My husband Cain proposed to me in Egypt. I was so excited to finally marry the love of my life, but secretly, I was even more excited to start planning my honeymoon. Cain and I had already been together for 9 years with 3 boys so we both agreed that a huge wedding was not in the cards for us. If you know anything about Cain and myself, you know we love to travel, so we opted for an elopement in Las Vegas and saved the wedding money for a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon. We booked with Travel Theory, and it ended up being the best decision of our lives.

Paris

We wanted romance so first stop was Paris, France! We stayed at Le Metropolitan and we were upgraded at check-in to a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Love! The hotel is in the Trocadero district, so it’s about a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower and also within walking distance to Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. I was able to see all three in just day one which left me plenty of time to see other famous sites like the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre Museum, and the Paris Catacombs on the other days. My advice to those traveling to Paris would be hop on the metro and get lost in the city.

Venice

Welcome to my favorite place in the world: Venice, Italy. Upon arriving to Marco Polo Airport, we were met by our guide with a private water limo – because you cannot do Venice without an epic arrival! I have stayed at plenty of hotels around the world, but the Bauer Palazzo is by far the best hotel I have ever stayed at. Casey & Kitte made sure we were made to feel special on our honeymoon. We were upgraded at check-in with surprises waiting for us in our room: our bed was embellished with rose petals in the form of a heart and we had a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries with the words “Happy Honeymoon” written on it with a bottle of Prosecco. The hotel location was perfectly situated near the St. Mark’s Square and our room had a view of the Grand Canal. Our favorite tour in Venice was our wine and cicchetti tour – it’s a must do while in Venice!

Florence

Firenze Ciao Bella means “Hello Beautiful Florence”. We arrived at the birthplace of the Renaissance: Florence, Italy. We traveled there by high-speed train, which by the way, is an awesome way to see the Tuscan countryside. Our hotel, the Continentale was located next to Ponte Vecchio or “Old Bridge”. We were double upgraded upon checking in to a room with a beautiful view of the Arno River. I can only assume Travel Theory arranged for yet another bottle of Prosecco to be presented to us. I’m glad because this hospitality definitely called for a toast. I can genuinely say I did not have a bad meal in this town as there is an abundance of delicious restaurants. Everything is also walking distance; therefore, transportation was not an issue. Make sure to grab a sub from the world famous All`antico Vinaio and an Aperol Spritz to catch the sunset at the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Rome

What is an Italian getaway without Rome? Our jaws dropped once we entered this beautiful ancient city. Rome Regency was our home for the next few days. After thoroughly enjoying our complimentary Prosecco (thanks Casey & Kitte!), we took off for a stroll around the neighborhood. We were within the fortress walls used to protect the Romans in ancient times, a perfect location to explore the city from. Sometimes the best way to see a city is by wandering its streets. We stumbled across Villa Borghese, a stunning villa with expansive gardens that overlook Piazza del Popolo. We later took the city bus to the Trevi Fountain, but it was very crowded in the afternoon. Take my advice and get there early!

The next morning we met our private guide at St Peter’s Basilica and had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Vatican. Fun fact: Vatican City is its own country! On our last full day, we explored the Colosseum and ancient Rome. I don’t think I’ve ever ate as much as I did this day – I had to fill up on authentic Italian pasta and gelato before our long journey home!

Rome will always have a special place in my heart. It was where my grandparents took their first international trip. We recreated a picture they had taken many years prior. It was a beautiful tribute to my late grandfather.

Thank you so very much, Yesennia, for trusting us with your honeymoon and for generously sharing some of your favorite photos and tips with us. We appreciate you!