With more than two million weddings taking place here in the United States each year, no doubt there are a plethora of honeymoon stories to share. I fully admit that I have fantasized about getting married, carefully planning the details out in my mind and with candy-eyed excitement anticipate my idyllic honeymoon nestled in the arms of the man I love as we venture off into the sunset and start our lives together as husband and wife. What girl does not have sugar-sweet visions of what her wedding will be like, and anxiously anticipates the exciting mystic of her wedding night—the perfect honeymoon?



Alas, there was a time when young women, at the very thought of her wedding night, shuttered with dread and fear. Honeymoons, today, are looked forward to with wide-eyed excitement as the tickling sprinkles of true love melt like M&Ms in our mouths and thus swells within us a sweet sense of both satisfaction and fulfillment as only chocolate and, of course love, can induce; however, in the beginning, there were honeymoons and horror.

A slew of historic, literary, and folkloric accounts over the centuries detail different variations explaining the origin of the term “honeymoon," yet however slight in their account, there remains one reoccurring theme: Wedding nights were not romantic. It is largely believed that the term “honeymoon", itself, was first coined by the ancient Babylonians who made a practice of having new brides drink an honey-flavored alcoholic beverage (known as mead) nightly for the first calendar month of their marriage. Accounts reveal that even during the time of Atilla the Hun, of Asia (433 A.D. to 456 A.D.), the practice of having new brides, once they had been kidnapped and wedded, drink mead for a full lunar month was quite common. Furthermore, historic records indicate that the Israelites hundreds of years ago, practiced a similar such tradition. After kidnapping the woman they wish to wed, the bridegroom would have their new bride drink fermented honey (akin to mead) on their first night of seclusion together as they consummated their union as husband and wife, thusly their first night was dubbed a “honeymoon".

Fortunately, traditions grow to improve over time, and rather than being kidnapped and forced into hiding, today we can choose who to marry and share that wedding bliss with friends and family. Fortunately, too, the first night we ladies spend with our new husband is one of tenderness; a beautiful expression of sweet togetherness, pure devotion, deep commitment, and love eternal. In other words, a honeymoon by modern standards is that of romance.

While, in reality, the exact location as to where the honeymoon takes place is not paramount in comparison to the fact that the only place we rather be that night is in each other’s arms, planning the ideal honeymoon takes into consideration the needs and wants of both spouses. It is akin to a vacation, yet frosted with delicious romance. Typically, when we think of romantic places, we think of the Paris, France, Italy, Tahiti, or Fiji, not a scenic mountain destination along the American eastern seaboard. Yet, you may be surprised to know that none of the aforementioned locations take claim of the coveted title of “Honeymoon Capital of the World," but instead that prestigious honor has been given to Mount Pocono in northeastern Pennsylvania.

First established by the Dutch in 1659, Mount Pocono, located near the infamous Delaware Water Gap, became a popular place for many immigrating to North America. By 1742, the British took claim of the Mount Pocono region where it then quickly became a popular place for people Pennsylvania, even New York, to vacation. In fact, by 1829, Mount Pocono was officially dubbed “Pennsylvania’s Playground" and, according to the Poconos Mountains Vacations Bureau, Inc., it is still the reigning title holder.

Moreover, the Poconos mountains hold the current long-standing title of “Honeymoon Capital of the World." A widely popular place for young couples to frequent, the Poconos mountains were known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World" in the 1940s. The first honeymoon resort was built in 1945 by German entrepreneur Rudolf Von Hoevenberg, which thusly spawned a sudden boom in various luxury honeymoon resorts, vacation spots, and even businesses, along the Poconos mountains region. In fact, the first heart-shaped tub was built in the Poconos in 1963, thus securing its title as “Honeymoon Capital of the World."

“[Pennsylvania] is brimming with romance in fall and winter. Mother Nature puts on a show, or in winter where you can find reasons to snuggle on a snowy sleigh-ride. And it is tailor-made for lovebird honeymooners," says Nina Callaway, a wedding columnist. Among the variety of quality five-star resorts to chose from in the Poconos mountains, is the popular Fernwood Hotel and Resort which features full-sized kitchens, living rooms, and the signature heart-shaped Jacuzzi perfect for two lovebirds embarking on their life together. Getting married this winter season, and wondering what fun activities are available for you and your newly acquired spouse can do together? While spending your honeymoon night at the Fernwood Hotel and Resort, not only will you enjoy basking in the warm light of a roaring fireplace while locked in the arms of your beloved, there is also sledding, skiing, snow shoeing, snow tubing, hiking, and horseback riding at the Fernwood Hotel and Resort. Better yet, consider enjoying a sleigh ride against opalescent snow covered mountains. Additionally, there is breath-taking beauty of Bushkill falls, one of eight majestic water falls – known as the Niagara of Pennsylvania, which cascades a 100-foot descend over the Poconos mountains and leads into the Delaware Water Gap, providing for a most picturesque “must-see". After your sleigh ride, you will return to the Fernwood Hotel and Resort where a tantalizing smorgasbord of fine restaurants offer cuisines guaranteed to satisfy any appetite and any taste. Could there be any other place and time where you are more completely satisfied; where your every wish, dream, and desire is fulfilled?

So, instead of kidnapping a woman and making her your wife, gentleman, how about kidnapping your wife and taking her for a romantic weekend in Mount Pocono. Not only are the Poconos mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania known as the “Playground", it is, after all, the perfect honeymoon spot for the perfect couple.