The Honeymooners

honeymoon – word origin and history

1546, hony moone, but probably much older, from honey in reference to the new marriage's sweetness, and moon in reference to how long it would probably last, or from the changing aspect of the moon: no sooner full than it begins to wane. 

One thing you’ll learn about my husband is that he is pretty agreeable.  He will smile and nod much of the time and he has tremendous patience (clearly, he married me).  His strong opinions are few and far between, so when present I try to oblige. During wedding planning he requested ownership of the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon. My inability to let go of anything made it slightly challenging, but both of these were all him.  

The honeymoon was supposed to be a surprise, but one day I received an email confirming our honeymoon registry. I could have ignored this email and not clicked on the link to see where we were going, but that wasn't going to happen. Turns out he picked Antigua! We were booked for a Sandals vacation in Antigua!  Perfect for both of us – he would be able to sip fruity cocktails and lay on the beach, and I would be able to explore a new country. Plus, the resort was adults only and all inclusive. Perfect.

Our second flight to Antigua from Miami was filled with newlyweds. The number of recently married couples aboard that plane was ridiculous. It felt like I had entered the twilight zone of French manicures, bejeweled bridal tank tops, fake tans and personalized canvas bags. My fear that our honeymoon would be a grown up version of high school was coming true! Would I have to try to be friends with this people? I heard stories of people meeting new best friends on a honeymoon and I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. Would they be staying at our resort? Would that girl with the annoying ‘bun’ on top of her head continue making the face that everything in the world disgusts her? Would we be the oldest newlyweds there? All of my 15-year old insecurities showed up to the party and the answer to all of these questions was a solid YES.

The buses to the resort were filled with the same newlyweds and they were in the spa, at the pools and in the restaurants. The tramp stamps and giant diamonds outnumbered the fish in the ocean and I do believe many of them were asked for their ID at the bar. But as always, we found people to connect with – the older couples celebrating anniversaries, the staff members coordinating the contests (one of which we won!), and the couples who actually continued eating food during their engagement. 

We learned a lot about each other and ourselves on our honeymoon. My husband learned that on vacation I enjoy waking up at sunrise. I learned that he did not. He learned that after a day trip filled with rum punch I turned into ‘college Reesa’. I learned that I am too old to drink rum punch all day.  He learned to snorkel. I learned how to play chess. We both learned that at the end of a couples’ massage they clasp your hands together and it is not the masseuse awkwardly hand holding. We learned that going to the gym while eating and drinking non stop will not make a difference in potential weight gain. And we learned that Antiguan hot sauce burns.

All in all, we had an amazing trip – the food, entertainment, activities and drinks were fantastic. We were able to go on a few excursions to see the country, and spent plenty of time reading and relaxing by the pool. It was great fun! The sweetness in our marriage was at an all time high and the moon had yet to wane (except for that incident during the kayak trip)…we were indeed honeymooners.