I have heard many couples debating whether or not they intend on doing a honeymoon after their Destination Wedding, but didn't give it much thought until I started the planning of my Destination Wedding. 

Having just finished planning a destination wedding, my thoughts were that we were going to have all of our closest family and friends at our beach wedding in the Bahamas, why would we want to leave?  I wasn't really concerned with whether or not it was proper etiquette to stay with them, but I was thinking that I would want to stay and party with everyone.

My fiance had a totally different view, and she tried to convince me that after 3-4 days with everyone in Nassau that we would want to have some time to ourselves.  After a couple months of debate I gave in and we planned a quick 4 night getaway to Antigua for just the two of us after the wedding in Nassau.

Looking back on it, although I hate to admit it to the wife, it was a great decision to take off after the wedding.  Here's why:

1.  My wife and I (and our livers) needed a break after 3 straight days of partying with our 50+ guests.  Everywhere we went we ran into our guests, which was great, but we were constantly entertaining...which I greatly underestimated during our planning.

2.  Most guests took off the day after the wedding anyways.  And those that decided to stay for a couple days after really appreciated the time by themselves so they could have their own mini-vacation.

3.  Traveling to a completely new destination, just the two of us, allowed us to relax a lot more.  If we wanted to order room service and hang out on the balcony, or sleep late, it was OK.  Having nothing to do, and all day to do it is priceless.  Plus it's another memory of a destination for the two of us, which is always great.

So, my advice to couples thinking about whether or not to do a honeymoon after their Destination Wedding is simple: Do it, you won't regret it.  If you are thinking about staying at the same destination and just switching hotels, I would recommend getting adventurous and putting another destination under your belt. 

A quick video below from our room at the Sandals Grande Antigua.  This doesn't even show the bedroom and huge bathroom with jacuzzi.  Butler service too...what more can you want?

Planning a Destination Wedding - Honeymoon Suite