Before And After I Do

Giftpile Registered Couple: Kim and Jim

Wedding Date: April 2007

Honeymoon Destination: Belize

Giftpile:Why was Belize your dream honeymoon destination?
Kim & Jim:It is only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Houston and had so much to offer in terms of activities. It was a good balance between adventure and relaxation. Our other alternative was Hawaii.

Giftpile:Did you prefer the hotel in Placencia, Ambergris Caye or the lodge in the mountains?
Kim & Jim: Arenal – Tabacon – 10 Monteverde – Monteverde Lodge – 4 Tamarindo – Cala Luna – 10 Punta Islita – Punta Islita – 10 Jaco – Villas Caletas – 8 We spent 2 nights in each hotel.

Giftpile:What was the perfect place for you two to be together alone.
Kim & Jim: Just about anywhere & hotels, beach, driving, etc.

Giftpile:Tell us about the shark snorkeling. Terrifying or amazing?
Kim & Jim: We ended up not scuba diving because Sean could not find his license. We did a sunset sailboat cruise instead. That was awesome.

Giftpile:Did you pick up any great souvenirs?
Kim & Jim: Coffee, coffee, coffee.

Giftpile:Which of your day trips did you enjoy the most?
Kim & Jim: Off–shore fishing was our favorite.

Giftpile:How was the food? Could it compete with the sunsets?
Kim & Jim: The food was great, but a bit more pricey that we had expected. You can find a good mix of food types. The seafood is excellent and the Costa Rican fare was great (similar to Cuban food with white rice, black beans, a grilled meat, and plantains. There was plenty of Italian to find too.

Giftpile:Do you wish you had rented a car or jeep to get around?
Kim & Jim: We could not have made it without a 4×4 vehicle. Most of the roads are dirt and gravel with huge potholes. We were there in the dry season, so I cannot imagine driving in the wet season.

Giftpile:Is there anything that you’d have rather avoided?
Kim & Jim:We are glad that we saw the rainforest in Monteverde, but would probably not go back. This is an area for hard core bird watchers and botanists. This was the least luxurious and the hardest to travel to/from.

Giftpile:Would you recommend Belize as a honeymoon destination?
Kim & Jim: Absolutely!!

Giftpile registered couple: Joanie & Steve

Wedding date: June 10 2007

Honeymoon destination: Belgium, France & Luxembourg

Giftpile:What made you choose Northern Europe as your honeymoon destination?
Joanie & Steve: Food and drink, scenery, cities with interesting sights and museums, language ease

Giftpile:Can you pick a favorite country out of Belgium, France or Luxembourg?
Joanie & Steve: Belgium

Giftpile: Which was your favorite accommodation?
Joanie & Steve: Hotel Asiris in Bruges

Giftpile:What would be your ‘must see’ recommendations?
Joanie & Steve: Musee de la Gueuze in Brussels, Huis Van Alijn (Folk Art Museum) in Ghent, Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, biking in Strasbourg, Memling museum in Bruges, the cathedral in Strasbourg, Grand Place in Brussels, Luxembourg gardens in Paris, Gravensteen in Ghent, canal ride in Ghent, Petite Venise in Colmar, Casemates in Luxembourg, Musee D’Orsay in Paris.

Giftpile: Can you pick a favorite river for its scenery?
Joanie & Steve: The river around Luxembourg city

Giftpile: And what about the food? Belgium waffles or tarte au citron?
Joanie & Steve: Belgian waffles were amazing, but the best waffles were in Colmar, in eastern France. Tartes Flambees, also in Colmar, were delicious, Pork Shank in Belgium.

Giftpile: Where was your favorite place for some alone time?
Joanie & Steve: Colmar, because it’s a smaller town and quieter.

Giftpile: Did you pick up some great souvenirs?
Joanie & Steve: Yes, chocolate in Belgium, wine in Alsace-Lorraine, cards and other small items throughout.

Giftpile: Was there anything that you would rather have avoided?
Joanie & Steve: Santorini restaurant in Paris. Also, the canal rides in Bruges were recommended by everyone we spoke to, but it was rushed and not nearly as enjoyable as the one in Ghent. We also should have avoided dining right near Sacre Coeur in Paris on the Place du Tertre - too overpriced!

Giftpile: Would you recommend going to Europe as a honeymoon destination?
Joanie & Steve: Absolutely!

Giftpile Registered Couple: Sheela & Neil

Wedding Date: May 2007

Destination: Tahiti & Bora Bora

Giftpile:How was Tahiti? Was it as beautiful as the pictures suggest?
Sheela & Neil:Even more beautiful than we imagined

Giftpile:You stayed at the Intercontinental Resort Tahiti. How would you rate the facilities?
Sheela & Neil: Very nice. Beautiful property and very nice staff. The beds were not comfortable at all.

Giftpile:What activities did you get around to doing?
Sheela & Neil: Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Shark Feeding, Safari Tours, Spa Day

Giftpile:How was the food? Could it compete with the sunsets?
Sheela & Neil: Delicious, but very expensive.

Giftpile:Was the sightseeing tour worthwhile?
Sheela & Neil:Yes

Giftpile:Did you pick up any great souvenirs?
Sheela & Neil:Yes, some lovely sarongs.

Giftpile:Where was your favorite place to be alone together?
Sheela & Neil:Bora Bora

Giftpile:Is there anything that you didn’t have time for?
Sheela & Neil: Finishing my book

Giftpile:Would you recommend Tahiti as a destination to other honeymooning couples?
Sheela & Neil: Absolutely!

 Giftpile Registered Couple: Laura & Sean

Wedding Date: January 2007

Honeymoon Destination: Costa Rica
 

Giftpile:Why was Costa Rica your dream honeymoon destination?
Laura (and Sean): It is only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Houston and had so much to offer in terms of activities. It was a good balance between adventure and relaxation. Our other alternative was Hawaii.

Giftpile: Where did you stay & how would you rate your hotel?
Laura (and Sean): Arenal - Tabacon - 10, Monteverde - Monteverde Lodge - 4, Tamarindo - Cala Luna - 10, Punta Islita - Punta Islita - 10, Jaco - Villas Caletas - 8. We spent 2 nights in each hotel.

Giftpile:What was the perfect place for you two to be together alone.
Laura (and Sean): Just about anywhere - hotels, beach, driving, etc.
 
Giftpile:Tell us about the scuba diving. Did you have get trained up before your dive?
Laura (and Sean): We ended up not scuba diving because Sean could not find his license. We did a sunset sailboat cruise instead. That was awesome.

Giftpile:Did you pick up any great souvenirs?
Laura (and Sean): Coffee, coffee, coffee.

Giftpile:Which of your great activities; hang–gliding, beach wheeling, diving, zip lining, did you enjoy the most?
Laura (and Sean): Off-shore fishing was our favorite.

Giftpile:How was the food? Could it compete with the sunsets?
Laura (and Sean): The food was great, but a bit more pricey that we had expected. You can find a good mix of food types. The seafood is excellent and the Costa Rican fare was great (similar to Cuban food with white rice, black beans, a grilled meat, and plantains). There was plenty of Italian to find too.

Giftpile:Was it worth hiring the jeep to tour Costa Rica?
Laura (and Sean): We could not have made it without a 4×4 vehicle. Most of the roads are dirt and gravel with huge potholes. We were there in the dry season, so I cannot imagine driving in the wet season.

Giftpile:Is there anything that you’d have rather avoided?
Laura (and Sean): We are glad that we saw the rainforest in Monteverde, but would probably not go back. This is an area for hard core bird watchers and botanists. This was the least luxurious and the hardest to travel to/from.

Giftpile:Would you recommend Costa Rica as a honeymoon destination?
Laura (and Sean): Absolutely!!

Sharoni emails, “We celebrated last Friday — one, to avoid the crazy rush (and expense) of restaurants tonight, and two — because the hubby had to go out of town this morning. I like to be wined and dined, so we went out to dinner. He sent me a beautiful bouquet of red roses, and I sent him a fabulous lingerie cookie bouquet from cookies-by-design. He got a kick out of it.”

Liza emails, “We were in Maui. My company paid for 5-days in Maui.”

Noelle email, “We’re spending it indoors, under the covers, in front of the tv catching up on shows we missed over the weekend and eating Chinese food!”

Mario emails, “Carol has school today thus we’re not going anywhere. Maybe we’ll do something on Saturday.”

Myself? We watched the new Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore movie, “Music and Lyrics.”

Registered Couple: Katy & Jeff

Wedding Date: July 2006

Destination: Wine Country, U.S.A.

Giftpile.com asks Katy & Jeff about about their trip to the Wine Country, California. 

The Wedding

Giftpile: You got married in July. How long did you plan the wedding for?

Katy (& Jeff): We planned the wedding for about a year, but really started to work out the details 6 months ahead of time.

Giftpile: Did you do all the planning yourselves, or did you seek help from family and friends or a wedding co-ordinator? Was this useful?

Katy: I did most of the planning, but my mom and husband helped do some planning and gave me lots of moral support. I couldn’t have done it without them. It is very useful to be able to talk with someone because other people will think of minor details that you would have forgotten. I didn’t have a wedding coordinator because our wedding was very non-traditional (the reception was in a pub), and we were on a tight budget.

Giftpile: What would you do differently, or did the day sail through without any problems?

Katy: I wouldn’t have done anything differently. It was absolutely perfect.

Giftpile: Is there anyone or a particular feature that you would recommend to other couples planning their weddings?

Katy (& Jeff): One of the best parts of our wedding was that we had two musical performances by friends and family. My husband’s aunt and uncle are musicians as well as some of his friends. They played special songs for us, and it was truly amazing. Everyone was teary–eyed. My other piece of advice is to relax and enjoy the day. You spent so much time, energy, and money planning this event – have fun!

The Honeymoon

Giftpile: What made you chose a honeymoon registry and why Giftpile.com?

Katy (& Jeff): There were two reasons why we chose a honeymoon registry. One, we have a small apartment, and we couldn’t fit any more items in our apartment anyway. Two, we have been single for a long time so we already had many kitchen gadgets, towels, and appliances. I did some research and I liked that giftpile was women run, that they donated to charity, had a flat base pay, and they are located in SD where I went to college.

Giftpile: You went to the Californian Wine Country on your honeymoon. Why was that?

Katy (& Jeff): We love wine and have been to wine country many times, but only for the day, and we wanted to spend some quality time up there. We wanted to stay there and relax. We also didn’t want to travel too far from home because we knew we would be very tired. We’ve done a lot of traveling during our lifetimes, and just a year before our wedding we went on a 7 month trip all around the South Pacific, so we didn’t feel the need to go to an exotic destination.

Giftpile: Did you bring home any gastronomic souvenirs?

Katy (& Jeff): Oh, yes. Two cases of wine and a bottle of olive oil.

Giftpile: Was there anything you thought, ‘Ah, what the heck,’ and blew the budget on?

Katy (& Jeff): No, we stayed pretty much within budget. Although, I suppose getting two massages in one week is extravagant.

Giftpile: Would you go back?

Katy (& Jeff): Yes, we already have been back!.

Giftpile: Are there any recommendations you’d like to make – agents you used, activities you went on – to other couples thinking about going to Northern California as a honeymoon destination?

Katy (& Jeff): We stayed in a few different places to get a taste (no pun intended) of different regions of wine country. That turned out to be a good idea. One of our favorite hotels was the Sonoma Mission Inn because it is very posh. It has a great restaurant inside called Sante. The other place that we loved was the Calistoga Village Inn and Spa because it was very homey. There was a whirlpool bathtub IN the living room of our suite! They had a spa where we experienced a wonderful mud bath followed by a massage. It was very unusual and strangely comforting sitting in a tub of mud.

Sarah and Mike went to Paris, France and Amsterdam, The Netherlands on their honeymoon in September 2006.

Giftpile asks them about their trip.

Giftpile: You had been dreaming about going to Europe for a while.  Now you’ve been to two great capitals, Paris and Amsterdam, what would be your ‘must dos’ in either city?

Sarah (& Mike): The wax museum, Madame Toussaud’s was really fun in Amsterdam.  We had a great time posing with all of the people.  I would also recommend the Super Club.  It was more like a club than what we expected, but we had a great time.  In Paris, you have to see the Louvre.  It was all about the art for me in Paris and it was everywhere and fantastic.

Giftpile: Was there anything that you did that you thought, ‘Ah, what the heck,’ and blew the budget on?

Sarah (& Mike): We had bought tickets prior to leaving for the Moulin Rouge and we weren’t really sure that we would like it and it was a bit pricey.  However, we met some great people, drank real Champagne, and got the chance to see a can-can on stage.  It was worth it.

Giftpile: Paris and Amsterdam are great cities.  Did you have things that you wanted to do but didn’t have time for? 

Sarah (& Mike): In Paris, we wanted to go to the Musee d’Orsay and we didn’t get the chance.  The line was 2.5 hrs long and we had already gotten there in the afternoon.  We had also tried to go on the day (Tuesday) that the Louvre was closed - big mistake.  I would buy tickets in advance for that museum if you want to go.  We’ll do that next time.

Giftpile: And finally, what were the best parts of your honeymoon?

Sarah (& Mike): The NH City Centre Hotel in Amsterdam was incredible.  We got one of the two rooms with access to the roof porch overlooking the canal and it was beautiful.  Sitting out there on that porch was one of the best parts of our honeymoon.  Just looking at the skyline and the stars was incredible.

Registered Couple: Randi & Jeff

Wedding Date: 1 July 2006

Honeymoon Destination: Russia & Norway

The Wedding

Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top 3 things that you focussed on and why?

Randi & Jeff: We focused on location (beautiful setting, easy to get to, inexpensive), food (finding a good, creative caterer willing to work within our budget), and theme (the theme of our wedding was homemade – so everything except the food was made by either us, our family, or our friends).

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Randi & Jeff: The homemade theme definitely was awesome – instead of traditional wedding gifts, people contributed their talents to the day and saved us a bundle (homemade wedding cake, Chuppah, centrepieces, photography, etc.). Also, for catering purposes, we called the event a “family reunion” instead of a “wedding”, and we saved a bundle. Apparently, it’s all in the name. Also, having a honeymoon registry was great – we had some non honeymoon items like a “house fund” that people contributed to – it didn’t end up saving us money on the wedding, but it helped us to save money for our future.

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Randi & Jeff: Since our theme was homemade, there couldn’t really be any disasters – we didn’t care about every detail being perfect, we just cared about every detail being done with love.

Giftpile: Norway and Russia aren’t the first places that spring to mind as honeymoon destinations. Why these countries?

Randi & Jeff: Well, Randi is a tropical marine biologist, and Jeff hates being hot. So, to go anywhere tropical would have meant Randi fighting the urge to work, and Jeff overheating in the middle of summer!! We love the outdoors, we love having constant daylight, and we love the history and scenery of Scandanavia. Norway was beautiful, interesting, and very comfortable. Go North! It’s excellent! As for Russia, our flights had to go through Moscow anyway, so we decided to spend a few extra days and check out the city – after all, it’s a tough place to get to, so we decided to take advantage of it while it was in our path.

Giftpile: Did you plan to do anything romantic – though it may have been a bit cold at times!

Randi & Jeff: The weather was great – high 70’s, low 80’s. We thought it was pretty romantic to be camping in wilderness - with complete privacy. Beautiful vistas that we didn’t have to share! What’s more romantic than that? J Keep in mind that our definition of romance is freedom and privacy - no schedules, no hassle, and no one around but the two of us. Throw in fresh-picked strawberries and amazing Norwegian cheese into the mix, and we had the most romantic honeymoon, ever! As for things we did, we went white water rafting, glacier hiking, canoeing, kayaking, bike-riding, and lots of hiking…. All pretty active events, but all were really romantic and fun. For us, the romance was in exploring new things together with the luxury of privacy and the thrill of true adventure.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Russia or Norway that you would pass on?

Randi & Jeff: Rent a car, get a tent, and buy a good road atlas…. Then, just let the magic happen.

Giftpile: What did you eat or drink that you thought, “oh, no,” or “wow!”

Randi & Jeff: We had an amazing banana split in Trondheim, and the Borscht in Russia was surprisingly excellent. Borscht is one of those foods with an undeserved bad stigma.

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Randi & Jeff: Nope. I guess the only travel stuff we used was a Lonely Planet guide. Essential!

Registered Couple: Nicole and Robin

Wedding Date: 1 July 2006

Honeymoon Destination: Almalfi Coast, Italy

The Wedding

1. Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top 3 things that you focussed on and why?

Nicole & Robin: We decided that as long as we were spending a lot of money towards the wedding industry that we should focus on supporting local and small businesses. Also, we wanted to make decisions that were environmentally friendly. For example, our ceremony and reception were held at a non-profit nature center; our travel agent has a philosophy of “sustainable tourism”; our photographer and DJ were friends of ours; our cake and flowers were provided by independent local businesses.

Another top priority was to keep the wedding small in order to control the budget and to preserve the romantic atmosphere.

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Nicole & Robin: Keep the guest list small!

Flower costs can get out of control quickly. Look into ways of reducing costs – for example, we made our own centerpieces. Avoid spending money on items that the “wedding industry” makes you believe that you need. Such as overpriced napkins with your names printed on them, or other disposable favors found in wedding catalogs or websites. This stuff just ends up in a landfill along with your money.

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Nicole & Robin: Our ceremony was planned to be outdoors. A severe hail and wind thunderstorm was scheduled to arrive at the same time as our ceremony. It never happened. Everything was perfect and went according to plan.

The Honeymoon

Giftpile: Why did you choose Italy as a honeymoon destination? Was it somewhere that the two of you had always wanted to visit?

Nicole& Robin: Funny you should ask…We planned to go to Tunisia, which is not far from Italy by boat. We found a walking tour along Italy’s Almalfi Coast through a “sustainable tourism” company called ATG Oxford. This made us more excited for Italy and we soon scratched Tunisia from the itinerary. We added Rome and Florence for the art and architecture aspects.

Giftpile: Your photographs look beautiful; did the magic of Italy inspire you to do anything romantic?

Nicole & Robin: The Almalfi coast was a very romantic setting. The beaches were beautiful and the food/wine was delicious. We enjoyed many romantic dinners and picnics overlooking the coastal villages. We also went on a really fun 4-hour boat tour along the Mediterranean where we got to jump off and swim through bright blue grottoes.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Italy that you would pass on?

Nicole & Robin: Skip Florence and Rome when on your honeymoon. Save those cities for another less relaxing trip. We really recommend spend 2-3 nights in Lucca (a small romantic village surrounded by medieval walls). The same goes for Sienna.

Giftpile: Did the food and wine live up to expectations?

Nicole & Robin: DEFINITELY!!! Watch out for over-touristed restaurants (food quality is low). Try to get off the beaten path as much as possible.

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Nicole & Robin: ATG Oxford if you don’t mind a lot of walking. They will definitely put you in touch with the best local restaurants, agrotourism, shops, and hotels. We also took an awesome “food-based” walking tour in Rome organized by Scala Reale.

Registered Couple:Arsineh and Brian
Wedding Date: 7/8/2006
Honeymoon Destination:Bora Bora

The Wedding

Giftpile: With all the planning that goes in to a wedding, what were your top three things that you focused on and why?

Arsineh & Brian: #1 was decor from flowers to linen to every little name card. We wanted to get a special feeling when we walked to the isle and in to the Ball Room. We wanted to set a very sexy, jazzy and romantic look. #2 was the music. Music is very important to the both of us. Good music has a way of taking you to amazing places. We made sure we had enough budgeted for the best jazz musicians out there. #3 was our attire. We wanted to look and feel great on our wedding day. We knew we would look at these pictures for years to come and we wanted to make sure to capture the look we were envisioning.

Giftpile: Have you any cost saving tips that you’d like to pass on?

Arsineh & Brian: We went way over budget and we would have gone much more over if we didn’t take out the extras at the end that the caterer was offering. We were thinking about having a coffee bar, extra wine service etc. but we’re happy we didn’t. We saved a lot and didn’t miss it one bit!

Giftpile: Did you manage to avoid any disasters leading up to your wedding day? Did it all go according to plan?

Arsineh: Well… Everything went according to plan, except for my gown. It pretty much fell apart two minutes before going down the isle. I was a wreck to begin with and to have to worry about my dress - it wasn’t helping to say the least. My suggestion - have an amazing friend to be with you the whole time. My friend Denise pulled out a safety pin she had in her clothes and did a quick alteration just as I was about to walk down the isle. After the ceremony, she came up to the room and sewed my dress!

The Honeymoon

Giftpile: Why did you choose Bora Bora as a honeymoon destination? Was it somewhere that had always struck you as idyllically romantic?

Arsineh & Brian: We had heard many great things about Bora Bora from friends. We also realized many people who had been there were making plans to go again. We figured it had to be amazing. Just looking at the pictures - you start to wonder if it’s for real - we decided to go and see for ourselves. Not only was it real - but much more beautiful than the pictures!

Giftpile: Did you plan to do anything romantic - like take a cruise or have a particular meal or massage?

Arsineh & Brian: We planned a couples’ massage, but in general… we planned to do NOTHING. That’s our favorite pastime. We didn’t want any schedules or time constraints; we have enough of that in our own lives.

Giftpile: Any ‘must dos’ while you were in Bora Bora that you would pass on?

Arsineh & Brian: A must do for us was our hotel, the Intercontinental Thalasso Resort and Spa. The location was amazing. We definitely recommend reserving an over-the-water bungalow whenever you plan to stay. In terms of excursions, we didn’t do much, the amazing ocean was enough to keep us occupied.

Giftpile: What did you eat or drink that you thought, “oh no,” or “wow!”?

Arsineh & Brian: We were worried about the food/drink on the island. Maybe it was the hotel we were at, but the food was great. They had everything you could want - we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything. We have to let you know however, it is expensive. If you can get a package where meals are included, we highly recommend it!

Giftpile: Did you use any travel agencies or tour companies, either in America or on your honeymoon, that you would recommend to other couples planning their honeymoon destination?

Arsineh & Brian: Our travel agent was amazing. She got us a great deal and was extremely helpful. I would recommend her to anyone and definitely plan to use her on all our future trips. You can reach her at the following information:

Jodi Kantor, JSK Travel LLC, 425-822-5252, jodi@jsktravel.com