
The birth of Honeyfund came when its co-founders, Sara and Josh Margulis, were engaged and planning their own wedding. They had a dream of honeymooning somewhere exotic and far away, but after paying for their own wedding, they didn’t have the funds. Instead of registering exclusively for traditional housewares, the couple created a makeshift wishlist for the costs associated with their Fiji honeymoon — things like excursions, resort nights and island-hopping flights. And their guests loved it! The couple was overwhelmed with more than $5,000 in contributions. This seemed to be something people wanted and enjoyed, and thus Honeyfund was born.
A GOOD FOUNDATION
After the hustle and bustle of the wedding planning and the big day itself, couples need to “exhale” for a bit. The honeymoon acts as a reset before jumping into married life. “It’s time to bond, create a vision for the future and start some ‘honeymoon habits’ — skills that serve the long- term marriage,” shares Margulis. These habits can be activities like taking a walk together, hosting an evening touch base or ensuring time for intimacy. Honeymoons provide a lot of quality time together, which is so important to the beginning stages of marriage.
Spending quality time with your partner is one of the most important things you can do for a happy marriage — and it’s the No. 1 reason people travel with their partner, according to Honeyfund’s data. In a survey of 1,000 married Americans, Honeyfund discovered that of those who rated their marital satisfaction as “excellent,” 84% of them also travel regularly. In fact, upwards of 90% of couples who have taken three or more romantic trips since their honeymoon rate their relationship as “good” or “excellent.” On the other hand, out of the couples who rated their marital satisfaction as “not so good,” 78% do not travel regularly.
The top reason couples travel is to spend quality time together. These numbers show that honeymooning, coupled with travel in general, might just be the key to a lasting marriage. “Once couples have had that experience, they might prioritize future travel when they need time together to focus on their relationship,” says Margulis.
ADDRESSING THE BARRIERS
Couples who don’t go on a honeymoon cite finances and trouble getting time off of work as the top reasons. Many couples are at risk for these factors depending on their education level, income and even state of residence.
Given the importance of a honeymoon to the relationship, Honeyfund’s mission is to help all couples go on a honeymoon, with the help of friends and family. If you have enough kitchen utensils and bedroom linens, consider requesting a contribution to a Honeyfund. The connections and foundation you build honeymooning set up a marriage to last longer than any monogrammed towel set.
Don’t let funds be what’s holding you back from planning the honeymoon of your dreams. The size, timeframe and extravagance of your honeymoon are not as important as the plan to take one. You can dream big with an all-inclusive Cancun vacation, opt for a quiet weekend in a cozy cabin or even indulge in a staycation at a local hotel or resort, just don’t overlook the impact a romantic getaway can have! No matter where your honeymoon is, remember to treasure the sacred beginnings of your marriage. It just might be the key to everlasting bliss.
Testimonial: Sarah & Ray
Sarah and Ray got married on September 10, 2022 in Elburn, but their celebrations were far from over. Awaiting them was an exquisite Mediterranean cruise honeymoon. By utilizing Honeyfund’s registry, the couple was able to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here’s what the couple had to say.
What did you do with your Honeyfund?
For our honeymoon we did a Mediterranean cruise. We used the Honeyfund money to pay for our excursions for our cruise.
How was having a honeymoon important to your new marriage?
The honeymoon was the perfect time to celebrate our marriage with just the two of us. On your wedding day you are running around trying to entertain your guests and hardly get time for just the two of you. This was that time for us.
Why did you use a honeymoon registry?
We wanted to show our friends and family where we were going and what the money would be going to. We shared pictures with them throughout our honeymoon to show them what their contribution paid for, and it was really special.
What did your guests think of this registry option?
They loved it. They thought the website was user friendly and liked the page on the website we made. We are people who would rather have an experience than a gift, and our guests thought it was a special way to honor that while also celebrating in our marriage.
About the Contributor
Sara Margulis is the CEO and co-founder of Honeyfund. Sara drew from her background in digital marketing to launch Honeyfund in 2006. Now as CEO of the popular honeymoon registry service, Sara is ushering the company into its next phase as a life-long funding site where couples can receive the support of friends and family for all of life’s milestones and mishaps.
Sara’s winning appearance on Shark Tank in 2014 and partnership with Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful”) propelled her into regional, national and international media. She’s sought as an expert on a variety of topics including weddings and honeymoons, crowdfunding and women in business.
Honeyfund | honeyfund.com
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