Framilymoon


You, your brand new spouse and a dash of framily (as in friends that become family): here’s the new thing in wedding land.

If you ever got hitched, you know how much time and energy it costs to plan the most beautiful day of your life. And when the big day is finally there, after the dressing up, the ceremony, the kiss, the champagne sipping, the twirling or grinding on the dance floor, the cutting of the cake, etcetera, you’re suddenly hit by this overwhelming feeling of sadness: why does all this wedding fun has to stop when the day ends?

That’s why today’s soon-to-be newlyweds are getting creative in stretching their wedding experience. Now, many of them start with a getting-acquainted-drink the night before the wedding and a hang-over get-together the day after,  extending the couple’s dopamine high for a couple of hours before finally parting again.

But some couples are taking their wedding craze to another level, by skipping the one-on-one romance of a traditional honeymoon and making it a group event, inviting their closest friends and family to tag along.

The framilymoon is now a thing with a little help of Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz and Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux who did spark the honeymoon-with-friends idea when they got hitched a couple of years ago.
Meanwhile a recent survey of more than 1,000 Americans on wedding travel commissioned by the travel site Priceline.com found that 12% of respondents said they had attended a group honeymoon in the last five years.

There seems to be two types of framilymooners: those going on experiential trips and those looking for a long-lasting party getaway.
The experiential ones include outings like a safari or a sailing & diving, skiing or hiking trip. It’s all about the everlasting memories that are created from the experiences they share.
The party framilymooners are more into fun and good old losgehen. Either way, it’s clear that today’s framilymooning newlyweds aren't looking for rose pedals on the bed, violin concertos next to their candlelit table and long romantic walks on the beach.

Is this the end of the honeymoon romance we used to see in movies and series?

Well, as people tend to get married less and when they do, much later in life, weddings have become over all less traditional. The rise of framilymoons can be explained by the fact that today, many couples are already living together for a while before getting hitched, making the whole traditional honeymoon feeling less precious or less likely to be a major turning point in a relationship.

The novelty of the whole flying off, and just being the two of you is just gone and for sure déjà vue.

It’s more of a novelty to have the whole framily to come together to celebrate and take a vacation around a rare and exclusive event such as a wedding.

Of course, having the right sort of friends and family along is crucial for a successful framilymoon. It’s about having a shared experience but without forgetting that it is still a honeymoon. The newlyweds won’t be around all the time and guests must respect that. And while celebs understandably have the money to jet off to far-flung destinations with their loved ones, it’s customary for common people like us to pay for themselves when invited on a framilymoon. Luckily, newlyweds often take their friends' budgets into account when booking a destination.

Looking for more insights on youth & family culture? Order Framily. How Millennials Redesign Family or book a lecture on the topic!

© Image by Jakob Owens via Unsplash.com