Newlyweds are increasingly bringing friends along on their honeymoons, or “buddymoons,” leading to unforgettable group adventures—and some unexpected interruptions to their romantic moments.
It was the stuff ofhoneymoondreams . newly off their destination marriage in Italy , newlyweds Heena and Eric Manglani - Terranova of Somerville , Mass. , were cozied up on a small-scale boat in Capri , about to pass under the iconic Faraglioni rock candy jutting up from a glittering ocean .
“ Legend has it that twain who kiss under the rocks will survive happily ever after , ” the captain told them .
So , they lean in for a sugared , wild-eyed consequence — while the 10 friends they had invite on theirhoneymoonheld up their phones and chanted , “ Kiss , kiss ! ”
Illustration by Vivian Shih
The couple did n’t know it then , but they were share in one of the biggest post - pandemictravel trend : the buddymoon , locomotion jargonfor when newlywed invite their friends on their post - wedding slip , replace aromantic vacationwith a big , lively celebration to start their conjugation .
The trend has made a stir on societal medium , especiallyTikTokandInstagram ; languorous reel of the Amalfi Coast , the Caribbean , and beyond are mate with captions like , “ This is your sign to invite your friends on your honeymoon . ”
By all story , “ buddymoons”—likefamily honeymoon — have been slowly arise in popularity for years . As far back as 2015 , celebs Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux invite their friends to their Bora Bora honeymoon . But anew surveyreports that approximately one in five newlyweds would moot a buddymoon today .
A group of tourists share a gondola ride in Venice.|Photo via Getty Images
Carolyn Addison , Head of Product atBlack Tomato , a travel agency that specializes in sartor - made trips like buddymoons , has also noticed the uptick , especially follow destination weddings .
She added that post - pandemic distant work makes it potential for many mass to travel ofttimes , resulting in the rise of more destination weddings with little Edgar Albert Guest lists , ripe condition for a buddymoon .
Hotels , too , are noticing this drift via post - nuptial bookings . Jason Marcus , Co - Owner and General Manager ofHotel Lilienin the Catskills , tell they ’re seeing more couplet hold extra rooms for friend and crime syndicate to partake in in the celebration during engagement weekends and other previously private solemnisation . Why ? “ The more the alert ! You only get married once — why not stretch out the celebration past the ceremony and reception ? ” Marcus says .
“My bestie was just as scared as I was to do these things, so we had each other to push through it."|Photo via Getty Images
count back , the Manglani - Terranovas say they had an overwhelmingly overconfident experience , that their mathematical group of friends still say “ Andiamo ! ” to each other today — but there were limitations , too . The big one ? None of that traditional honeymoon romance .
They chalk up not getting as much romantic duet fourth dimension as they need to “ our own FOMO ( concern of pretermit out ) on the group ’s adventures”—like the time they opted to go on a hike in Sorrento with everyone rather than having brunch together alone . When the radical repay to the Airbnb , there was everyone , sweaty and taking turns in the shower . “ Having a separate hotel just for us that was particularly nice would ’ve been more peculiar , ” Eric reflects .
Nothing wasruinedper se , but the chemical group moral force changed some things . On their sauceboat drive , one friend got jellyfish stings that spoil plans of the mathematical group walk around Capri . On another nighttime , a ally traveling solo third bike them when they thought they ’d get time to wander town handwriting in hand ; the dark before they flew out , friend of friends the duad did n’t even know had been append to their farewell dinner .
They were very cool about all of it , pointing out that being flexible on a buddymoon is key , though Heena says , “ I remember thinking , ‘ This could ’ve been one meter we had alone by ourselves . ’ ”
“ take in a separate hotel just for us that was particularly nice would ’ve been more particular . "
Traveling with a enceinte group also made project the buddymoon more difficult — namely , finding accommodations , fasten fare , and induce dinner reservations for 10 mass ( and most times those places that took big group tended to be full of other holidaymaker ) .
Eric point to their final dinner party together , which was “ one of the worst meal we had in Italy ” all because the eatery full of tourist was the only one that could accommodate their large party . At one head , they were serve up a handbasket with sugar that already had a bite taken out of it . Yet somehow , the group laughed through the dinner .
“ If it was just us on a romantic dinner party , we ’d in all likelihood be salty about it , ” Eric says . “ But being able-bodied to express mirth about it with them made something that was n’t great into a highlighting of the trip-up . ”
The issue of coordinating with other concerned parties is a rough-cut paper among those who have considered the buddymoon — as wrangle that many people to number to a consensus about an itinerary before the wedding can be nerve-wracking . In July , Kate Szmurlo and Matt Childs of Denver , Colo. , were be after a honeymoon to Morocco with a few of their close friends after their wedding in Portugal . That is , until it got too overwhelming to plan with so many run parts and parties .
The couple finish up abandoning the buddymoon plan — some friends would n’t commit , others could n’t agree on budget or destination , and some would n’t contribute to preparation , all commongroup trip drama . “ It just got to be too much planning with everyone before the wedding , ” Szmurlo says .
Chrissy and Joey O’Neill of Ventnor City , N.J. , got to see what the experience is like from the other side when they decided to piggyback off another match ’s honeymoon . Since they did n’t have a honeymoon after their wedding ceremony , they saw an opportunity when their best friends Aisha and Kevin Schaffer ask round them to their wedding at an all - inclusive in Punta Cana , Dominican Republic .
“ My husband was the best man , so we said , ‘ Wow , we should have our honeymoon at the same time ’ as a gag , ” Chrissy says . To her surprise , they said “ Let ’s do it , ” and their chemical group of two became a group of four , and eventually 15 .
Because they knew each other well enough , there were “ no awkward minute , ” Chrissy say , adding that the beach all - inclusive place setting made it sluttish to strip down off for walkway or lying on the beach , without the headache of organizing great dinners or bus .
Chrissy recognise they ’d made the right decision when she was staring down the end of a zip bank line , not quite ready to rise . “ My bestie was just as scared as I was to do these things , so we had each other to push through it , ” Chrissy say , pointing out she never would ’ve enter in such an adventuresome activity on her honeymoon without friends there . Zip - lining was just the beginning . Next issue forth snorkeling and cavern diving event — the possibility were endless , all thanks to the group .
Sowhatabout the little snags along the direction , the thing that did n’t go as planned , and invest alone - clip on the backburner ? Heena look back on many of those second — like all 10 of her friends tone for her to snog her husband on a boat — with fondness .
“ It was almost more particular than being alone , ” Heena says . “ I recall being like , ‘ When are we going to get to trip again with our friends in Italy ? ’ We can pass alone - time together any prison term . ”
