We all know the scene, the happy newly married couple leaves their wedding reception covered in bird seed or rose petals in a car decorated with balloons, streamers, tin cans and typically shoe polish. Typically, they are heading off to a romantic honeymoon vacation. Now, the type of honeymoon vacation is dependent on the couple and whatever their dream vacation may be. For thousands of couples every year, that dream vacation is a honeymoon cruise. Honeymoon cruises are widely popular, and many cruise lines cater particularly to those couples wanting to go on a honeymoon cruise. But sometimes the decision on whether or not to go on a honeymoon cruise can be a difficult one to make. If you’ve never been on a cruise before, or are just unsure of which route you want to take, then here are some definite advantages of going on a honeymoon cruise.

Honeymoon Cruises Offer Variety

One of the most popular aspects about honeymoon cruise vacations is the variety that they can offer. When choosing from the different honeymoon cruise packages, you will have the ability to choose the locations that you visit, as well as number of days that the cruise will last. An added benefit, you can visit these many destinations without having to change rooms, pack and unpack, or waste your time changing hotels. You can spend more time relaxing and spending time together.

Honeymoon Cruises Offer Entertainment!

You’ll find that many of the honeymoon resorts you visit may not offer much when it comes to entertainment. The resort that my husband and I visited had live music every night, but it was always the same band and the same songs, which got old pretty fast. Cruise lines offer many different kinds of entertainment every night so that there is always something to do.

Honeymoon Cruises are a Great Deal

Honeymoon cruises are an excellent choice if you are planning a honeymoon on a budget, and these days who isn’t? If you start early and stay with some trusted names in cruise lines, then you are sure to find a honeymoon cruise package that will be exactly what you’re looking for. You’ll find that a honeymoon cruise is much more economical than flying from island to island, a lot less stressful as well.

Honeymoon Cruises offer Excursions

Another great thing about honeymoon cruises is that they also offer a lot of exciting excursions at each location that you might not have been able to find yourself. Snorkeling with dolphins, exploring caves or visiting a wildlife preserve are just some of the fun adventures waiting for you to discover. Not only that, but the excursions will allow you to experience the location better than just exploring on your own could be. Plus, it will give you great memories and stories for the folks back home.

Honeymoon Cruises are Top of the Line

Another great thing about going on a honeymoon cruise is that most cruise lines offer top of the line accommodations. This includes great food, nice and comfortable rooms, and of course excellent service. The only thing you need to worry about is having a great time.

Honeymoon cruises are an excellent way to celebrate your new life together, and relax from the stess of planning a wedding. While some people love cruises and the possiblities they provide, others would rather visit a honeymoon resort and stay on land the entire time. If you’re not sure if a honeymoon cruise is right for you, then keep checking back for the next article in this series, which will go over the possible disadvantages and problems that people have with going on a honeymoon cruise.

You know, planning a wedding can be a funny thing. The bride to be is staying so busy with her wedding planning, getting quotes from caterers and fine tuning all of the details and the costs…and there are a lot of them. Statistics show that the average American wedding costs around $30k. But what I find funny is that while the bride is handling these large bills (somewhat in stride - knowing how much these things can cost), the groom is freaking out over $300 plane tickets to the honeymoon of your choose. What many couples planning a wedding today don’t realize is that they DON’T have to spend that much money on their wedding and honeymoon, and still have great results. There is no harm in looking for deals, or learning how to get the best prices without trading it for quality. That especially applies to honeymoon deals. Knowing and understanding a few simple tricks can help you save thousands on a great honeymoon deal while not putting you into unnecessary debt. Here are some important factors to consider.

Location Location Location!

Your honeymoon destination of choice will play a huge factor in the overall cost of your honeymoon. Face it, a trip to a deserted tropical island  will cost more than a trip to sunny tropical Mexico, and even less will be a romantic honeymoon throughout your own home country.  But every couple has their own particular preferences when it comes to their honeymoon, and your honeymoon destination should fit your tastes. So talk to each other and get a feel for each of your ideal honeymoon spots.

Planning Early

There is a moderate amount of controversy over this one. Many people believe that early planning will get you some great deals on a hotel and flights. Others believe that if you wait until closer to the trip to book everything, sometimes the deals can be discounted to encourage people to come. My advice? Plan early to get the honeymoon destination and hotel you want, and then get the rate insurance, if it’s available. It’s a little bit of extra money, but if the cost of your honeymoon decreases and you spot it (it will require checking periodically), then your rates will be reduced to the amount of the new lower cost. My husband and I saved several hundred dollars this way.

Consider a Cruise or All-Inclusive Honeymoon Deal

Some people love cruises, and some people hate them. If you’ve never tried one before, and are pretty cautious about it, then maybe try for another idea. But the great thing about cruises is that you can visit a list of exotic and tropical locations for a fraction of the cost. Not bad! We went with an all-inclusive honeymoon deal, and really enjoyed the benefits that came along with it. All restaurants, bars, room service, tips, transportation to and from the airport, and other services were covered in our fee for the honeymoon, and we really didn’t have to worry about taking our wallets or anything like that. It was great. Just be sure to read the fine print on what is covered with the all-inclusive deal you are considering so you’re not stuck with a huge unexpected bill later.

Your honeymoon should be an excellent time of relaxation and spending time together as a newly married couple. You shouldn’t have to be stressed out about money or finding the next place to eat, or any other  nightmares some couples face. The great thing about finding a great deal on a honeymoon? Nobody has to see the price tag but you.

I’ve mentioned this in my last few articles, something that I really loved about the wedding photographer I we used was that she used a fancy digital camera and we were able to get copies of all the wedding photos on a CD. Plus, we have full copyright permission, so we can easily go to any photo kiosk in the store and print out any photos that we like instantly. Having a wedding photo CD made it so easy to get the pictures out to family and friends after the wedding was over and people were requesting pictures. When you are looking for wedding photographers for your wedding, be sure to ask if they can provide you with a CD of all your wedding pictures with full copyright permissions to print them. Here are some great things I loved about having this option with my wedding photographer.

Wedding Photo CD’s Can Save You Money!

If you want to forgo getting the wedding albums made from your photographer as well as some of the larger prints, it may be worth it for you to just print out the pictures yourself. When looking at the wedding packages each vendor provides, ask them how much of a discount they will give for taking off the items you don’t want and adding the wedding photo CD. You could end up saving money on your package. Not only that - but you can easily hand the CD’s over to family and friends so that they can print out the pictures you want yourself…or to keep track of your CD’s, take orders on what pictures they want, and have them pay you back for the prints. That way, you can only have the pictures you want, on a time frame that works the best for you.

Wedding Photo CD’s Save You Time!

One of the hardest things I had to do after the wedding was to choose which of our wedding photos were to be blown up and framed, according to our package. I had a time frame to get this done by, and trying to work with parents and other family could certainly get aggravating. Having a wedding photo CD means that you can print out the pictures at your leisure, and that you have plenty of time to decide which photographs you want larger, and can easily print out more later without having to go back to the wedding photographer to place an order.

Not every wedding photographer offers this to their clients as an option. Many feel that it is taking away from their profits with not being able to fill orders from family and friends, as well as potential future orders.  I had one photographer I interviewed who wanted an extra $500 for a wedding photo CD with full copyright permissions, which was ridiculous. While I don’t think this detail should make or break your decision, I do think that they should be willing to discuss it…and that it shouldn’t cost an extraordinary amount.

Many women misunderstand me when I talk about using cheap wedding photographers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to hand a camera to inexperienced Joe Anybody and tell him to photograph your wedding. Thats just silly.  I totally understand that you want to have nice wedding pictures once it’s all said and done, they are something that you and your family will be able to treasure for generations. When I talk about finding a cheap wedding photographers, I’m talking about finding a deal, being able to negotiate a deal, or even finding cheap wedding photographers who aren’t all about ripping off the bride to make a couple extra bucks. It’s not impossible to do, and in nearly all the cases I’ve heard of, the wedding pictures will turn out just as beautifully as though they were done by a professional at double the cost. Wouldn’t you hate to pay double what the next girl did, and get the same quality of wedding pictures? I didn’t think so. Here are some great ideas for finding cheap wedding photographers for your wedding.

Finding In-Home Photography Studios

This is probably one of your best bets for finding cheap wedding photographers you can trust. Many professional wedding photographers are also mothers, and choose to do photography on the side while their children are growing up.  They don’t have studio costs or much overhead, and are available on weekends for weddings. While some can be hard to find, you just need to know where to look. Check out your local phone book, free wedding guides many cities distribute, or just ask friends and family if they know anyone with a home based photography business. Make an appointment to talk, and ask to see their portfolio. Then, you’ll know if you can trust their pictures.

Photography Majors

In my previous article, I gave an option of going to the local colleges and asking for recommendations of photography students who are capable of handing wedding photography. Another option for this is to ask for names and phone numbers photography department alumni who might be available to handle your wedding photography. This is the route I took for our wedding, and the pictures turned out beautifully. Not only that, but many younger photography students seem to have more imagination and creativity in their shots than people who have been photographers for 30+ years.

Asking for the Re-Printable CD of Shots

This came at no charge for my wedding pictures. The photographer provided two CD’s that had all of my wedding pictures on them with full copyright permission to print them out at a local kiosk. I didn’t have to spend a lot of money on printing up albums for friends and family, and I think it’s a much more economical way to get your wedding pictures.

Your wedding photography is an important part of your wedding day. It’s a day that you’ll treasure forever, definitely the best day of my life so far. It only seems right that you should be able to have quality wedding photographs to be able to remember your special day. So, whichever route you choose when looking for wedding photographers, just be sure to ask for a portfolio of their work so you can see what to expect with your wedding pictures.

Finding ways to save money on your wedding photography can seem like an impossible task. Maybe you’ve called and gotten pricing from many of the photographers in the area and think that you just don’t have any way out. I remember that feeling - but that doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck paying for a photographer that is charging you twice as much as he should. Yes, yes I know, you need to hire a quality wedding photographer for your wedding so that your pictures don’t turn out all blurred and ruined. But there are ways to save money on your wedding photography that can make a huge difference on your wedding budget. Here are some things to consider.

Phone A Friend

You’d be surprised about just how many people have quality cameras and some training in photography. Granted, maybe they don’t do photography for a living, but many can be comfortable enough to take pictures of your wedding for a small fee or (if they’re a really good friend) for nothing at all. Then, ask them to copy the pictures onto a CD, and you can go to the store and print off your pictures from one of their kiosks.

Go Back to School

Another great idea for saving money on your wedding photography is to visit one of the local colleges in your area. Ask their photography departments of any students that they would recommend for the job, and give them a call. Most college students will welcome the chance to make a little extra spending money, as well as being able to add to their portfolio. Be sure to ask and make sure they are comfortable to do the job.

When All Else Fails

If you’ve already done all this and still had no luck, and have decided to go with a local professional wedding photographer, there are a few ways you can try and negotiate the costs associated there as well. First of all, look at the packages, and try to negotiate a little bit there. If you don’t really need the coffee table books or photo albums, ask how much he would take off the cost for these items, and give you a CD where you could print the pictures later. If that doesn’t work, many of them add costs for touching up pictures, and don’t ask you which pictures you want touched up. See if you could choose which pictures are enhanced after the wedding to try and save some money there as well.

There are lots of little things you can do to save money on your wedding photography. Just remember that you don’t have to go with the most expensive wedding photography agency in your area. There are many other in home photography businesses that do extraordinary work, as well as the aforementioned friends and photography students. I agree, you want to be able to have nice wedding photographs that aren’t blurry or overexposed or anything like that, but you don’t have to spend half of your wedding budget on it either.