Honeymoon sex isn’t always hot—and that’s okay

You’ve made it through the sangeet choreography, the endless guest list politics, the questionable pre-wedding juice cleanses, and possibly 18 rounds of outfit changes. You’re finally married, finally alone with your partner, and finally on that picture-perfect honeymoon. The room has petals. The sheets are crisp. The sexy lingerie you video called your friends to help pick has been carefully packed. Everything is set up for an unforgettable night of steamy, hot, newlywed sex.

Except… you’re exhausted. You’ve eaten too much airport food. Your skin is recovering from layers of makeup. There’s still hairspray in your hair that refuses to come off, and you’ve absolutely maxed out your social battery. All you really want is to slip into comfy clothes, order room service, and fall asleep watching TV.

Welcome to the highly romanticised myth of honeymoon sex, the one where everything is meant to be magical, effortless, and cinematic. But, in reality? It can be sweaty, awkward, and occasionally interrupted by sunburn or a minibar that won’t shut properly.

Here’s why your honeymoon doesn’t need to be a 10-day-long montage of perfect sex scenes, and why you're not alone if yours looks nothing like that:

You’re completely exhausted

This should come as no surprise. Planning a wedding—especially a big fat Indian one—is enough to leave anyone drained. You’ve been pulled in a hundred directions, stayed up for late-night functions, and smiled through jaw-clenching picture sessions with at least a million people. At this point, sleep is sexier than sex.

Your body needs a minute

Your skin’s irritated, your stomach has a cocktail of all kinds of food and no water, and you’re probably still trying to get mehendi off your fingers. Sexy lingerie feels less sexy when your body just wants a loose nighty and rubber chappals.

The pressure ruins the mood

You’re in this gorgeous hotel, everything’s set up to feel romantic, and yet… nothing’s happening. Suddenly, you’re wondering if something’s wrong. It’s not. It’s just hard to feel spontaneous when it starts to feel like another thing to check off the itinerary. You’re still figuring each other out, how to share space, how to travel together, how to unwind without a hundred people around. Sometimes, just doing that side by side is more intimate than anything else.

Instagram is not real life

Unlearn everything you see on social media, because you should know better than to believe in the perfect lives people post about. It’s never all sunshine and rainbows. In reality, someone’s sunburnt, someone’s snoring, and both of you are just glad to sit quietly under the AC, gossiping about that one relative who was stuck to the buffet. 

Intimacy doesn’t follow a schedule

Real intimacy isn’t about grand gestures or perfectly timed kisses. It happens when you’re in your pyjamas, holding hands, laughing, showering each other with love and affection. That’s when sex happens naturally, and doesn’t feel like something you have to do out of pressure.

You’ve got time

The wedding might be done, but the marriage is just starting. You’ve got all the time in the world to figure out your rhythm. Some of the best sex happens not when you’re trying to impress each other, but when you both look like you’ve fought a bear and still somehow find each other hot and sexy. 

Lead image: Aadar Jain/Instagram

Also read: When you get a husband who is your personal videographer for life

Also read: A royal romance in Udaipur: Inside Diya Sheth and Dhruv Marwadi’s dreamy, love-filled wedding