Ahhh! Wedding planning. It’s one of the most exciting seasons of your life and there’s a million little details running through your mind –  we get it. During all the hustle and bustle, it might seem like you don’t need to prepare for your honeymoon. Let’s be real, all you want to do is hop on the plane and just let everything fall into place. Do yourself a favor though and spend some time preparing for your honeymoon with your favorite person – you’ll thank us later.

After your dream wedding day, you want to be able to enjoy every single second of your honeymoon strees-free! Be sure to do the following before departing for paradise so you can do just that:

1.Sleep

You want to make sure you are getting plenty of rest before your wedding and honeymoon. Yes, it’s hard when you’re having a million and one conversations with your mom, answering emails from vendors, and trying to get your seating chart just right, but sleep is so important for your overall health. Make sure you are limiting your screen time an hour before bed, sleeping on proper mattress, have a set bedtime (yep, like when you were a kid), and wake up the same time very day  . At least three weeks before your wedding day, you should  create a sleep cycle for yourself. You and your soon-to-be husband want to have your sleep cycle nailed down before the big day and feel the most well-rested. Beauty sleep is real!

2. Pack in advance

Lists, lists, lists. Detailed lists. A month or so before your wedding day, make sure you have a detailed list of what you need for your honeymoon – outfits, shoes, sunscreen, currency, etc, and PACK. Go  ahead and put everything in your suitcase. The last thing you want to be stressed about on your wedding day is if you have everything  for your honeymoon. With everything loaded up in your suitcase, you’ll be able to leave as early as the next morning without a worry in the world! Ok, everything besides your personal items. Those are easy to throw in your carry-on morning of and hop on that plane.

3. Allow time for rest and relaxation

Rest is extremely important. Repeat –  rest. is. important. It’s hard to take time to Netflix and chill when you’re wedding planning, but quality time with your significant other is critical before your wedding and honeymoon. Hello, date nights. This alone time helps you focus on each other, which is most important. Make it a priority to not talk about wedding-related issues for few hours. Afterall, the wedding is just one single day and your marriage is forever – ahhh! You don’t want to leave for your honeymoon super stressed or uptight.

If you’re going somewhere tropical, get some sun with one another. Go to a park, pool, or beach. Your body needs some UV rays as a base tan. Not to mention, sunshine naturally gives you all the good feels. Going on a run kills two birds with one stone. You’ll get some exercise in and sunshine – goodbye stress.

4. Prepare for hidden costs

Book your flights early! The closer you get to your departure date, the higher your airfare price will go up. Even worse, the dreaded middle seats will be all that’s available. Yikes!

Pro-tip: Tuesdays are the best days to book flights.

When creating your budget, set it and stick with it. However, create some wiggle room for additional costs that you might not expect. For example, tip money, transportation to and from the airport, or last minute excursion you decide to do once you arrive. Money shouldn’t be a stress on your honeymoon, so be sure to create some extra room in your budget.

5. Itinerary + Important Documents

Remember all the packing lists? This is similar. Make sure your itinerary is finalized a month or so before your big day – flights, excursions, hotel confirmation, etc. Print all of these documents and put them with your suitcase. Don’t forget your passport if you’re traveling internationally. Speaking of traveling internationally, exchange your currency before you leave. Currency exchange can be difficult to remember the week of your wedding, so do this while you’re packing as well. Having all of these documents in one place will make your life so much easier (and you’ll feel super organized too!).

Most importantly, have fun! Your honeymoon is one of the parts of the whole shindig that is the most enjoyable! It’s your first vacay as husband and wife, you’re alone, and you can finally spend 1:1 time that you’ve been missing for your entire wedding week. You’re finally not pulled in a hundred different directions – hallelujah! You will be coming off of the biggest high after being celebrated by all the people who love you most. Honeymoon planning should not be stressful. In fact, it should be nothing but exciting. You’re about to embark on the most romantic getaway with some extra bling on your hand, both  of your hands.