According to statistics, approximately 2.4 million couples in the U.S. get married each year. Of those 2.4 million, 99% of wedding couples take a honeymoon. Generally speaking couples tend to spend upwards of $5,000 on their honeymoon. With the advent of the internet and travel sites couples are becoming more and more savvy and are looking for ways to cut down cost on their honeymoon travel.

1. Book your honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort.
There are several highly-recommended all-inclusive resorts along the Caribbean and in Mexico. Many of these resorts cater to honeymooners. For example, at some resorts, you can get married free of charge if you book your honeymoon at their resort. Another great reason to choose an all-inclusive resort for your honeymoon destination is because the cost of your food, beverage, and entertainment is all included in the price at all-inclusive resorts. You’ll find that while most of these resorts offer the privacy of a couples-only atmosphere, others are family-friendly which is suitable for couples having destination weddings.

2. Have a cruise ship wedding.
According to a recent story by NYTimes.com, the numbers of cruise ship weddings are up a whopping 60% in the last decade. So why are cruise ship weddings becoming the new trend? Because couples are realizing they can save lots of money by getting married on board a cruise. Let’s think about it. The average wedding at a chapel or church can run a couple an average of $20,000 when you include everything. On a cruise, your food, entertainment, and honeymoon are included. There are many different package deals for cruise ship weddings. You can choose to have the ceremony in the home port of the ship, or anyplace else that the ship docks. Or if you prefer to get married aboard the ship, cruise ships have small chapels within them in which you can hold the ceremony. Plus, a wedding planner is available on most cruises to help make your event a success. The price of cruise ship weddings varies, but one thing is for sure, it beats spending $20,000 for one day of matrimonial bliss.

3. Use a honeymoon registry.
A honeymoon registry is just like any other gift registry except it allows your friends and family to purchase portions of the couple’s honeymoon as a wedding gift. For example, a couple may put want a couples massage or a bottle of champagne. This can be requested on their honeymoon registry. Some honeymoon registries even allow you to use the money to use towards your honeymoon trip! The benefits to the wedding couple is that they are less likely to receive gifts they don’t want or need, and the benefits to the gift giver is they know exactly what the couple wants. Furthermore, honeymoon registries are easy to set up and use and can be set up online within just a few minutes.

Wedding couples have enough things to worry about; the expense of honeymoon travel should not be one of them. Wedding couples really can save money on their honeymoon travel. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box.

It’s hard to imagine spending another dime after the nightmare of expenses involved in planning the wedding of your dreams, let alone forking over thousands for a luxury honeymoon vacation. But after months of tireless planning, you will need to get away and spend some alone-time with your new hubby. Honeymoons can be as costly as a month-long excursion across Europe. With these budget travel tips, you can escape without sacrificing your ultimate goal: relaxation and reconnection.

Think outside the season: Off-season does not necessarily equate to bad weather. Many tropical locations have ideal weather year-round, but rates soar upwards when cold climate residents are looking to escape the winter blues. If you want to hop on a flight immediately following your wedding, consider booking your honeymoon travel arrangements at an off-season location; if you have your mind set on a particular destination, be flexible with your either your wedding date or your departure date to reap big savings.

Consult an expert: Look to a professional to help you book your vacation – and enjoy big savings. Travel agents provide all sorts of money-saving expertise and can often access on-going sales or last-minute deals on honeymoon travel. They’ll work with you to find the best vacation packages to suit your preferences and budget.

Ask for a helping hand: If time away is more important to you than a waffle iron, consider setting up a honeymoon registry. Many travel agents offer services to collect, record, and apply contributions from your guests toward honeymoon resorts and expenditures. Some even allow guests to contribute to specific activities at your destination location, such as scuba diving lessons or boat rides.

Do your research: Don’t let your honeymoon take a backseat to the wedding planning process. Start thinking about your vacation once you have established a wedding date, and keep your eyes peeled for deals posted online or in the paper. Give yourself plenty of time to comparison shop. This complete honeymoon travel guide will help you get started.

Earn rewards: If your credit allows, open a credit card with the best frequent-flier and other travel rewards. Start charging your wedding-day expenses, and cash in on the bonuses for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and other upgrades. Be careful here though; you should be able to pay off all expenditures at the end of every month to avoid finance charges and racked up debt. Also be sure to check black-out dates before making your travel arrangements.

Consider the alternatives: You aren’t bound by the typical island retreat when it comes to honeymoon options, but be sure to weigh the pros and cons of all your choices before booking. While all-inclusive resorts once carried a negative connotation with “mandatory fun” activities, their inclusive honeymoon packages afford you the luxury of a flat-rate and a carefree experience.