A New Kind of Newlyweds ~ What Does Your Honeymoon Mean to You? A Discusion Post by Franky…

 

‘The honeymoon is a time free of the stresses and tensions everyday life puts on a relationship as time goes on. The moon symbolizes the phases or cycles of the couple’s relationship as it waxes and wanes from full moon to full moon. Like the moon, the couple’s relationship would have its brighter moments and its darker ones.’ {source} 

 

For those of you not in the know, I’ve just returned from my honeymoon. My husband and I spent two weeks in Koh Samui, Thailand. We stayed at the luxurious Sala Samui hotel on the northern coast of the island. It was, quite simply, heaven. Sun, sea, sand… and everything else a honeymoon should be.

Or was it?

All photography provided by the lovely Franky

Wedding Blog - What does your honeymoon mean to you?

I think on some level I expected us to behave like typical newlyweds. You know… besotted with each other, and never more content than when strolling hand in hand along the beach. Our evenings would be spent sharing candlelit meals, gazing longingly at one another, all giggly and excitable, our bodies charged with physical desire. We would enjoy two weeks safely cocooned in a feeling of euphoria, oozing romance all the while.

The pressure of this image weighed heavily on my mind for the first few days. We toyed with the stereotype, trying it on for size, curious to see if we could make it fit, but it didn’t.

Underneath all the posturing and make believe, we were still just a couple with two children who have been together for almost a decade. We’d also left a sizeable gap between our January nuptials and the post-wedding getaway.

I began to worry. If newlyweds are supposed to exist in a bubble of bliss, had ours burst?

Wedding Blog - What does your honeymoon mean to you?

As I sat by the pool one day, scribbling the beginnings of this post in my beloved Moleskin notebook, it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, my husband and I represent a new kind of newlyweds. The kind that reflects the dramatic changes the institution of marriage has undergone over the last few decades. The kind that has co-habited for years and already has children. Maybe a honeymoon has to mean something different to us because of this?

Perhaps there are other kinds of newlyweds too. I mean, there are the kind that are the same sex, and the kind that have been married before. There are the kind that combine existing families, and the kind that blend cultures. Maybe a honeymoon means different things to all of them too?

Wedding Blog - What does your honeymoon mean to you?

I don’t want you to take any of this the wrong way. We didn’t have a hideous time and I don’t think my marriage is in crisis! I’ve told you what my honeymoon wasn’t, so let me share what it was…

It was peaceful. It was exciting. At its heart was a beautiful familiarity.

Our honeymoon gave us a chance to rest. We disconnected from daily life. All forms of social media were off limits, and we didn’t talk to anyone but each other until the last few days of the trip when we got chatting to another recently married couple. We laughed a lot. We ate good food. We soaked up our surroundings and enjoyed conversations free from the usual interruptions. Sometimes we simply sat in silence. Blissful, comfortable silence…

Wedding Blog - What does your honeymoon mean to you?

When I considered the facts, and stopped worrying about romance and the like, I found the true essence of what I thought a honeymoon should be remained. Our time away was not only a celebration of our marriage, but a holiday that marked the importance of our whole relationship. Not just the 8 ½ years which have already passed, but the future too.

It was precious time spent apart from our children that enabled us to be together, just the two of us. It was about {re}connecting as a couple, cementing bonds, and remembering that at the heart of our family is two people who fell in love and {eventually} decided to get married.

Wedding Blog - What does your honeymoon mean to you?

I would love to hear all about your honeymoon, whether it’s already happened or eagerly anticipated!

What does a honeymoon mean to you?

Where are you going? What do you hope to experience together?  

Are you {or will you be} a new kind of newlywed?

Franky

Heart

 

You can read more features by Franky here, as well as many more discussion posts here.

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