Affordable and romantic honeymoons that won't break the bank

Of all the varied traditions around marriage, one of the most wholesome is the honeymoon — a single moment in your life that prioritises spending some quality time with your new spouse. Beautiful!   

However, with the costs of weddings becoming exorbitant, and the cost of living crisis continuing to punish us, more people are opting for affordable honeymoon options that still stay true to the goal — a romantic time with the person you love the most.

Take a road trip

"It was 2020 and we were deep in the COVID-19 era so our choices were limited. We didn't want to book anything interstate or even too far from home," says Liana Boss, a 31-year-old media professional and member of the ABC Everyday team.

"We lived in the NSW Northern Rivers region on Bundjalung land at the time. We travelled down the coast past Coffs Harbour and along Waterfall Way. For those who haven't been, it looks just like it sounds."

Liana and her husband had initially planned on going overseas for their honeymoon, and definitely saved money with their road trip.

"We spent a lot of our honeymoon in nature, hiking in national parks and exploring tiny towns along our journey.

"Our main expenses were accommodation and dining out. We had some petrol expenses as there was a bit of driving involved, but we travelled no more than a few hours at a time.

According to Liana, the only downside of the honeymoon was that it went by too fast.

"I think the best honeymoon is one where you can decompress from the emotional rollercoaster that is planning a big love party and really take time to just enjoy each other's company.

Go to the beach

"For our honeymoon, a friend gifted us a handful of nights away at her beach house, at Middleton on Ngarrindjeri country as a wedding present — which is just over an hour's drive from Adelaide, where we live," says Jo Case, a 47-year-old writer and editor living in Adelaide.

Jo and her husband Luke saved costs by getting married in Luke's parents' backyard.

Cost was a huge factor in their plans for both wedding and honeymoon plans.

"My husband is a student who was working two days a week and when we got married; I was working in small publishing, which is very badly paid. I was also paying off the loan I took out to move from Melbourne to Adelaide to be with him. So, we had no money!"

Jo says that her honeymoon was simple but perfect

"We just read and ate and walked (too cold to swim) and did all the things you'd expect on a honeymoon. It was blissful! We didn't go into debt or spend money we didn't have — and what you really want for a honeymoon is quality time together in a beautiful place, and we got that."

Go to a festival

"After we got married, we spent a few nights in Hobart/ nipaluna for the Dark Mofo festival," says Sian Campbell, a 35-year-old writer from Melbourne/ Naarm.

Sian and her husband Murray describe their wedding as "something tiny in their backyard … with practically no-one there except the celebrant, a couple of witnesses and our housemate."

Their honeymoon had a similar sensibility: "It was low-key and perfect for us (and also all we could really afford anyway)." The pair spent maybe $1,000 all up.

The biggest cost, apart from tickets to the festival, was splurging on a nice hotel for a couple of nights.

"The staff weren't prepared for two ratty millennials in Doc Martens and grubby T-shirts," Sian says.

"My partner had accidentally stepped in dog poop a few moments before we arrived. They were lovely, though, and gave us a congratulatory bottle of champagne to celebrate.

"Our honeymoon, if that's what you can call it, was very short, and honestly we spent too much of it playing Pokemon Go."