11 women on their honeymoon mishaps that led to more oops than 'Os'
The not-so-sexy side of the much-anticipated getaway
Indian weddings are a lot like a ’90s Sooraj Barjatya film—long, dramatic, and bursting at the seams with people. You’re suddenly surrounded by chachis and buas you’ve never met, entertaining noisy nieces and nephews you’ve been dodging at family gatherings, all while eyeing the dahi ke kebab and aloo tikki making their rounds among the guests. The endless loop of dressing up, doing countless poojas, hosting relatives, and smiling until your cheeks threaten to quit often leaves the bride and groom absolutely drained. Enter the honeymoon, a much-needed escape from all the shor-sharaba, where the newlyweds can relax, unwind, and, for arranged couples, break the ice.
But while marriages may be made in heaven, honeymoons are a different story. Whether you’ve had an arranged marriage or a love marriage, sometimes, the vacation you’ve been dreaming of can turn into a comedy of errors, dampening the romance and leaving you with a bizarre or funny story to recite for the rest of your life. Honeymoon mishaps never come with a warning, they just happen. From allergic reactions, being robbed, to discovering a completely different side of their partner, 11 women from the Tweak Tribe share their honeymoon mishaps that gave them unforgettable holiday memories.
11 women share their awkward honeymoon mishaps
When the rains ruin a tropical heaven
“We went to the Maldives at the end of July. Only after making bookings, I realised it was going to be peak monsoon season. But the resort assured us that it would rain briefly and stay mostly sunny, so we went ahead. The sunset was stunning when we arrived, and it felt like we had entered tropical heaven. We planned lots of water activities for our five-day stay, but the next day, as we dressed up, it began raining. We thought it’d stop in an hour, but it didn’t stop for three days.
The brief dry spells allowed for some photography, but by the time we moved to the water villa on our third day, the crashing waves and rising water levels made it more terrifying than serene. Water rides were cancelled, and even dipping our feet in the water was prohibited. The seaplane ride back was also a nerve-wracking adventure. Ultimately, we spent a fortune just to stay indoors, praying the tiny island wouldn’t submerge.” — Zalak Trivedi
Keep your partner close and your cash bag closer
“Our honeymoon started in Madrid, and on our first day I had all our cash and passports safely tucked into my backpack. We were clicking pictures when I had a gut feeling to check my bag. To my shock, all the cash was gone from my wallet. Thankfully, everything else, including our passports, was still there. I was sure it had just happened moments ago, so we frantically looked around, trying to read faces and figure out who might have taken it. Almost in tears, we couldn’t believe our honeymoon had started on such a bad note—first day, first sightseeing spot, and we were already hit with a setback. It still stings when we think about it, but from that point on, we were extra careful with everything.”
— Shruti Achrekar*
Baggage could be more than just luggage
“It was an arranged marriage setup, and I had never been in a relationship, so when I got married, everything was new to me, even the experience of being with a partner was a first. We went on our honeymoon, and I was cautiously optimistic, hoping this trip would help us break the ice. But on the very first day, my husband locked himself inside our room, leaving me outside, crying and completely clueless about what to do. I panicked and called both his family and mine for help.
That’s when I discovered this marriage was forced upon him. He had been in love with someone else, but his mother pressured him into marrying me. Hearing this shattered me. I never imagined something like this could happen, especially to me. The honeymoon phase of my marriage, if you could call it that, didn’t even last a day. But life has its way of moving forward. Today, we’ve found a rhythm. We’re a decently happy couple, and over time, he’s accepted our relationship, and so have I. It’s not the storybook romance I might have dreamed of, but we’ve made it work.” — Bansi Patel*
To drink or not to drink is the question
“Ours was an arranged marriage, we went to Phuket and Bali for our honeymoon. And it was only after the wedding that I discovered my husband was a complete teetotaler. During our honeymoon, whenever I drank, he judged me relentlessly. One of the days, it was really hot and I asked for a beer, which would’ve been my second beer for the day. That’s when he said, “Wow! Isn’t that a little too much? You always want to drink!” I didn’t know how to react, I was a little shocked and couldn’t even finish my drink in peace. I felt disappointed in my choice because I rejected a lot of potential rishtas, only to land up with such a guy. I had to cut down on my alcohol intake for obvious reasons.” — Simran Reddy*
Bedtime interferes with bed time
“We went to Northeast India for our honeymoon. We explored everything but each other. We were really tired and my husband has a habit of going to sleep at 10 pm, which he did every day so we didn’t have any sex on our honeymoon. I didn’t feel good about that at all. I’m a romantic person and I wanted to share some intimate time with my husband but it did not happen.”
— Manisha Sharma*
Junk food not for the win
“In 2019, we decided on a Mysore-Ooty trip for our honeymoon. Arranged marriages are full of surprises, and one of them was discovering how our bodies would react to new environments. I’ve always had a limit when it comes to junk food, and by the third day, my physiological intolerance caught up with me. I developed a severe gastric infection.
That evening, I was dancing away the highs and lows of the day when an excruciating pain in my gut nearly took me out. The misery was unbearable, and my husband, extremely worried, rushed me to the hospital around 1am. After taking a few medicines and injections, I finally started feeling human again. Thankfully, we made it to Ooty the next day and basked in its pristine glory. It’s been over five years since that trip, and we laugh at our ignorance—it came as part of the arranged marriage package.”
— Alpana
Separated by quarantine
“We went to Dubai for our honeymoon, it was my first international trip so I was excited but also nervous. It was 2021, COVID wasn’t completely out of the picture. We had our negative test results with us but when we reached Dubai, we were tested for COVID once again. This time my husband tested positive and I tested negative. We were made to quarantine in separate rooms, in separate hotels. It felt very strange to be in a foreign country, alone, away from my family. I was getting a bit anxious but luckily a friend who lives in Dubai came to my rescue. She was incredibly kind, sent food for me and offered her support while my husband quarantined. After a few days, my husband finally tested negative, and we were able to reunite and spend some time in Dubai. It was certainly not the ideal honeymoon experience.” — Gargi Agarwal*
When movies are more exciting
“We went on a mini honeymoon to Mahabaleshwar before the big one and there my husband came down with a fever. Before that, he had casually said, ‘Just because everyone thinks we should have sex doesn’t mean we need to.’ I was so excited about it all, but that one comment completely drained my excitement. On our actual honeymoon to Himachal Pradesh, he called up his cousins and told them how nice the place was and that we should all come together to visit. There too he was least interested in sex and was watching movies on TV. It was very unromantic and not at all what I expected it to be.” — Ketki Chavaan*
Food is everything
“We had a love marriage. I’m a Punjabi from Delhi, and my husband is a proper Mumbaikar Gujarati Jain. When we planned our honeymoon in New Zealand, I imagined us wandering through the streets, trying new cuisines, and eating whatever we liked. Instead, I found myself stuck in our hotel room for hours while my husband searched for vegetarian, non-Indian restaurant options. It was definitely not the adventure I had anticipated.” — Tara Malhotra*
Bumps and bruises
“A few months before the wedding, I had a makeup trial with a renowned artist using great products, and everything looked perfect. We recreated the same look for the wedding night, and I looked amazing—everyone was full of praise. But between the wedding stress and my skin not being used to heavy makeup, things took a strange turn. The day after the wedding, we caught our flight to the Philippines, dreaming of a beautiful honeymoon. During the flight, I broke out in itchy bumps all over my face and hands. Even at our transit in Bangkok, no amount of aloe gel helped.
By the time we landed on the stunning island of Boracay and checked into the gorgeous suite my husband had booked, I had to call my sister-in-law (a doctor). She prescribed antihistamines, and I spent the first two days of our honeymoon completely knocked out by allergy medication, mostly asleep.” — Chahak Bandopadhyay*
Spooked by ghosts and diarrhoea
“We went to Goa for our honeymoon, planning to split our stay between North and South Goa. But thanks to wedding stress and constant eating out, I ended up with diarrhoea, that made plans for sightseeing or intimacy seem impossible.
When I finally felt better, we headed to our North Goa hotel, near the beach. On the way, our cab driver casually mentioned it was beside a cemetery, which spooked me a little, but we brushed it off. That night, we visited the beach around midnight and thought we heard strange noises, so we quickly returned to the hotel. Even in our room, we felt uneasy but somehow made it through the night. To top it off, I left my phone at a boat casino. At 2:45 am, we had to ride our rented scooty back to retrieve it. Already nervous from the cemetery story, every sound—probably just animals—had me terrified. By the end of the trip, we’d managed to be intimate just once. What a honeymoon.” — Karishma Arora*
*Names have been changed upon the contributors’ request for anonymity.
