Modern romance and the rise of the 'buddymoon'.

Imagine this: you’ve just walked down the aisle to marry the love of your life.

You’ve made the speeches, cut the cake, and danced the night away until the early hours of the morning. But rather than having your guests wave goodbye the next day as you embark on your honeymoon, what would you do if they came with you?

Welcome, friends, to your buddymoon.

More than ever, couples are opting for exotic overseas weddings. For some, it’s because they are marrying a partner who was born in a different country. Others just like the idea of turning their big day into a Lonely-Planet-worthy photo essay.

Either way, it’s an expensive ask for everyone involved and that’s probably why the concept of Buddymoon was born.

Are all your friends overseas anyway? Why not turn your honeymoon into a group holiday?

Would you be OK saying goodbye to romance and hello to holiday?

Most of you would say yes, according to Travelex.

Over one-fifth of the newlywed couples they surveyed in 2014 took their buddies along for the honeymoon, citing that it would save money.

It would seem that the traditionally steamy nature of the honeymoon has, well, lost some steam.

With most couples now living together for years before deciding to get hitched, the blue-ball desire to be alone and locked in the bedroom for the entire time has somewhat waned.

Indeed, if celebs are anything to go by (loaded question), the ‘buddymoon’ is the way of the modern bride and groom.

Alicia Keys invited her pals along following her wedding to Swizz Beatz, sailing around a luxury yacht around France. Jennifer Aniston is soaking up the sun in Bora Bora with not only new hubbie Justin, but also a horde of their mates. And even our very own Ricki-Lee has been posting shots of herself with best friend Katie Sanchez on her honeymoon on the French Riviera.

Sure, the idea of having your best mates sharing a Mai Tai with you as you all admire your sparkly new wedding band sounds like a good idea, but one can’t help but wonder: at what cost?

The days and weeks following your wedding will be some of the most surreal and exciting days in your life – memories you will remember and cherish for the rest of your life. Do you really want your pals photobombing your loved-up kissy shots, or spewing on your feet because they went overboard on the cocktails?

When throwing the question out to a bunch of bronzed and loved-up newlyweds, most were totally down with the idea.

Some felt that friends would keep them entertained.

“My partner and I always hang out together on holidays. We wanted to do something fun with our best friends – we would probably just get sick of each other, otherwise!”

So the questions crop up: Can you have too much of a good thing? Are modern couples more like friends than lusty lovers? Or have we just stripped away the impracticality of bygone tradition in favour of something that just makes more sense?

Well, as someone who is always the last man standing, an extended wedding party sounds pretty darn good to me.

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