If you're a teacher and you're planning a wedding for September, chances are you aren't going to have a lot of vacation time coming. On the other hand, any educator who chooses to honeymoon in June can look forward to weeks of rest and relaxation. Your work schedule (and vacation time) may likewise dictate the length of your honeymoon.

Postponing the Trip

Some couples choose not to take their honeymoon right after the wedding because of time or financial constraints. Is it all right to wait until the coast is clear (of work, of bills) to take that trip? Of course it is. The most important thing about your honeymoon is your state of mind. If vacationing right before the busiest time of your work year is going to put a damper on things, consider waiting until after things have settled down — your honeymoon will be a celebration of your marriage and a much-needed vacation.

Extended Honeymoons

Couples with great vacation benefits are planning honeymoons over an extended period of time. These trips can include world tours or summers at the beach. Think of the time you'll spend settling into life together, without a care in the world ….

If this sounds like something that might interest the two of you, consider three important points:

Do you both have the vacation time, or will one of you have to quit your current job in order to take the time off?

Do you have the cash to pay for an extended trip?

Do both of you have the tolerance for life away from the comforts of home?

Obviously, if one of you is considering quitting work to take a long honeymoon, there are all sorts of factors to consider: Will you be able to find work upon returning home? If work is hard to come by, will you be in financial straits, or will you be secure for a while? Will taking the time off affect your career in the long run?

If you're thinking about traveling around the world for months on end, you should be able to finance it with money you've saved — not with your credit cards, and not with the money you're projecting you'll be receiving as wedding gifts.

The last question is of the utmost importance: If you hate sleeping in hotels, or if your fiancée is not a happy traveler, an extended trip — even though it's your honeymoon — could turn out to be a complete disaster. Keep it on the shorter side, and you'll come home still happily married.

Weekend Flings

You can't always have it all. If you find that you'll have to delay the big expensive honeymoon indefinitely — because of work, or money, or both — don't sit pining away for the trip you'll take on your tenth anniversary. You only get to be newlyweds once, and the time is fleeting. Do your best to get away together, even if it's just for the weekend.

Why not book a room in the best hotel in town? Order room service, take advantage of their spa, take long walks together at sunset. It won't be cheap, but it's definitely less expensive than a world tour, and the time you'll spend bonding as man and wife will be priceless.