She was never going down without a fight. For the past eight months Poppy Delevingne seemed to be on a hen do every second evening . Although maybe that’s unfair, as when you examine the pictures and rumours it appears she actually only had three: a private one for her Bedales pals, a big gal’s night out in London in December (#popdoghen) and her Coachella do (#popchella). She finally wed aerospace heir James Cook in Knightsbridge on Friday, though there will be another ceremony in Marrakech later in the summer. Three hen dos, two weddings — this Delevingne doesn’t do things half-heartedly.

But what about when the weddings and #popdoghens are over? Presumably the newlyweds will go back to looking well-bred in exotic locations, but not before the honeymoons are done. They kicked off with a mini-break immediately after the wedding, but a longer foreign jolly is planned after the Marrakech blessing.

Image source: black bridesmaid dresses

It’s the mini-moon/maxi-moon balance — and it’s the new way to honeymoon.

Roxanne Ridge, a sub-editor from Clapton, got married a few weeks ago and is splitting the honeymoon into legs. “We went to Barcelona for two nights straight afterwards just to get away,” she explains. “Then we’ll be going to India for three weeks over October and November. A lot of it was about not having to do any planning before the wedding. We booked the flights before the wedding and then left the rest of it till now, which means we could plan together.”

She admits that the Barcelona break was probably a little more extravagant than an average city break, but the maxi-moon is the main event.

For our parents a honeymoon meant driving through France for a week, now it only counts if you’re Instagramming your hot dog legs on a beach in the Maldives and consummating your marriage in a private beach hut with five-star catering.

Indeed, many go all out for the maxi-moon: a friend has moved to Australia with her fiancé but the drama of shuttling an entire wedding party over to Oz means they’re going to have to leave their jobs and do the nuptials in London. Then they’ll go travelling for six months.

“Mini-mooning and maxi-mooning are huge trends,” confirms Harriet Chubb, editor of the Honeymoon Guide at Brides Magazine. “Many people are taking about four nights after their wedding — perhaps a city break or skiing. Then they take a big holiday for about three weeks at Easter or Christmas: South America and Brazil are popular, and Central America is really growing.”

Chubb also notices that people are looking at more nomadic events — the Honeymoon Guide will soon print a guide to multi-stop honeymoons, with two, three, four or even five stops. “For five-stop honeymoons we’d advise people take a month,” she says.

Ultimately, though, there’s sweetness in the delayed gratification of the big trip. Chubb sums it up: “You plan your wedding and all you’re thinking about is the wedding — you don’t have time to get excited about the trip. With mini-moons and maxi-moons not everything is over in one day and you don’t feel deflated.”

Susanna Young, founder of the achingly creative wedding and events planning agency Knot & Pop, agrees. “We have definitely seen more couples opt for a mini-moon immediately after the wedding, with a main honeymoon later in the year, or even the following year. Reasons for this vary. Weddings can be an emotional rollercoaster, and some couples prefer the idea of going somewhere closer for a few days of pure R&R, storing up their bigger adventure for a time when they have a bit more energy. It also means the excitement can be lengthened.

“Financially, it allows a bit of breathing space after the outlay the main wedding involves; there’s also the weather card and choosing the best time of year to visit particular places.”

Brides and grooms, it’s a new moon.

Details: informal wedding dresses