Winter may be the proposal season with one in three Britons popping the question between December and February, but most newlyweds would choose a tropical location for their honeymoon destination, according to new research from National Savings and Investments (NS&I).

And with expected costs averaging £3,000 per couple, more than one in three (35%) will risk getting into debt to fund their ideal exotic getaway.

Almost 40% of Britons named classic beach locations such as Mauritius (22%) or a Caribbean cruise (16%) as their honeymoon of choice. But these hot spots don’t come cheap.

Most popular honeymoon getaways

According to You and Your Wedding Magazine the average UK wedding including the honeymoon now costs £15,764, with just under 20% of this spent on the dream holiday of a lifetime.

A quarter of people expect to pay between £1,500 and £2,500 for their ideal getaway while one in six would end up with a honeymoon costing over £5,000.

This may be due to our high expectations, with one in four people ideally disappearing for a month or longer and romantic breaks in the UK appealing to only one in 10.

Forget me not

Yet despite the luxury honeymoon, almost one in three is unable to remember the proposal, either when it was (17%) or where it happened (11%). This might be due to our British reserve that means most pop the question in the quiet of their own home (38%). Only one in 14 would choose to go public in a restaurant and a very brave but tiny 2% announce their love at a famous landmark or in sports grounds.

Feeling the pinch

While the proposal may fade, the costs do not. Worryingly, more than one in three would take on debt through credit cards (25%) or loans (10%) to finance their dream honeymoon. Surprisingly those between 55 and 64 are most likely to borrow with 35% flexing the plastic to fund their trip.

Only 27% would pay for their ideal honeymoon with their salary, most instead would choose to raid their rainy day money, with 65% of people prepared to dip into their savings to meet the cost.

Yet many would look to friends and family for help, with (19%) swapping the toaster and towels for travel vouchers by putting their honeymoon on the wedding gift list. A further one in 10 would have their honeymoon part-funded by their parents.

Early Bird

“But there is no substitute for saving early,” comments John Prout, sales director at National Savings and Investments. “Coming back from the holiday of a lifetime to bills or diminished savings may rob you of your holiday glow. If you are lucky enough to receive a proposal or are planning to propose in the next few months, make a smart decision and start a separate saving pot. Debts shouldn’t be one of the reminders of your big day.”