In addition to “early marriage”, New York newlyweds can also relieve stress

2024-07-25
Posted by PSEDEN

Amber Dangerfield was ecstatic about her mid-July wedding.

But the chaos of planning the $100,000 banquet — overseeing vendors, deciding on decorations and politely asking invitees to RSVP — quickly brought the shy bride and her future husband, Christopher, back to reality.

But rather than let the pressure get the better of them, the couple put the drama aside and treated themselves to a getaway before their wedding.

“We took a long vacation a few weeks before the wedding,” Dangerfield, a 28-year-old beauty blogger who lives in Battery Park, told The Washington Post. “We took the ferry to Rockaway Beach and sunbathed, talked, and laughed.”

“We need time to relax and reconnect,” she said.

If you haven’t heard of the “early moon” before, you definitely have — this restorative retreat is extremely popular among overburdened brides and grooms around the world.

Unlike honeymoons that come after “I do,” these are short getaways that couples plan before they get married.

Moving up the ceremony is just one of the steps couples are starting to take to eliminate pre-wedding stress, including using artificial intelligence instead of expensive human coordinators and attending specialized therapy.

“Think of it as a pre-wedding honeymoon or a trip that allows couples to further enjoy their engagement period,” explains TheKnot’s wedding experts about the pre-honeymoon movement.

“This is the perfect opportunity to take a break, enjoy a romantic getaway, and come back feeling engaged,” the experts said.

More and more fiancés seem to prefer the glow-up feel over the sweaty grind that often accompanies wedding planning.

In fact, a February survey by Zola marriage experts found that more than 69% of couples found the process “overwhelming.”

Shockingly, 50% of couples blamed “budget management” for the extra mental stress, while about 40% cited “family conflict” as the main cause of chaos.

Allison Cullman, wedding and registry expert at Zora, told The Washington Post that too much pre-wedding chaos can easily drive a wedge between two once-happy couples.

She warns: “Pre-wedding stress can have a negative impact on the bride and groom’s relationship as it can create a sense of isolation and stress that can overshadow the joy of the wedding.”

“Taking an early honeymoon is a great way to sit back, relax, connect with your partner, and remember why you spent so much time planning,” the insider advises, “and celebrate the rest of your life together.”

To avoid further financial stress, Kalman recommends choosing budget travel — not first class.

“A first honeymoon definitely doesn’t have to be extravagant or long,” she says. “A getaway to a nearby beach town in the summer or a cozy cabin in the winter will help relieve unnecessary stress before the wedding.”

Here are stories of how soon-to-be-weds are finding some fun away from home amid the busy wedding preparations.

Woods, you are mine

After agreeing to a proposal from her then-fiance Marco, Katie Escalera immediately found herself in the thick of wedding planning.

The Florida bride had dreamed of saying “I do” in picturesque Sedona, Arizona — but she quickly realized that was too expensive. But even if she decided to hold her October 2023 wedding in Tampa, it would cost around $70,000.

“The budget was so tight that we didn’t think we would be able to actually take a honeymoon,” Escalera, a 33-year-old financial project manager, told The Washington Post. “However, we were able to take a quick honeymoon to a cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia, in March of that year.”

The four-day break allowed her and Marco, 43, who form a blended family with their three children from previous relationships, to take a break from parenting and plan to rekindle their romance.

In the mountains, the sweet couple took a nature hike, wrote their vows, and developed a strategy to help them realize their dream of a luxury European honeymoon cruise in July 2025.

“Our early honeymoon was so necessary,” she said. “It rejuvenated us and reminded us that we were planning our wedding for ourselves.”

Warm holiday

Instead of an expensive trip out of town, Amber and Christopher Dangerfield spent the week before their summer wedding enjoying the city.

“We rode our bikes around the city, [the beach]and ate our favorite foods,” the bride boasted. “We just chose fun activities that had special meaning to us as a couple.”

“It’s so sweet and wholesome — and just about us.”

The town adventure ended at QC NY Spa on Governors Island.

“We got all-day passes to their sauna and swimming pool,” the new wife said. “We were able to swim, sunbathe and watch the sunset.”

“It allowed us the space to have meaningful conversations about how we planned to prioritize celebrating our love on our wedding day,” Dangerfield continued. “It was honestly the best day.”

they are support thing

For Shrestha Maharaj, arranging the three-day celebrations (a tradition in Indian culture) was like planning three consecutive weddings. Managing the guest list, DIY projects and family demands quickly became an unbearable burden for the 28-year-old bride and then groom-to-be Sumeeth Suthurgam (31).

So, a month before the holy wedding in July 2023, Maharaj and her man flew to their hometown, Umdloti, a seaside resort near Johannesburg, South Africa, to enjoy a leisurely first month.

“We really needed a break and a change of scenery, and we knew we couldn’t rest without a vacation,” analytics manager Maharaj told The Washington Post, praising Sumis’s suggestion for a quick retreat.

“We walked along the beach, had ice cream, went fishing, rode electric scooters, played ping pong, practiced our wedding dances and just took time out to relax,” she said of their weekend trip, which cost only about $165.

The newlyweds said: “The early moon gave us a lot of fun, but you can easily forget that in the chaos.”

After tying the knot, she and Summeth enjoyed a lavish honeymoon in Phuket, Thailand.

“For a very stressed person, I was very calm during the wedding week and on the day of my wedding,” Maharaj added. “The early moonlight also played a role.”