One month before their July 2023 wedding, Shrestha Maharaj, 28, an analytics and insights manager based in South Africa, and Sumeeth Suthurgam, 31, a senior digital design lead, took an earlymoon.
The couple spent a long weekend in Umdloti, a small resort village along the northern coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa, just a 45-minute drive from their home. Ms. Maharaj described their earlymoon as a “break from the chaos,” where they enjoyed electric scooter riding, table tennis playing, beach walking and even practicing their first dance. “A change of scenery was necessary for that,” Ms. Maharaj said, laughing. “It’s amazing what that’ll do even when you’re still in the same city.”
For couples who want to bask in the engagement period before their weddings, going on a prenuptial trip — or an earlymoon — is becoming increasingly popular. It’s different from both a mini-moon — a quick getaway after the wedding to decompress — and a honeymoon, in which a couple takes a longer, more elaborate post-wedding vacation.
“We really just needed a break and wanted to de-stress before our wedding,” Ms. Maharaj said of their earlymoon. “Indian weddings can be intense. We had four wedding events over three days and D.I.Y.-ed a lot of it.”
Many hotels and resorts now tailor certain packages to earlymooners. Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall Boston, for example, began offering an earlymoon package, “Get Away Before the Big Day,” last summer. The three-night stay, starting at $800, includes a day spa pass for two; a picnic at Boston Public Garden; dinner at the hotel’s in-house restaurant, Jules on Devonshire; and a welcome bottle of champagne.
“Earlymooners just want quality time with each other, so couples have loved the stress-free aspect of it,” said Kevin Matheson, the general manager of Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall Boston. “Some even joke they’ll be back for their babymoons.”
