Diary of a Boho Bride – Emily & Jonny, Entry 6: The Honeymoon

Today we are happy to bring back our Boho bride Emily to the blog. We last heard from her before Christmas when she talked about the readings and the ceremony and today she is talking all about honeymoons! What a perfect subject. I love to talk to brides all about their honeymoons and it really interests me where they all choose. I love Emily and Jonny’s plans. It sounds like true heaven!

I’ll pass you over to Emily………

I’m one of those brides that gets giddy when I say ‘We’re getting married THIS year!’
It all of a sudden seems to be really close, but we still have to wait until September. Insert impatient face emoji here.
We had a busy Christmas break as predicted, but it was lovely. We caught up with friends and family, ordered Jonny’s wedding ring, tried on numerous suits (Jonny, not me), ordered the bridesmaid dresses, organised and booked our music and even found time to book flights for our honeymoon. Tick, tick and tick! All in all a very productive Christmas; Father Christmas would be very proud indeed.
So because people might be suffering the January Blues, I’ve decided this month to write a bit about our honeymoon planning. Some warm weather to look forward to. Goodbye coat and woolly hat and hello sunshine and bikini – bikini body still required but aiming to get there in time!
Bringing you the sunshine…

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We love the beach so that was a high priority when looking at places. We also wanted to do something memorable and special with it being a once in a life time trip. Oh and most importantly it needed to be within budget (or close at least!). I thought we’d know instantly where we wanted to go but there was pressure – it’s more than just a holiday!
Our first decision was when to go. We decided to go a few days after the wedding to make the most of our wedding bubble. However this meant we ruled out most places across the globe due to weather. There is a link which shows show popular honeymoon destinations and the best time to go.

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So by eliminating half of the world we started looking at The Seychelles, Mauritius and Borneo and narrowed it down from there. All three look absolutely stunning. The resorts in some places look incredible; perfect beaches, super facilities and full of spa treatments.
I’ll be honest… we want it all. We want a luxury resort, white sand, crystal clear water and amazing food as well as a bit of adventure and exploring. This is why we have chosen to go to Malaysia and Borneo. Our plan is to fly to Kuala Lumpur, fly to an island called Redang, and have a few days chilling on the beach there, soaking up the sun and absorbing the relaxed surroundings. Relaxation time is a must just after the wedding. After this we are travelling over to Borneo to a small rainforest resort where we will have guided tours on foot and boat through the jungle, spotting wildlife along the way. After a couple of nights beneath the rainforest canopy we are then going to visit the Orang-utan Sanctuary in Sepilok.
It doesn’t end there; we have a few more days of beach time and then a couple of nights enjoying the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur.

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We are booking everything independently, which was daunting at first. We did consider going through a travel agent but it didn’t offer the flexibility wanted, and it cost more! Plus we just find independent travel more exciting.
I would recommend a lot of research before booking your honeymoon independently as some countries seem easier than others to get around. I have attached a few links that we found useful in the process. Blogs are amazing; people are so keen to help and give advice. Getting in touch with hotels directly is always worth doing too; they can often give more information about getting there and better deals. Always worth a cheeky ask for an upgrade – it is your honeymoon after all!
www.kayak.co.uk
www.tezza-thailandbeachesandislands.blogspot.co.uk
www.travelfish.org
www.lonelyplanet.com

By booking our honeymoon ourselves, it makes it more special to us and a bit more of our own bespoke adventure. I know I could be anywhere in the world with Jonny and it’ll be amazing, buts it’s a once in a lifetime holiday so why not make it extra special?
Now the wedding plans are moving swiftly on and the honeymoon is booked, I need to get in shape. I can’t think of a better incentive to hit the gym and get a sweat on!
Here’s to the rest of the year!

Emily x