How to Make a Bachelorette Party *Extra Special* For the Bride-To-Be! 💍

      I am currently planning a bachelorette party for the first time! Last month, I reached out for some bachelorette planning advice on Instagram Stories, and wow did all of you former brides and former maids-of-honor deliver!! I received so much good advice that I wanted to round it all up and share it here on the blog, as I know I can't be the only person out there who is planning a bachelorette party for the first time and wanting to make it extra memorable for the bride-to-be.

     

      My high school best friend Julia and her guy Luke are planning to elope in Summer 2022. Because they are doing a destination elopement and not having a traditional bridal party, her bachelorette weekend will be the only time that I'll get to celebrate her wedding with her! Julia will also be wedding dress shopping during this weekend, which will be so special to be part of. Instead of taking a bachelorette trip, she wanted to do an intimate and cozy bachelorette weekend in our hometown in Maine. Our hometown area (Kennebunk and Kennebunkport) is a popular tourist destination in the summer months, and she wanted to take advantage of March being the off-season, and enjoy great rates at some of the nicer lodging options and check out some local restaurants. It's going to be a small group- just a couple girlfriends, and some of her female family members. 

     I've been to just three bachelorette parties in years passed. Two of them were very low-key and chill, they were just dinners out for close friends of the bride during wedding week. The first more traditional overnight bachelorette weekend that I've attended was last May in Richmond (read about it here!). Since I haven't been to a ton of bachelorette weekends yet, I wanted to work extra hard to plan a really great one for Julia. Hence asking for planning advice on Instagram Stories recently!

    Below are all of your wonderful recommendations! Some of these are so creative. Something to keep in mind is that not every recommendation would work for every bride and her unique tastes or interests. Some of them also might not work for certain locations, or they might be more seasonal ideas. What is most important is planning a bachelorette party that the bride-to-be will love. But if you're the one planning it, I'm assuming you know her very well and would be able to easily figure out which of these she'd like or dislike! 

Special Touches for a Bachelorette Party:

*Ask the bride for any activities or small details that she wants, and make sure to do them (This should probably be the first and foremost thing for planning any bachelorette party! It is all about what the bride wants.)

*Hire a local photographer for a photoshoot with all bachelorette party attendees

*Present the bride with gifts with her new monogram or married name

*Mail out physical invitations (This was my own idea! Especially since Julia won't be doing wedding invitations since she is eloping, I really wanted to do them for her for this. I ordered this design from VistaPrint and was so happy with them!)

*Design a printed itinerary for a trip (I would've done this as well in addition to getting invitations if Julia had wanted to do a trip somewhere. Love this idea!)

*Decorate the hotel room or Airbnb with balloons and other fun bachelorette decorations

*Have a sash/crown or other fun accessories for waiting for the bride

*If there are any ladies invited who aren't able to attend, make sure they still contribute to the festivities in some way (like sending a gift for the bride or paying for one of her meals)

*Set up a DIY backdrop and get props for a "photobooth" in the hotel room or Airbnb

*Create a hardcopy scrapbook or photobook for bride after the bachelorette party (So many of you sent this idea in! I absolutely love this idea.)

*A creative group activity that matches the bride's interests (horseback riding, candle making, visiting an art museum, paint-your-own pottery, wine tasting, cooking class, etc) (I had already booked one of these for Julia when all these were sent my way! So excited for the activity we are doing.)

*Have fun snacks waiting at the hotel or Airbnb like charcuterie, fun desserts, a hot chocolate or drink bar, etc

*Bring a polaroid or other instant-print camera

*Use a limo or party bus for transportation

*Have the bride pick out a themed dress code for dinner (or multiple days) (This one is so important to check with the bride on for what she wants! She might want everyone in a certain color, or she might not care about that. Julia requested everyone wear something nice for dinner, but she didn't care about specific colors or styles.)

*Plan a scavenger hunt 

*Include the bride's fiancé in party games for the weekend

*Have everyone at the bachelorette party gather to watch a sunrise or sunset together

*Plan creative games for a lingerie shower

*Make bracelets with QR codes with the bride's Venmo to wear when everyone goes to bars, so people can buy her drinks (Also loved this idea!)

     Such fun ideas right?! Let me know in the comments if you have anymore to add! Cheers to bachelorette party planning!! I'm also excited as planning this will cross off another item on my current 101 in 1001 bucket list. 😊

     God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese