Celebrate a Traditional “Honey Moon” with a Month of Mead and Romance

With intimate elopements and “quiet weddings” trending this year, it feels like the perfect time to bring back the traditional “honey moon” celebration: a month of nightly mead and intimate moments as newlyweds.

 

Imagine those first few joyful nights together – basking in the warmth of your vows with a glass of hearty honey wine, laughing, cuddling, and dreaming up new adventures for the years ahead. 

 

Sound romantic? This sweet scene is actually the origin of our modern “honeymoon” tradition, when couples spent the first month of marriage (one moon cycle) drinking fermented honey mead each night to keep the sparks flying – and the bedroom busy.

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The Original, Easy Honeymoon Idea

 

There’s a lot for contemporary couples to love about this 5th century wedding tradition. It’s an affordable, low-effort way to maximize intimacy and savor the early weeks of marriage – those days when just calling each other “spouse” still feels blissfully new. Carving out intentional moments together keeps the romance strong as you start your next chapter together, and sets a happy tone for years to come.

 

If this sounds like the perfect way to celebrate the start of married life, use the tips below to plan your own personalized “honey moon.”

 

 

How to Have a Traditional “Honey Moon”

 

Luckily, this honeymoon idea is easy to plan and priced for any budget. All you’ll need is some sweet honey mead or honey wine, a couple glasses, and somewhere to sip and savor each other’s company. Drink a glass of mead together every night for “one moon cycle,” or just shy of one month – for example from one full moon to the next. 

 

Honey Moon Supplies

 

• Honey mead or honey wine*
• Glasses or mugs
• One month of romance, and
• Each other!

 

*If one of you is a nondrinker or just needs a night off from mead, swap in one of these non-alcoholic or low-alcohol mead substitutes: homemade honey soda, made with honey, sparkling water, lemon juice, and a dash of powdered ginger; low-alcohol honey kombucha (jun), which has around 0.5% alcohol when purchased in a store; or a non-alcoholic honey cider.

 

 

Savor every moment together as newlyweds to set a happy tone for the years to come. (Photo: Evrymmnt / Adobe Stock)

 

 

Stay Cozy At Home, Or Visit a Meadery

 

You can spend your honeymoon sipping and snuggling in the comfort of your own home, or venture out to a local meadery or mead hall. Some specialized venues even offer overnight stays, such as the Graham Ordinary Lodge and Meadery  in Bedford, Virginia – offering a peaceful mountain setting with rustic cabins and a festive mead hall with stunning views of the valley – or the Honeysuckle Meadery in Rainer, Washington – where couples can sample local meads and enjoy the wilderness with comfortable on-site camping. 

 

 

What is Honey Mead? 

 

Honey mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever brewed, even older than beer and wine, and was once known as the “nectar of the gods.” It’s made by fermenting honey, with an alcohol content around 4% to 20%. 

 

Honey mead is sometimes called “honey wine,” although some honey wines are made from other ingredients and can be lighter and fruitier than traditional honey mead. Because honey wine is easier to find in some areas, it can make a great substitute for traditional meads during your honey moon.

 

 

(Photo: Yojak Vasa/ Adobe Stock)

 

 

Types of Honey Mead to Choose From

 

Spice up your honeymoon with a variety of honey meads! Common types of mead include the tradition mix (made with honey, water, and yeast), melomel (fermented with fruit and honey), metheglin (a spiced mead infused with herbs and warm, aromatic spices), bochet (a deep, caramelized mead with flavors of toffee or chocolate), and so on. 

 

Mead can be sweet or crisp, lower or higher in alcohol, still or sparkling. You can enjoy it warm or cold, as part of a fancy cocktail or as a casual tipple from your favorite mug. 

 

 

Honey Mead, and Honeymoons, are a Pagan Wedding Tradition

 

The earliest honeymoon traditions have been traced back to ancient Pagan wedding rituals, when drinking mead under the light of the moon was believed to increase a couple’s fertility and bless them with many children. 

 

Some modern Pagan couples still include a traditional “honey moon” or mead toasting ceremony in their wedding celebrations, as do many interfaith and nonreligious couples. 

 

Related: Online Ordination for Modern Pagans: Why it’s So Important, Especially Now

 

 

Some Pagan weddings include a traditional mead toast. The authentic Viking drinking horns pictured above take this toast to the next level!  (Photo: Damik & Theresa Sabatos with Rev. Scarlett - photo courtesy of Walker Photography.)

 

 

Include Mead in Your Wedding

 

If you don’t want to wait until the honeymoon to lift a glass of mead, there are many ways to include it in your wedding ceremony too! Mead and honey wine are a sweet choice for a unity ceremony toast, or a unique addition to your reception menu, cocktail hour, or afterparty. 

 

Use the ideas below as inspiration: 

 

• Summer Solstice Wedding with Honey Wine Toast & Handfasting
• Plan & Officiate a Summer Solstice Wedding with Handfasting & Honey Wine Toast
• 5 Irish Wedding Traditions for an Inspired Ceremony
• Vikings Themed Wedding Ceremony Script
• Pagan Wedding Blessings for Every Season and Ceremony

 

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Have a Friend Officiate Your Wedding with Help From AMM! 

 

The best officiant for your big day is someone who makes you feel comfortable, confident, and supported. And we bet there’s a close friend or family member who fits the bill! 

 

Ask your loved one to officiate your wedding ceremony with online ordination and free officiant training from American Marriage Ministries. 

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We make it easy for your loved one to get ordained online – it only takes a minute – and give step by step instructions on how to write a wedding ceremony script, deliver an officiant speech, and sign the marriage license. 

 

We give first-time officiants the tools they need to officiate a legal wedding with ease and confidence, to help you have the one-of-a-kind, personalized ceremony you deserve.

 

And with over 15 years of experience providing online ordinations as a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization, American Marriage Ministries is one of the most respected and trusted places to get ordained to officiate a wedding. Our online ordinations are recognized in every state (except Virginia), giving you the authority to perform weddings anywhere you choose.

 

Click the link above to start planning your wedding ceremony today! 

 

 

Become an ordained minister with free online ordination from AMM to officiate weddings for friends and family! (Photo: omelnickiy / Adobe Stock)

 

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