Wedding planning will certainly be one of then most fun but stressful things you do. It can often be a tail of mixed emotions and dramas. You have the dress to decide upon, which will either be the hardest or the easiest decision you have to make. The venue to find, the decision on food and let’s not get started on the guest list and table plan. Amongst all of the stress you have the fun in knowing that you are planning the day to marry your soul mate and best friend, so it all comes together and is worth it in the end.
One super fun aspect of the wedding planning is the bachelorette party. It can certainly end up being a memorable day, night, weekend or week, depending on how you go about things. But organizing it can be just as tough, which is why I wanted to share with you my ultimate guide to help you plan yours. Here you will find helpful tips and hints as well as some suggestions on what you could do. I hope it enables you to tick the bachelorette off your wedding planning “to do” list, so you can get back to all of those other decisions you need to make.
The night or weekend before the wedding?
Although this might be the tradition, I have never once been to a bachelorette party the night before the wedding. I would never, ever, ever recommend this. First of all, you have the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner to think about. That’s a whole event in and of itself. Mine was a big ‘ol cocktail party so it definitely felt celebratory rather than stuffy. I couldn’t even imagine leaving the rehearsal/ welcome party and then going out the night before my wedding or dragging my bridesmaids to do so. (The groomsmen were another story but I wasn’t responsible for those loons. Ha!)
Even planning a bach party the weekend before your wedding is asking a lot of everyone, including yourself. I was so fried the weekend before my wedding- totally worn out. Most of my bridesmaids live out of state and asking them to travel two weekends in a row? Wasn’t going to happen.
Earlier than the wedding?
Your other option is to have it in advance of the wedding. Maybe this isn’t how it used to be done, but it could certainly be a good idea in terms of keeping you looking and feeling your best for the wedding day itself. Many choose to have some sort of weekend event or even a trip somewhere, so planning to do this ahead of the wedding means you have more options to choose from and it makes the bachelorette an event as well. It can definitely be the safer option. It also doesn’t call for back to back travel for your guests.
What should you do?
The hardest part is actually deciding on what to do when it comes to celebrating your bachelorette, and this would entirely depend on who you are as a person and how you want to celebrate. Some people don’t want lavish affairs, they want something intimate and small. But there are others who might want to celebrate in style and create a big deal out of the bachelorette party.
There are options to suit all types of people and personalities. I’ve personally be to Atlantic City and around DC for two very traditional bachelorette parties with fancy dinners and clubs, two Annapolis weekends, a beach weekend, a Georgetown night out, and then mine was very low key “come party and eat tacos with me!”
A vacation or weekend away?
There has been a rise in the trend to make a bachelorette a memorable and lavish affair these days, as much of an event as they wedding day itself it seems. So a weekend away or even a vacation could be on the cards for you and your special group of ladies. You could stick with somewhere not too far, or jump on a plane and go to party capitals.
One of the most fun weekends I’ve ever had was for a beach bach in OCMD. My friend Dana rented a house and 19 of us had a giant slumber party the whole weekend. It was amazing because not all of us even knew each other but there was no drama, just fun. And it was relatively inexpensive to do it that way!
Something totally different
Many people like the option of being a little different, and a bachelorette party is an ideal way to do that. It is just the chance to celebrate with your friends the up and coming marriage, so why the need for a big night out? Instead, what about a trip to the races, or maybe try a panic or escape room for a bit of fun, a bachelorette party doesn’t need to be traditional at all, it could be anything that you want it to be. This fall, I’m actually going to a winery bachelorette party, which I’ve never done before! Don’t be afraid to embrace your own personality and do something that you would want to do.
A more relaxed affair?
Perhaps you want something a little more relaxed, and I don’t blame you, wedding planning can be stressful. So using your bachelorette as a chance for a little downtime and something a little more low key could be right up your street. An afternoon tea somewhere, an afternoon in a spa, or even a meal in your favorite restaurant. I briefly considered doing a spa weekend at Turf Valley , but I wanted more of a party vibe with as many of my girl friends who could make the event.
Who is organizing it?
The next thing to think about would be who would be organizing your bachelorette party and there are a couple of options to think about. You may want to think about whether or not you want the control, or you are happy to pass the baton over to your maid of honor or a bridesmaid you can trust.
Maybe you like to be the organizer, and perhaps wedding planning has been a joyous time for you, so planning your bachelorette is just part and parcel of it. Or maybe you just don’t like to be out of control. Whatever the reason is, you may want to take the time to consider whether you do have the time to organize this, or exactly what you want from it.
Having your bridesmaids organize your bachelorette could certainly take a lot of stress and strain away from you. They can handle the organizing, the booking and what you do and all of the logistical side of things, leaving you to concentrate on the actual wedding planning part. Many brides let one or more elf their bridesmaids handle this aspects of the event, and some even love the surprise and thought that goes into it.
My MOH went above and beyond planning the most gorgeous shower and my idea for the bach party was so simple that I just went ahead and took care of it myself. It really only took a few hours of planning- talked to Mission about using one of their spaces, booked a suite for myself and some bridesmaids, and actually made a private blog page to share with my guests which had everyone’s contact info and where to order the shirts if they wanted one. That way if anyone had questions, I could refer them back to that page. It was the same weekend as my shower so they only had to do that weekend and the wedding.
What should you wear?
The last piece of the puzzle, the last thing to consider and think about, would be what you should wear for your bachelorette. Perhaps not as essential as the wedding dress itself, but you still want to look your best for the pictures and for the special time you get with your closest friends.
Are you going to purchase a new outfit, just like you have done for your wedding day? The chances are you will, and it can feel just as fun deciding on what to wear for this as it is to go shopping for your wedding dress. With the age of social media, everyone wants to look as good as they can.
I actually got a custom tutu made for mine and wore my glitter sneaker wedges. My MOH got me some really cute floral cat ears to go with the lion/ Lisa Frank/ Bride’s Pride situation and it all came together pretty cute. Our night was pretty casual- we went to Mission and then to Peyote for karaoke, so sneakers and a tutu were fun to stand out but not feel overdressed. I designed shirts on Zazzle and set it so that the girls could order whatever style shirt they wanted, but in black. My bride shirt was white.
Maybe you are going to have some sort of theme for the bachelorette and a popular one would be to take weddings as your inspiration and have an “all white” dress code. White dresses and outfits are a great way to help a crowd stand out, and work well for nights out or being away somewhere. If you’re doing this, consider using Rent The Runway. One of my bride pals rented THE COOLEST white dress and felt like a total superstar.
Are you having a theme?
Finally, maybe there is a theme involved, perhaps you want to dress up or maybe you want to consider other Colors to help with the dress code. Themes can be anything from your favorite films, to certain iconic characters. Whatever it is you choose to do I am sure it is going to look amazing. I’ve been to two themed bachelorette parties- a Nautical weekend in Annapolis for my MOH and my own was loosely Lisa Frank… basically paw prints and rainbows.
Even if your bachelorette is taking place for longer than a night, you could have multiple themes or dress codes. One night you might dress up in a certain way, the next you could stick with an all color theme like white or red. You don’t even need to be going out at night to enjoy a dress code, dressing up for dinner, a day at the races or even having specific costumes for an afternoon at the spa.
I hope that this has you more informed of everything you need to think about when it comes to planning your bachelorette and the options you have to make it memorable.
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