Wedding Are you splurging for a honeymoon suite on your wedding night?

[zoebartlett]

I''m just curious to see how many of you out there are going to splurge and stay in a honeymoon suite or a luxury suite, etc. on your wedding night. I also wonderd if you wouldn''t mind weighing in and picking one of these options, if you were me.

The hotel our guests are staying at have a honeymoon suite and a luxury suite, as well as the regular rooms. All rooms have a two night minimum.

Honeymoon suite: 2 rooms -- bedroom and living/sitting room with a fireplace, a four poster bed, and a 2 person jacuzzi (sp?) in the bathroom for $295 per night. The fireplace, obviously, won''t be needed in July.

Luxury suite: 1 big room with a four poster bed and a jacuzzi in the room itself (not in the bathroom) for $254.

Regular hotel room: standard room for $150 per night, although I''m not sure what size bed that rate is for. For a king, we might have to pay a little more. I think we''d probably get it for roughly the same rate as the ones we blocked off but we''d stay in another part of the hotel for a little more privacy.

Part of me wants to splurge and the other part of me thinks that we could use the money we''d save for our trip to the Azores. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Hera]

When I got married ten years ago I got a regular room at the hotel. My boss at the time told me to call and see if they would upgrade me to a better room. She actually ended up calling for me and they upgraded me to the presidential suite for free. It was nice and roomy and my bridemaids and I got ready there. There was plenty of room to get dressed and get our hair done.

Unfortunately, my grandparents*gasp* specifically requested the suite next to us. Luckily, after the ceremony, we were so tired, we went to sleep right away (Even though the hotel brought us up chocolate covered strawberries).

So to answer your question, If I were in your shoes, I would splurge. If the only difference between the honeymoon suite and the luxury suite is the fireplace, I would take the luxury suite. I MAY be inclined to get persuaded to a regular room though if I already had a place to get ready and was going to Azores the day after the wedding (can''t tell if you''re going right away.).

Good call on getting a room on a different part of the hotel. Tell grandma you''ll visit her

 

[snlee]

I would splurge. You only have one wedding night! We didn''t stay at a hotel our wedding night but the next day we went to Napa and stayed at a bed and breakfast. Our room had a fireplace and two-person spa tub. They also had a 2 night minimum stay. It was over $300 a night, totally a splurge but worth it. It was a relaxing trip and I have great memories of our first few days spent as newlyweds.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

DH did splurge on a suite on our wedding night (I am embarrassed to say how much he spent

) We didn''t get there til after midnight and left around 9 am (we were too excited and couldn''t sleep). It was beautiful. I am not sure if it was worth it but it was important to him. He is sweet like that.

 

[E B]

It's a regular room, but in one of the fanciest hotels in Dallas. I wasn't very happy when he told me how much he spent (we're just going to be sleeping there!), but it is our wedding night. I just wished we'd gotten more for what we're spending, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn't that big a deal.

It really just depends on what you think is important. Will you have several hours to lounge around in the morning, or are you on a plane at 9am (like we are)? If you have time to spend and enjoy the room, I'd splurge. If it's just a place to make some wedding love and sleep, the practical side of me says save it for a honeymoon activity. Just my $.02.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 9/9/2007 4:43:07 PM
Author: heraanderson
When I got married ten years ago I got a regular room at the hotel. My boss at the time told me to call and see if they would upgrade me to a better room. She actually ended up calling for me and they upgraded me to the presidential suite for free. It was nice and roomy and my bridemaids and I got ready there. There was plenty of room to get dressed and get our hair done.

Unfortunately, my grandparents*gasp* specifically requested the suite next to us. Luckily, after the ceremony, we were so tired, we went to sleep right away (Even though the hotel brought us up chocolate covered strawberries).

So to answer your question, If I were in your shoes, I would splurge. If the only difference between the honeymoon suite and the luxury suite is the fireplace, I would take the luxury suite. I MAY be inclined to get persuaded to a regular room though if I already had a place to get ready and was going to Azores the day after the wedding (can''t tell if you''re going right away.).

Good call on getting a room on a different part of the hotel. Tell grandma you''ll visit her

We haven''t made our travel arrangements yet but from what I understand, flights to the Azores leave on Tuesdays and Fridays (weird schedule I know). If that''s the case, we won''t be leaving for our honeymoon until 3 days after the wedding. We figured we''ll stay in Maine (where the wedding is) on our wedding night and then after we have breakfast and say goodbye to our guests the next day, we''ll drive home and spend Sunday and Monday at our house before leaving for our honeymoon. That''s the plan right now, but like I said, we haven''t made our travel plans yet.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 9/9/2007 5:10:01 PM
Author: EBree
It''s a regular room, but in one of the fanciest hotels in Dallas. I wasn''t very happy when he told me how much he spent (we''re just going to be sleeping there!), but it is our wedding night. I just wished we''d gotten more for what we''re spending, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn''t that big a deal.

It really just depends on what you think is important. Will you have several hours to lounge around in the morning, or are you on a plane at 9am (like we are)? If you have time to spend and enjoy the room, I''d splurge. If it''s just a place to make some wedding love and sleep, the practical side of me says save it for a honeymoon activity. Just my $.02.

I''m not a splurging kind of gal normally, but it IS our wedding night, so I know it would be special. We''d have time to lounge around and take our time leaving the hotel before heading home. The other thing is that our reception ends at 4:30 so although we''re having some sort of an after party most likely, we''ll still have plenty of time to uh, make use of the room.

 

[E B]

Date: 9/9/2007 6:14:41 PM
Author: zoebartlett

Date: 9/9/2007 5:10:01 PM

Author: EBree

It''s a regular room, but in one of the fanciest hotels in Dallas. I wasn''t very happy when he told me how much he spent (we''re just going to be sleeping there!), but it is our wedding night. I just wished we''d gotten more for what we''re spending, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn''t that big a deal.


It really just depends on what you think is important. Will you have several hours to lounge around in the morning, or are you on a plane at 9am (like we are)? If you have time to spend and enjoy the room, I''d splurge. If it''s just a place to make some wedding love and sleep, the practical side of me says save it for a honeymoon activity. Just my $.02.

I''m not a splurging kind of gal normally, but it IS our wedding night, so I know it would be special. We''d have time to lounge around and take our time leaving the hotel before heading home. The other thing is that our reception ends at 4:30 so although we''re having some sort of an after party most likely, we''ll still have plenty of time to uh, make use of the room.

I hear you! I''m not usually a splurgy kinda gal either, but it sounds like the extra $ would be put to good use, especially if you have time to lounge.

 

[Independent Gal]

I reallllly want to splurge on a nice room for our wedding night. But I don''t think we can.

I think it''s worth it if you can afford it. I mean, it''s worth shortening your honeymoon by one night, even.

 

[icekid]

Date: 9/9/2007 6:14:41 PM
Author: zoebartlett

I''m not a splurging kind of gal normally, but it IS our wedding night, so I know it would be special. We''d have time to lounge around and take our time leaving the hotel before heading home. The other thing is that our reception ends at 4:30 so although we''re having some sort of an after party most likely, we''ll still have plenty of time to uh, make use of the room.

we had a nice hotel room for our wedding night, but not a splurgey one! and i was really glad we did not spend a ton of money on it, b/c we got there and crashed and did not spend much time there before heading out in the AM. I was glad we put the money to nicer hotel rooms on our mini-moon.

But... if you''re going to be finished early and not fall asleep as soon as you get there, then by all means! I would in that case.

 

[zoebartlett]

Indy, have you decided where to go for your honeymoon?

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, this is the subject of some contention. My mom seems to have decided we are going to Mexico (possibly the only country in the world, except, maybe, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, that neither of us has been to). We sort of went along with it, since it''s our wedding gift from mom. But the other day I asked FI ''Scale of 1-10... how are you feeling about Mexico?'' and he said ''6''. I''m kind of around 7. I really want to go to Sri Lanka. Or the North Pole. Although FI nixed the North Pole. He says trekking in the Arctic doesn''t scream ''ROMANCE!'' to him. Aw, c''mon! Spoil sport.

Maybe I could ask mom if we could do 1 day less for OUR h''moon and have her treat us to a suite for the wedding night. I just hate asking my parents for anything, even if the thing is a change of plans, that won''t cost more. Know what I mean? They are already being very generous in helping us a lot with the wedding costs, and I don''t want to make a fuss.

 

[surfgirl]

zoe, I''ll say what I said to you about the wedding dress...you are only a bride once so ENJOY EVERY SECOND of it because it will be over before you know it! Splurge on the honeymoon suite! It''s not like that''s going to make or break your honeymoon, it''s just a one night splurge and I think you''ll enjoy it (as long as your parents/grandparents are not in the room nextdoor, OY! What a mood breaker!!). Have you been able to see the difference between the King room, Luxury Suite and Honeymoon Suite? I''d take a look and see what the difference is or ask them to email you photos if they can. We ended up having to stay in a reg. king room where we got married, on the day before our wedding (because the special house we wanted was booked that night), the morning of, we moved to the special room and let me tell you, it was really wonderful and we felt really special! I asked Mr. Surfgirl afterwards if it was worth the splurge and he said "what do you think?!?" Just do it and dont look back. It''s a once in a lifetime experience! Another consideration is if you''re getting wedding day photos that include preparing for the wedding...if so, a nicer room will make for a lovelier backdrop...

JUST.DO.IT!

 

[Independent Gal]

Surfgirl has a point... as usual.

 

[zoebartlett]

Okay, you''ve convinced me to go for it. We''ll book one of the suites. Heck, we''ll just book the honeymoon suite since the luxury suite (the next step down) isn''t THAT much different in price. Yes, you only do this once, and I want to pamper and treat ourselves. Thanks for the advice!

 

[sumbride]

Our hotels don''t offer a honeymoon or luxury suite, but we are staying in a 1 bedroom suite. It''s not fancy, but it does have a separate bedroom with a door we can shut. We decided to do it because we''ll be staying an extra few days and imagine that at some point somebody is going to stop by our room so we wanted to have a separate seating area so people wouldn''t be looking at our bed. For us though, it''s only an additional $20 a night for the suite... our rate is $106/night!

 

[SeattleSparkle]

We are not splurging, in fact, we are not spending any money on a wedding night hotel at all. My fiancee is staying in a hotel the night before and I''m staying at home.

Our wedding will go until about 11 pm and then we plan on spending time with our friends ''after-partying'' at our favorite night spot a block away from our reception. The reason being, our flight for Italy leaves at 7:30 am the next day, so we have to be at the airport by atleast 5:30 ... I think we are just going to stay up all night. Not terribly romantic, but our first stop is Venice and it doesn''t get much more romantic than that.

 

[Sabine]

I could see saving your money if you weren''t getting to the hotel room until late and leaving early for a flight, but since you have lots of time to enjoy the room

I TOTALLY think you should go for it!

 

[Blenheim]

We stayed in a regular room with a king for about $120 a night. The honeymoon suite was $800 a night, and there was just no way that I could have justified that. We really don''t have any regrets.

If you have time to lounge around though, $100 more for a jacuzzi on your wedding night sounds like a good splurge to me!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

So glad you booked the honeymoon suite, I have a feeling you''re going to be glad you did!! I might follow suit--we''re still trying to decide, haha.

IG, so funny that you mention going to the north pole for your honeymoon. My FI wanted to go to Antarctica so we could climb Mt. Vinson. I was actually all for it and after weeks of research we decided it wasn''t feasible. Bummer.

 

[Pandora II]

IG, we''re going to Sri Lanka for our honeymoon. My sister went there on holiday when she was working in Bangladesh and loved it. Baby elephants, amazing historic buildings, safari''s, old colonial tea-plantations with beautiful guesthouses, great seafood - they had lobster every night for a week. And more importantly Ratnapurna and the sapphire mines! I can''t wait.

You need to watch the weather though - we''re planning on going in December or January when the weather is a bit cooler.

RE Wedding night, FI and I want to stay in the same place as our friends and have a few hours to play poker and chat with them. All the hotels in the area are tiny (10-15 rooms max) so we will be having the nicest room if there is one in whichever hotel we end up with. I''ve already totally booked an entire hotel for his relatives and I''m trying to get another!

We''ll go for the big splurge on a mini-moon straight after - Lyme Regis in Dorset where we are going fossil hunting for a few days!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

we didn''t book the honeymoon/bridal suite per se.... instead, we spurged on a different property than the "Hotel Home Base" (embassy suites) that everyone else stayed at. later, we learned that two couples had gone in together to book the bridal suite and that''s where the unofficial post-party took place.

the winery resort we stayed at is the poshest place in town, and they have these little "villas". none share any common walls, and some lead straight out the actual vineyard. they had a two night minimum, so i ended up staying there the eve before, which worked out great as the villa was more than big enough for mom and my gals to spend the day with me, do hair/makeup and get ready. so yeah, we "splurged", but it was also a practical decision.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 9/9/2007 6:43:48 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Well, this is the subject of some contention. My mom seems to have decided we are going to Mexico (possibly the only country in the world, except, maybe, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, that neither of us has been to). We sort of went along with it, since it''s our wedding gift from mom. But the other day I asked FI ''Scale of 1-10... how are you feeling about Mexico?'' and he said ''6''. I''m kind of around 7. I really want to go to Sri Lanka. Or the North Pole. Although FI nixed the North Pole. He says trekking in the Arctic doesn''t scream ''ROMANCE!'' to him. Aw, c''mon! Spoil sport.

Maybe I could ask mom if we could do 1 day less for OUR h''moon and have her treat us to a suite for the wedding night. I just hate asking my parents for anything, even if the thing is a change of plans, that won''t cost more. Know what I mean? They are already being very generous in helping us a lot with the wedding costs, and I don''t want to make a fuss.

This cracked me up IG...Actually, we ARE going to Bhutan for our honeymoon! Not sure of exact dates though as we''d like to do it when I''m on assignment in Asia region so we only have to use miles to get him over there...A friend of mine has a lead on a guy that does intl conservation tours there so we''ll likely try to do a private tour, and would love to go in the winter, when it''s a winter wonderland.. Option 2 will be Laos, if Bhutan becomes too complicated....cant wait though!