by: Taylor Henry

Imagine the scene: Your bedroom is illuminated with the smoldering glow of a hundred scented candles, you have soft music playing in the background, the champagne is chilling, and you've covered the bed in rose petals and teensy-weensy heart shaped chocolates (OK, cut the chocolates, they may get messy unless you eat them first!)

Feeling luxuriously languid in your silk negligee, you lounge against the bedroom door, caressing the door jamb like it's a small fluffy puppy. A gentle intake of breath... Yes, you've attracted his attention and he turns slowly to eye you from top to toe. "Could you turn the music down, love? I can't hear the game."

Now if this was your honeymoon, I'd be checking out the pre-nup by now. But thankfully (or hopefully, whichever is the case) this scenario may well be what you'll come to expect down the track if you don't keep your own on the ball (so to speak!)

Because unfortunately gals, unless you are one of the infinitesimal number of lucky women who finds herself with a really-truly romantic kinda guy, it's up to us to keep the spice in the hot pot we call romance. And certainly the time to put those ingredients on to boil is during your honeymoon.

Whoever said "If love is blind, then why is lingerie so popular?" certainly knew what he (or she) was talking about. Your honeymoon is that strange hiatus between the fairytale of your wedding day and the soap-opera that will become real married life. It's a time to get to know each other - intimately.

And that, my friends, is why honeymoon lingerie is one of the most successful and popular items currently bought on the Internet. And I said "bought', not "ogled at"!

Young women in their droves are searching online honeymoon lingerie sites looking for that one special item (or maybe more if your heart and wallet desires) that may get your man to take his hands off the remote control and on to you.

The secret to buying the perfect honeymoon lingerie is to compromise (and isn't that what marriage is all about?) between what makes you feel fabulous, flirty, sexy and ready for anything and what your man loves to see you in - besides nothing at all! There's simply not much point in organza and French Chantilly lace if you rock your new hubby's socks when you are wearing his Y-fronts with his 20-year-old Rangers T-shirt. A suitable compromise might be a perky DKNY cotton cami and boy-leg shorts set.

Similarly, you don't want to permanently damage the delicate psyche of your romantic-at-heart if you appear on Day 2 of your honeymoon in your pilled and tattered trakky. He's going to wonder if he married his Juliet or a grunge-band junkie.

Honeymoon lingerie has come out of the closet (so to speak!) and gone uptown in an array of colors and styles that would suit even the most coy of new brides. If the whole white lacy suspender-and-stockings-number makes you want to run to the nearest divorce lawyer, you'll be thrilled with the latest range of honeymoon lingerie available online.

"New brides are becoming color conscious - purchasing lingerie in a rainbow of colors is the trend. We are seeing honeymooners purchase sexy, classic and gorgeous lingerie for their "big day" and "afterwards", not restricting themselves to the traditional white or black any more," says Jeanine Brown from the funky and fashionable online lingerie store www.cheekyedge.com. "Aqua and red were the most popular colors this past season and pale greens, lilacs and soft baby pinks are currently popular."

So, there you have it. From sexy, sporty cropped tops and boy-leg shorts, to the glamour of a silk peignoir; from cheeky, flirty baby-dolls to the sultry seductiveness of black teddies, honeymoon lingerie offers you so many choices, it would take a strong woman to stop at one. But then you did choose just one marriage partner, so now all you have to tackle is that remote. . .