Oh heyyy guys– happy Monday!!
SO, a handful of my close friends are either just engaged or soon to be engaged (something is def. in the air), & I am so stoked for the handful of weddings coming up. Once you are a full grown adult, weddings are about as rowdy as you get in the year… so I fully embrace the season of wedding bells.
Which is kinda why this week is gonna be all about wedding vibes! I will be sharing some pretty bridesmaids dresses later this week & throughout the week on Insta-stories I will be sharing with you guys some on trend wedding dresses for the brides, wedding guest dresses, & some cool wedding inspo.
Today though, we’re talking all about the bachelorette party. Lets get specific on how to plan a bachelorette party, & how to ensure the bride is a happy camper the whole damn time.
You guys may remember Lauryn’s epic Bachelorette weekend from a while back. This extravaganza really brought out my inner party planner. Typically it’s not my forte, but if you know Lauryn, you know I had to up my party planning game.
Then, I kinda got the whole bachelorette planning bug. I just had a good time helping make the brides (elaborate) vision come to life & when your bride is super stoked on the turn out… that’s a good feeling.
Maid of Honor duties are stressful, but rewarding.
How to Plan an Instagram-Worthy Bachelorette Getaway
I. Gather Inspo from the Bride
If your the maid of honor or in charge of the bachelorette party planning, set up a coffee date with the bride to be & start jotting down her vision. Surprises are fun, but brides are under a lot of stress & want everything to be perfect… so to be safe, get their input.
Have your bride start a Pinterest board of things she likes/doesn’t like/decor/table settings/games/etc. She probably already has one made sinces brides love a good Pinterest board, so get an invite on that one.
This will be your starting point to kinda narrow down exactly what the bride wants. Happy bride is the no.1 priority here.
II. Choosing the Perfect Bachelorette Party Location
If you’re looking for a getaway, find somewhere driving distance. It’s expensive for the guests as is, so throwing in a plane ticket on top of everything else can be a lot to ask. If you want friends to actually come, it’s a safer bet to plan something closer by.
Southern California girls- Palm Springs is ALWAYS a good idea. Wine tasting & spa weekends are also fun!
If you’ve got a big group, try to find an airBNB to rent. This will end up being the most cost effective way to house a bunch of girls… & it just makes things WAY more fun. Book atleast 3 months in advance!
Also- when booking a place on airBNB check out there rules section! You don’t want to get stuck in a place that doesn’t let you play music past 10pm. Be sure to let the host know this is for a bachelorette party as well- not really something you should hide from your host.
III. Get EXTREMELY Organized
once you have your location & the brides vision- time for spreadsheets.
I can’t stress this enough- CREATE A SPREADSHEET.
On our spreadsheet we had it divided into categories: food, drinks, decor, goody bags, house necessities, hangover kits, etc.
Under each category I wrote out what we needed, the most affordable link to buy, & next to that a space for “name & amount” so we know who ended up paying for what.
We also made a spreadsheet for the guests who RSVP’ed so we knew the final head count for food & drinks.
This spreadsheet was sent to 5 of the brides closest friends who all pitched in initially to purchase everything that was needed. When purchase was made, we’d check that off the list. It took a good 2 months to get through the list- but it was very efficient.
IV. Consider Everyone’s Budget
speaking of budget- you’ve got to really set one before you start planning. Calculate how much you ideally would expect each girl to pay, multiply that by the amount of girls going, & there you have a pretty solid idea for budget.
You do need to be prepared for some of the attendees to say they can contribute, but not as much as being asked. This is tough, but also something to be respected, everyone’s budgets are different. You can either cut costs somewhere, or every girl can pay a tad more to cover her cost. Up to you- but try to make it work, for the brides sake!
Once all the girls pay up (thank you Venmo!), that money would than be divided by the brides friends who forked up the cash upfront.
V. It’s All in the Tasteful Details
My favorite part of the planning process was easily the DETAILS.
You really don’t have to spend a fortune to have a chic bachelorette party, you just gotta put massive emphasis on the little details that make up the big picture.
OKAY- so first things first, the decor.
When I helped planned Lauryn’s bachelorette, we pretty much got everything from either Etsy of Amazon.
Etsy is a GREAT place to shop for bachelorette decor as they really do have EVERYTHING. We got the “same penis forever” sign, the pink flamingo cake topper, cute cactus drink stirrers, custom matchboxes & SO MUCH more from Etsy for a great price.
Amazon was where we went for the basics- disco ball cups, black plates & gold cutlery, cactus cups, unicorn pool floats, Vegas visors for all the girls, La Croix in bulk, huge ass white balloons, all of the supplies needed for the bachelorette goody bags & hangover kits (both a total MUST!), & just about everything else
Now- let’s talk activities.
Ditch the stickers & pin the penis on the man games. Actually, no penises at all.
Again, give the bride what she wants (if she wants penis straws, give her penis straws), but also remember… the whole concept of a bachelorette party is for the brides to spend quality time with her best girlfriends before tying the knot. It’s not really meant to be a last HOORAH… cause that’s kinda depressing.
Instead plan activities like brunch, a dinner party at the airBNB, s’mores & wine, & throw in a tasteful/fun game. We kept the games to a bare minimum, but the one thing we did do was have all the guests bring the bride unwrapped lingerie & hung it on a clothes line.
The bride had to go through each one & guess, based on her friends personalities, who got her what.
It was short, sweet, fun, & the bride got a whole bunch of sexy lingerie.