How to Plan a Surprise Honeymoon

While most engaged couples plan their honeymoon together, surprise honeymoons planned by the groom are gaining popularity. Making honeymoon travel arrangements alone is risky, so you must be sure that your fiancée will be thrilled when your reveal your destination. Here's how to plan a surprise honeymoon that will have your new bride shedding tears of joy.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Decide on a destination. Perhaps your fiancée talks non-stop about taking a canopy tour of the rain forests in Costa Rica, or maybe she wants to relive her childhood in Disney World. If you are having trouble deciding on a honeymoon location, speak with your beloved's friends and family about her travel wishes.

2. Determine how much information to reveal to your fiancée. Maybe you want even the most minute detail to remain a mystery, or maybe you plan to provide your future wife with information strictly on a need-to-know basis. The choice is yours, but keep in mind that the greatest risk comes with keeping everything to yourself.

3. Figure out travel documents you need and make sure your fiancée has them. If your honeymoon travel will require passports or special visas, make sure they are current. If your fiancée does not have the appropriate papers, tell her that she should have a passport for safety reasons and have her fill out the application several months before the wedding.

4. Find out if you have to get shots or take medication before you embark on your romantic journey. If so, consider providing your fiancée with enough information to ensure she makes a doctor's appointment.

5. Clear your fiancée's calendar. If your beloved has no knowledge of the honeymoon, she may make plans for the week of the vacation. Call her workplace to ensure she has sufficient time off to accommodate your plans.

6. Pack your fiancee's belongings or give her enough information about the destination to pack herself, such as weather conditions and any attire required for special events. If you are packing everything, make a checklist of all items needed and go over it with a woman close to the bride.

7. Reveal the details of your secret to those closest to you who will help you through the planning process. Swear those who do know about your big surprise to secrecy.

Tips & Warnings

• Hide tickets and travel brochures and give travel agents and resort representatives your mobile number, especially if you and your fiancée live together.
• Some grooms choose to reveal the honeymoon destination at the wedding reception. This allows you and your loved ones to see the bride's reaction to the surprise and most likely will give her a bit of time to pack last-minute items you may have forgotten.
• Make sure that your fiancee's carry-on bag contains her medications and other essential items. Some medications require a doctor's note to pass security and you must pack liquid cosmetics in a specific way to avoid confiscation. Check your airport's website for more information.
• Sneaking around right before your wedding can have negative consequences. If your bride is convinced that you are up to no good, consider giving her a limited amount of information to ease her mind before your big day.