Simple pleasures can be best

The trouble with men describing anything to do with weddings is they often can’t resist taking the Mickey, but sometimes in among all the nonsense is some sound advice.

wedding café came across this article about British honeymoons, which included some wacky honeymoon choices, such a one couple joining their mates to go to Glastonbury, the popular British music festival, which is great until it rains, then it’s a sea of mud…

Another couple went with a dozen others on a walking holiday in Andalucia, in Spain. They loved it, but isn’t the point of a honeymoon that it’s a just the two of you? But, the really good thing about the article is the whopping 62 comments it generated. These included lots of useful tips and ideas from recent honeymooners, such as “try and fly business class, so you don’t spend two days either end recovering.”

The classic tip was: “don’t honeymoon with your guests”, especially not your in-laws. As in, don’t spend the wedding night in the same hotel as them or you risk strolling downstairs in the morning to find your new in-laws grinning over their breakfast as they speculate whether you two “Did It” last night, even if you’ve been living together for five years.

There were also some crazy suggestions, such as the guy who’d like to put off his honeymoon until he can space walk. Well, you can almost do that now.

Cheap honeymoon can be best

A good tip is that expensive is nice but not always the most memorable. One couple had a split honeymoon, the pricey bit was in Rhodes, one of the Greek islands; the cheap bit was spent in a Bed & Breakfast on the Scottish West Coast.

The bride says what she remembers best now was eating the best fish &chips there and the “crazy market owners”. Sounds a bit like our own Kiwi West Coast. But, even assuming the weather stays calm enough there, maybe don’t do like another couple who have a memory to treasure of being caught starkers having sex in the sand dunes on the British Channel Island of Guernsey. The weather’s a bit nicer there, as it’s nearer to France than Britain.

Other tips included two-centre honeymoons. One couple “slummed it” in beach huts in Mozambique for half their honeymoon; then went on a five-star safari. wedding café is sure you could come up with an equivalent closer to home if the budget doesn’t stretch as far as an African trip.

Mind you, South Africa was mentioned as a hot new destination by a number of brides and grooms. The split, half active, half lazing around, honeymoon was popular too. A good way of catering to different tastes, if one of you is like the Energiser Bunny and the other, well, isn’t…

Last but not least, how about not leaving straight after the wedding, because you’ll likely be too exhausted to enjoy the first part of your honeymoon properly – just don’t stay in that hotel with the others.

And, if you can’t afford a honeymoon in these straitened times, perhaps you might consider asking your guests to chip in instead of giving you a wedding gift.

A simple navy swimsuit, worn with a wrap-around sash. A small jewelled anchor motif again reflects the seaside theme. The fabric is pulled across the tummy to the hip for an elegant, flattering look. Again, it is its very simplicity that makes this suit so attractive.

Wedding café has put together some of our favourite one-piece suits from Blue Dude. One-pieces are resurfacing as the style of choice, for women young and old. And why not? They’re classic, sleek, comfortable, and easier and more practical to wear than a bikini.

Photos: Salene Schloffel-Armstrong

Wedding café’s favourite one piece swimsuit style, simply because we love nautical blue-and-white stripes. So French, so chic, harkening back, as stripes do, back to Coco Chanel’s early work; she took her stripey theme from French fisherman’s shirts. The little ruffle on this suit gives it a subtle feminine touch, and the narrow stripes make it very wearable.

See also: One-piece honeymoon swimwear suits all and Royal red one-piece honeymoon swimsuit a classic

Our second suit is quite sexy. It’s in royal red and features a halter top. Its simplicity does the trick, as the more classical cuts are often the most flattering. Maker Gottex consistently delivers glamorous, beautifully slick suits.

See also: One-piece honeymoon swimwear suits all

How do you imagine yourself on honeymoon? Smooth, sun-warmed limbs and a contented smile on your face as you stretch out on the sand next to your new husband. Enjoying the smell of sea salt and summer fruit, and the silky lycra encasing your body.

Lycra does have a distinctive smell. It brings to mind the carefree days of summer last year, the year before, and the one before that… when else does lycra come out, but for the holidays?

Swimsuit shopping is alleged to be the bane of modern woman’s existence. I heard this urban myth expounded time and again while working in Auckland’s swimsuit store, Blue Dude, over the last three summers, and found it to be untrue. There is a good swimsuit to suit every woman’s body. You can be made to look and feel as lovely as you really are.

Maybe you’re looking for a size 12, larger-cup suit, with a halter, in aquamarine blue with medium-sized frangipani flowers. Something this specific is unlikely to be in store, or even in existence. The swimsuit industry isn’t as diverse as we’d like it to be. It’s dominated by three major companies, in the southern hemisphere. So, given this, relax and allow the store assistants to work their magic and find you that elegant, beautiful swimsuit you didn’t know existed that really suits you. New stock is starting to appear now (November), but you need to hurry if yours is a summer wedding as suits fly out the door in the period leading up to Christmas.

This year’s styles

wedding café has put together some of our favourite one-piece suits from Blue Dude. One-pieces are resurfacing as the style of choice, for women young and old. And why not? They’re classic, sleek, comfortable, and easier and more practical to wear than a bikini. They’re also easier to fit and look great, and remain a sexy, feminine way to hit the beach in style. Fashion maybe about pushing boundaries, but swimsuits aren’t.

We'll be publishing one a day over the next six days.

The first suit pictured is by Jets and is a fern-green one-piece that isn’t quite. It has a bikini-style top and cut-out back. It features lots of ruching across the bust and tummy so is very flattering, especially as scooping out at the sides emphasises feminine curves. Green suits most skin tones too.