Tuesday, July 15, 2008

A week of nothin' but Heaven...

Are we crazy for wanting to do a very hetero honeymoon? And by very hetero, I mean Sandals, the hetero, Wal-mart of the honeymoon industry. Well, we are probably a little crazy, but we are also cheap (uh, I mean frugal) and we want a romantic, all-inclusive, beachy, sun-drenched, week all to ourselves.

I don't necessarily mind surrounding myself with straight people, we do it everyday, and we don't curb our behavior because of our surroundings, but there is a little feeling of betrayal seeping into my dream honeymoon; we would trade our Sandals in for an Olivia Vacation in a heartbeat, if they were anywhere near comparable in price.

It's also bothersome to me that Sandals is such a honeymoon mill, but I think they are also good at what they do and they found a niche market, which I can't help but respect. My business sense respects them, but my pro mom and pop sense cringes a little when I think about it.

In order to satisfy my desire to support small business, we have chosen a travel agency run by two women as our Sandals representative. So far we like them. Our final quote should be emailed to us today and then we will make our decision.

I am nervous about this whole honeymoon part. I don't know why. I plan vacations all the time, I do a lot of traveling and I love going new places. I think the part that I am unsure about is that this is what we are registering for. No towels, pots, picture frames and vases for us; we want a beach and a fruity drink, and we want our guests to pay for it. Is this too different, will people be turned off, is America obsessed with getting 'useful' things for a newly married couple? Useful to me is seeing my girl laying on the beach next to me and knowing she is mine, forever. This honeymoon will be mentally useful for both of us, even if we are the only lesbian couple in all of the Caribbean and even if 'Sandals' painted on the bottom of the pool can be seen from 3,000 feet in the air.

Journal of a guilty pleasure seeker

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If i were feelings guilty about Sandals it wouldnt be because it is a honeymoon mill, but because of their decades-long ban on gay couples that ended only 4 years ago. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/oct/12/gayrights.immigrationpolicy.

As far as registering for your honeymoon, I say go for it! The best part is including pictures of the things people bought you in the thank you card -- like a picture of the two of you on the plane, a picture of the two of you popping the chilled champgne in your hotel room etc. etc. etc.