The Honeymoon Blog (Italy or Bust!)

POSTED BY Kelley Lynn, 28 September 2007

Often times in life, we start out wanting one thing; and end up with something entirely different. This was the case with our honeymoon, and now that I look back on it; it was probably for most people a very unconventional, strange way to spend your first week as a newly married couple. And did I mention it was perfect? Ever since I can remember, I always dreamed of going to Italy for my honeymoon. Everyone always says that women are born thinking about their wedding day. I was a bit different. I was born thinking about my honeymoon. Where we would go, the sites we would see, the two week minimum getaway from everyone and everything, and of course; the endless romance. Well, fast forward to my life last year when we were in the midst of planning and paying for a wedding. It seemed to me we had a choice to make; did we want a beautiful, intimate yet elegant wedding ... or a fantastic, long-extended European honeymoon? We could not have both, so in the end, turns out I went for the nice wedding. I do not regret a thing, as my wedding was one of the best days of my life and I wouldn't change a thing. You do what you can afford, and we couldn't quite afford Italy. Instead, we went to Cape Cod.

My parents have a time-share in CapeCod, Massachusetts. They get one week per year, which just happened to be the week after we got married. So they gave it to us. It was very generous of them, and an absolutely beautiful 2 bedroom suite right on the bay and the ocean. So a week after our October wedding, off we drove to Cape Cod Massachusetts, in November.

Now if you have never been to CapeCod before, you should know that the place is hopping with tourists; an endless sea of people all summer long. In November, it is considered the beginning of the "off-season." The good news about being on the Cape in November is that you have the entire place to yourself. The bad news is that you have the entire place to yourself. There is NOBODY around anywhere. At night, it is silent; for even the crickets have left town. The people that remain are the locals, those that live there year round. And let me tell you, there aren't many. So what do you DO with all of your time when everything seems to be closed, and quite frankly; you have already had all the sex that either of you desire? Well, for one thing, you eat. And then you eat some more. And then some more. Let me say this; the restaurants in the Falmouth area are fantastic! Excellent homemade meals, comfort foods; great breakfasts, and of course; seafood. A few of our favorites include Seafood Sam's, Hearth and Kettle, The Fishmonger, Oysters Too, and Crabapples.

But sometimes, even the restaurants were closed. So then you get really desperate and you do the next best thing: Burger King! Yes, we went to Burger King on our honeymoon. Now you may ask; what could possibly be lamer than going to a fast food place on your honeymoon? Well, I have got the answer, and it is one word: Bowling! That is correct. We went bowling on our honeymoon. Why? Because nothing else was open that night, that's why! C'mon now. How much sex can two people have? After awhile, a person wants a Whopper and some good old fashioned bowling! Now, what could possibly be more lame than going bowling on your honeymoon? Once again, I have the answer for you. Going bowling with your parents! That is correct. Our parents went bowling with us. Why? Well because they are lovely people, and we enjoy spending time with them. And since this beautiful suite was THEIRS after all, we decided it might be fun for them to come up and spend an overnight with us; show us around, go to Burger King, bowl. You know, the usual things one does on a romantic getaway....

So after mom and dad left and we were once again alone, we took a day trip to Martha's Vineyard, where upon arrival everything was once again CLOSED. By the second or third day of our seven day vacation, we started to notice a trend. A lot of places were "Closed for the Season." So rather than get angry, we started to have fun with it; taking pictures of every business, restaurant, and establishment that had a Closed sign on it. We turned it into a little story; sort of the theme for our honeymoon: "Sorry, We're Closed." Here are some of the highlights from those adventures ....

So what is the message here; the lesson? Well, as I said, I always pictured in my head going to Italy and having this grandiose romantic honeymoon. Instead, we ended up on Cape Cod in November; bowling with my parents. (well, only one night. Let's not get crazy here.) And you know what? I wouldn't change a thing. After you get married and spend a whole chunk of your life planning a wedding, you just want to get away. You want to be together and relax. I try to look at it this way; all those people left Cape Cod so my husband and I could have our time together, so we could enjoy the first week of our new marriage in style. It was perfect autumn weather, just the way I like it. The food was great, and the company even better. I had my husband all to myself, and we could do whatever we wanted. Sure, there was some romance. But mostly what I remember about our honeymoon is the total feeling of peace and tranquility. So when you plan your honeymoon, be open to new ideas; new locations. Not everybody has to go to Aruba or Jamaica. To us, Cape Cod was just our style. And you never know; you may find yourself doing something you never expected ... like ice-skating. (Hey! It was the only thing that was OPEN!) What do you expect? It was November!

And if you have any crazy, fun or just plain awesome honeymoon stories, let us know and we'll feature them on our blog. Email us at tips@brideorama.com. 

Email Kelley at kelley@brideorama.com