There’s no point denying it; weddings are pretty stressful.
From carefully executing the perfect seating plan (‘Are you crazy? We can’t put Karen next to Barbara - she borrowed a bowl from her in 2002 and never retuned it!’), to shelling out a small fortune on vol-au-vents , there’s a LOT to consider.
Which is why so many brides and grooms are keen to head off on a super-chilled and luxurious honeymoon once it’s all over.
But where did the concept of a honeymoon come from?
Well, that’s a very good question.
Some experts have suggested that it comes from an Ancient Norse tradition, which saw bridal couples go into hiding after their wedding day.
For thirty days, a (presumably disgruntled) family member would bring them a cup of honey wine to drink - suggesting that the duo spent much of their time together ‘under the influence’.
The phrase ‘honeymoon’, then, is due to the fact that we celebrated weddings with one moon’s worth of honey wine.
However there is an even darker interpretation…
Kim Forrest, a wedding trends expert at WeddingWire, explained: "The word may come from the Nordic word ‘hjunottsmanathr’.”
This literally translates as “in hiding” - and it refers to the days when the groom would actually kidnap his bride and hide her until her family stopped looking for her.
Yikes.
Nowadays, honeymoons are less about hiding out with your abductor, and more about heading off for some much needed alone time with the love of your life.
There’s a reason it’s now referred to as "the sweetest of times”, you know!
Did you know the ancient tradition behind your honeymoon?
Let us know via Facebook or Twitter (CloserOnline) now.