Teagan and Jay
We spent our honeymoon (which took place about two months after the wedding) travelling across the USA for three weeks, experiencing snow for the first time ever, the infamous ‘polar vortex’, deep dish pizzas, very interesting people, and finishing up with some Hawaiian sun before coming back home. A whirlwind of planes and packing for every type of weather, but just brilliant! An amazing way to start our lives as husband and wife, with lots of memories and stories to bring back with us after all the excitement of the wedding is over.
Our USA honeymoon itinerary was: Los Angeles, Las Vegas (including the Hoover Dam), Denver (for New Year’s Eve), Chicago, then we were meant to go to Toronto to see the Niagara Falls but we were snowed in, so more time in Chicago, then New York, and finally a week in Hawaii to warm up with a day trip to the Big Island in the middle of the week.
Highlights: Cirque du Soleil in Vegas, hugging Eeyore at Disneyland, the amazing vibe of New Year’s in Denver which turned into one big fantastic street party where the new hubby and I felt like one of the locals, the fresh postcard-style snow on the Rocky Mountains (where I made my first snow angel!), the deep dish in Chicago where we absolutely stuffed ourselves with cheesy food, the view from the top of the Empire State Building along with the regular New York sights like Central Park (squirrels everywhere!), Ground Zero and Times Square… and finally the coconut pancakes and pulled kalua pork in Hawaii, as well as a day trip to the Big Island volcano to see the lava glowing at night and a visit to the powerful and moving Pearl Harbour memorial. Too many things to go into detail, but it truly was the holiday of a lifetime.
Things I learned along the way: I learned what ‘cold’ really means. It means close to 50 below zero, where you wear all of your clothes at once and still feel cold. And even through all those layers your skin gets chapped and itchy. Annoying, but we weren’t going to waste our days inside! We still got out and about to explore, powered by several Starbucks hot chocolates. I learned that if you’re going to a museum or gallery in the US, you should probably set aside at least a full day because they are HUGE (wear comfy shoes – you’re in for a long walk). I learned that being a passenger in the car when your Australian husband is driving on the American side of the road is terrifying, and that from this experience I know that I definitely married the right man
I learned to not take selfies at the circus when there are people threatening to throw you into the fire for taking photos (very interesting ushers in Vegas!), and that the Hoover Dam is an incredible feat of engineering. I learned that ice hockey is surprisingly awesome, but not as awesome as being upgraded to premium economy on the longest flight of your whole trip (I don’t know how it happened, I’m just glad it did!).
Finally, I learned that I want to always keep travelling and experiencing as much as I can.
Images from Teagan and Jay’s collection
Ms Gingham says: It’s been such a joy following your journey Teagan. We wish you the very best of luck for your future life with Jay!
Teagan says: “I am 26 years old and teach English to high school students. I live in Melbourne and I divide my spare time between marking essays, planning classes, researching wedding ideas and gazing at my sparkly engagement ring, which I am still not used to seeing on my finger! Now that I am finally engaged I feel like a lot of things are falling into place in my life – it’s a very good place to be. “
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