Life after Manhattan: March 2012

I think everyone needs a honeymoon and I'll explain why. You spend months (sometimes years) planning your big day, making sure every little detail is perfect and exactly how you imagined it in your mind. You spend all this time/money/energy on ONE day, while it's a very important day, it's only one day. This is a serious high and with any high comes a low. I was so depressed after the wedding and if I am being honest it actually started towards the end of our wedding day. I thought I was insane, I just married the love of my life, everything was beautiful and perfect, now why am I so upset? As the night was winding down, after the toasts, the cake, the first dances, I started to feel this deep sadness and I couldn't explain where it was coming from but I ignored it until the next day. We had to drive back to NYC the day after our wedding and I cried the entire way. My dear sweet new hubby just patted my head, gave me kisses and shook his head, he knew I wasn't upset that we got married, I was upset it was all over. I am sure there were a few thoughts of wondering what he got himself into with this crazy lady crying next to him all 7 hours back home, but he never let it show.

We had four days until we left for our Honeymoon. We were going on this amazing European vacation to Spain, France, and Italy and I was STILL in a funk. Barrett had to work those four days but I worked for an awesome company that really let me take off as much time as I wanted for my wedding and honeymoon. During those four days, I couldn't even get out of bed I was so sad, and I feared this was never going to go away. I couldn't really share how I was feeling because even I knew it sounded nuts and I was kind of embarrassed I was feeling this way, so I decided to do a little research on the web. I actually found a ton of information about how I was feeling and I was not alone. Postnuptial Depression is a very real thing and very very common. Once all the planning is done and the event is over, where do you direct all that energy? It is hard to adjust and to accept that it is over.

So this brings me to my thoughts on why you need a Honeymoon. I am not saying you have to spend a ton of money or even go to an exotic location, but I think you absolutely need a little break between the wedding craziness and going back to your "normal" life. If you don't have the money to spend on going away, what about doing a staycation and exploring your town/city as if you were a tourist, maybe even staying in a hotel one night. Our honeymoon was an unforgettable trip but the most important part was the alone time I got to spend with Barrett, away from our normal routine, just enjoying being newlyweds. We talked about our wedding and all the best moments and when we got back I was a new woman. I felt refreshed and ready to start our married life together.