Couple Over The Moon With 'Buddymoon' Time

Recently, newlyweds Tollywood actors Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna broke the internet with their adorable buddymoon photos and heartfelt messages.

The popular Tollywood pair (affectionately known as ‘ViRash’) went on a post-wedding getaway to Samui, Thailand, with friends instead of opting for the traditional solo honeymoon.

Several other celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux went on a buddymoon to Bora Bora with their friends, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth jetted across with friends and family for a ski trip. Many Indian couples have gone on buddymoons with their loved ones and close pals to the Maldives and Thailand. What was once considered intimate is now becoming collective fun!

Time With Near & Dear Ones

“This shift to buddymoon is mainly driven by how weddings and post-wedding expectations have changed,” says Dr. Archana Nanduri, a Counselling Psychologist from Hyderabad. She explains that modern weddings tend to be socially intense, often leaving couples mentally and physically drained. In earlier patterns, the honeymoon served as a quiet retreat after all the celebration. However, she says moving directly from such a highly social environment into complete isolation can feel like a sudden and sharp contrast.

A buddymoon, she notes, works as a transitional phase, allowing couples to remain within a familiar social setting a little longer before gradually moving into a more private space. Dr Archana quips, “I see a lot of couples anticipate a more private life post marriage because of which, there is a quiet desire to spend more time with close friends before entering that phase.”

Potential Pitfalls

However, some old happily married couples and counsellors feel that there can be subtle pitfalls if one isn’t mindful. Dr Archana cautions about the “mismatch in expectations.” She explains that if one partner sees it as an intimate couple-time, while the other views it as a larger group celebration it could create an imbalance. That imbalance can quietly shape how the whole experience is remembered later. She further adds, “Group settings can also take over very easily with plans becoming collective and couple space getting unintentionally reduced.”

Experts opine that ensuring and planning a ‘couples only’ time and making other plans clear with the group helps. Before opting for a shared getaway, couples must consciously audit their motivations. Certain red flags can surface in such settings — like using the presence of friends to avoid intimacy, feeling pressured to accommodate a partner’s social needs, or navigating financial mismatches that may quietly breed resentment.

Some boundaries should remain non-negotiable, especially carving out time as agreed-upon “Blackout Dates” reserved solely for the couple.

Intimacy & Inclusion

In the end, it isn’t really about choosing between a shared celebration or a private escape; it’s about the intention that anchors it. When couples are aligned in what they seek, whether it is intimacy, community, or a blend of both, the experience tends to feel fulfilling rather than fragmented. But when that clarity is missing, even the most well-planned getaway can leave behind a quiet sense of something unmet.

Maybe that’s the real crux of it: connection can’t be outsourced, and intimacy doesn’t follow an itinerary. No matter who joins the journey or how perfect it looks, it all comes down to this: Did “We” deepen, or did it get diluted?

Redefining ‘togetherness’

Most relationships today are already well in motion way before the wedding bells ring. So, the post-wedding phase doesn’t feel like the only moment to “get to know each other” in isolation. Instead of treating the honeymoon as the first deep dive, many see it as one more chapter in an already ongoing love story. Couples are celebrating togetherness with their loved ones. Sometimes, choosing to share that chapter briefly with the people who have been part of their journey, too.

Sangeeta Manglani, a Relationship Coach and Spiritual Psychologist, says, “Couples today are redefining what togetherness looks like rather than simply following tradition.” But the question that still lingers is: why are couples today not rushing straight into a secluded honeymoon the way they once did? One reason is that many relationships now have a longer runway. Couples often know each other deeply before marriage — having shared years of conversations, travel, friendships, and everyday life.

Sangeeta opines that most couples today have been together for years before getting married. From traveling together and living together, they’ve seen it all. She quips, “On the other hand, the traditional idea of honeymoons was designed for couples who were quite literally beginning everything for the first time.”

Couples seek ‘communal validation’

Today, many modern couples who have been in a relationship for a long time seek a sense of communal validation, an opportunity to have the people who have shaped their journey witness this new phase of life.

In her practice, Aparna Verma, a Counselling Psychologist & Co-Founder of Manovriti, often hears couples express this sentiment: “We want those who’ve been part of our story to be part of this transition too.” She adds that this reflects a deeply human need for belonging.

Aparna feels that today, the focus has shifted toward integrating the partner into a pre-existing, meaningful social world.

She adds that modern couples often step into marriage after years of shared domesticity and travel, with a bond that is already deeply formed. She notes, “The honeymoon is no longer a first-time intimacy ritual, but more a continuation of something that already exists.”