Forget the traditional two week honeymoon - recession busting ‘minimoons’ are the latest hit with newlyweds. Hotels.com research has revealed that minimoons - trips of less than two weeks - are increasingly replacing traditional fortnight-long honeymoons as cash-conscious newlyweds keep an eye on their budgets.

The Hotels.com poll of Wedding Ideas magazine readers found that over three-quarters (77%) of couples are planning to take a honeymoon lasting less than two weeks. In fact, 30% are planning to go away for just one week or under. This group of ‘minimooners’ said budget constraints (74%) and worries about work commitments (56%) dictated the shorter length of their holiday.

It is not only the length of stay that is changing, the research found that couples are flexible about when they leave for their honeymoon. Whilst 57% of those questioned plan to head off straight after their wedding, over a quarter (28%) are considering waiting for a few weeks or months after the wedding before they go away; and a further quarter (26%) said they would be happy to take a short break after the wedding and wait until they have the money for a longer holiday.

Honeymoon spend reflects this trend – the majority of those surveyed (27%) said they will spend between £500 and £1000 per person on their honeymoon, while one in five (19%) are planning to spend just £500 per person or under (£1000 in total). However, some couples will still splash out – 17% are planning to spend more than £2,000 per person on their perfect honeymoon.

The research found that while 54% of those questioned plan to go on a long haul post wedding trip, a growing number are planning to steer away from the traditional honeymoon beach destinations of Mauritius and the Maldives, and instead opt for holidays closer to home. While 18% are planning to go to mid-haul destinations such as Egypt, Turkey or Morocco, a further 19% will honeymoon in Europe and 9% are planning a UK break.

Beach and city breaks are the most popular honeymoon of choice, with a quarter of Brits (25%) choosing to combine culture and sunshine over a classic beach holiday (20%) or an exotic break (17%).

Type of minimoon British newlyweds will take
Minimoon % of Brits planning a wedding
Beach and city break 25%
Beach holiday 20%
Multi destination (e.g. safari and beach) 21%
Exotic (e.g. Thailand, Seychelles, Maldives) 17%
City break 11%
Adventure holiday 6%

Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said: "A honeymoon is an important part of getting married and we’re not surprised to see that people would rather downsize their trip than not go at all. Whether newlyweds decide to shorten their honeymoon to a ‘minimoon’ or stay the traditional fortnight but drop a hotel star rating, there are some fantastic deals to be had. There are savings of up to 50% off in the current Hotels.com summer sale, so honeymooners should take advantage."

Rachel Moschke, Editor of Wedding Ideas magazine, said: "Most of us worry about saving up for our wedding day, but it seems we’re reluctant to give up the quality time together that a honeymoon offers. A minimoon is the perfect way to start married life, without busting the budget."

Research conducted among 300 Wedding Ideas magazine readers in May/June 2009.