What to Pack (and What To Leave Behind) For Your Honeymoon

You've just got married. The big ring is on, the wedding band has joined it, and now you're staring at a packing case trying to work out what else, if anything, comes with you. I get it, and it's not as easy as taking everything you have in your jewellery box with you.

So here's the honest answer, the pretty pieces and the practical bits nobody warns you about.

The Classics That Earn Their Place

You don't need to pack the whole jewellery box. A honeymoon is the one holiday where less really is more, partly for style, partly because you'll probably be in and out of water more than usual.

Simple gold hoops or studs - they work with everything from a beach cover-up to a dinner reservation, and there's nothing to lose if you take them off to swim.
A thin layering necklace - something delicate that sits close to the skin. It photographs beautifully against tanned shoulders and doesn't compete with anything else you're wearing.
A stacking ring or two - low profile, easy to forget you're wearing, and far less anxiety-inducing than packing anything with a large stone.

These are the pieces that survive a fortnight of sun cream, sea water and hotel safes without causing you any grief.

Simple, secure hoops are the way to go on honeymoon

Sun, Sea and Sand Pieces

If you want something that actually feels like it belongs on honeymoon rather than just jewellery you happened to bring, look for pieces that nod to where you're going rather than fight against it.

Think warm-toned gold rather than cool white metals, they sit better against sun-kissed skin. Citrine, peridot or aquamarine are lovely honeymoon stones: sunshine yellow, sea green, and ocean blue without the insurance worry of a diamond on the beach. A delicate shell or starfish motif pendant is a bit of fun for the right person, and a fine ankle chain can be a genuinely pretty addition if you're somewhere warm enough to wear it.

This is holiday jewellery, not heirloom jewellery. Buy something you'd be happy to lose a little sleep less over.

A delicate shell and pearl necklace, the perfect honeymoon piece

Different Jewellery For Different Honeymoons

Beach and island honeymoons - Keep it minimal. Salt water, sun cream and sand are not kind to jewellery, fine chains tangle, clasps weaken, and anything with prongs is a magnet for catching on towels and bags. Studs, simple bands and one statement piece for evenings is plenty.

City honeymoons - You've got more room to dress up here. A proper necklace for dinner, drop earrings for evenings out, you're not getting in the sea so the rules relax. Just be sensible about what you're wearing wandering around an unfamiliar city.

Adventure honeymoons - Safari, hiking, diving, anything active. Take as little as possible. Watches and one simple band, nothing that dangles, nothing that needs taking off and putting somewhere safe every five minutes.

How To Actually Pack It

This is the bit that can cause some unexpected damage, but fortunately it's the easiest to prevent. Jewellery thrown loose into a washbag or wrapped in a sock gets tangled, scratched, or lost before you know it.

A jewellery roll is the better option for most honeymoons. They're soft, flat, take up almost no bag space, and the individual pouches or loops stop earrings disappearing into a corner or chains knotting themselves into a ball overnight. Easy to throw in a beach bag for the day too if you're swapping pieces between the pool and dinner.

A small travel jewellery box is worth it if you're taking anything with more structure, rings with raised settings, a proper necklace for evenings, anything you don't want squashed. Look for one with a hard outer shell and a soft lining, and individual compartments rather than one open tray. It's a small investment that protects far more than just the jewellery, it keeps everything findable when you're getting ready in a rush.

Either way, never pack jewellery in checked luggage. Hand luggage only, and ideally in your day bag, not buried at the bottom of a case that could go missing en route.

The Practical Bit Nobody Tells You

Leave the irreplaceable at home. Anything with serious sentimental or family history, your grandmother's brooch, a piece that can't be replaced, stays in the safe at home. Honeymoons involve hotel rooms, beaches, pools and a fair amount of being slightly distracted by being on honeymoon. Not the conditions for your most precious pieces.

Check your insurance before you go. Most home contents insurance has a single item limit, and it may not cover items outside the home at all, or only up to a much lower cap when you're travelling. If your engagement ring is worth more than that limit, call your insurer before you fly, not after something goes wrong. Some travel insurance policies also offer jewellery cover as an add-on, worth checking when you book.

Use the hotel safe, properly. Not the bedside table, not the bottom of a suitcase. If a room safe isn't available, ask at reception about a deposit box. It takes two minutes and saves a lot of heartache.

Sun cream and chlorine are not jewellery's friend. Sun cream leaves a film that dulls stones and can build up under settings, and chlorine is genuinely corrosive to gold over time. Put jewellery on after you've applied sun cream and let it sink in, not before, and rinse rings in fresh water after a swim in the pool or sea. A soft toothbrush and warm soapy water at the end of the day will keep things sparkling rather than sticky.

Take photos of what you're bringing. A quick photo of each piece before you leave, ideally with any hallmark or distinguishing detail visible, makes insurance claims and police reports far simpler if the worst happens.

Citrines and pearls are perfect for that honeymoon look

If something goes missing while you're away

It happens, more often than you'd think, and it's worth knowing what to do rather than panicking in a hotel room on day three of your honeymoon.

Report it to hotel security or local police as soon as you notice, you'll likely need a police report reference for any insurance claim. Contact your insurer straightaway, most have an emergency claims line that works internationally. And try not to let it derail the trip, a lost earring is a genuinely awful feeling, but it's recoverable in every sense, and you don't want to spend your honeymoon retracing steps on a beach.

Come and See Us Before You Go

If you're planning your honeymoon and want something light, pretty and built to survive sun cream and salt water, pop into the shop at 14 Cambridge Street, Harrogate. We can also talk through insurance valuations for your engagement ring before you travel, it's a five minute conversation, and we charge £50 per item.

Mona x