5 Tips to Planning the Best Bachelorette Weekend

Whether you’ve been dreaming of your girl’s bachelorette weekend before she was even engaged or you’ve been stressing about it ever since she asked you to stand by her side, this post is for you. Bachelorette parties are such a fun way to spoil the bride-to-be with a girl’s day/weekend. But to make sure the celebration goes off without a hitch, we have a few tips for you when starting to plan the BEST.WEEKEND.EVER.

Photo by Elevate on Unsplash

Bridechilla or Bridezilla? Talk with the Bride

It’s totally okay to keep the itinerary a surprise, but since this party is all about her, try and get a feel for what she wants before the planning is underway. Is she hoping for a low-key spa weekend or is she ready to head to Vegas with the girls for nights filled with drinking & dancing? Is she all about a Palm Springs Flamingle or is she more of a Nash Bach babe? Consider what she wants to do and talk to the other girls from there.

Also, bachelorette weekends tend to be the trend these days, but there’s totally nothing wrong with a single day or night event! Take her beer or wine tasting around your area or hit the town with dinner & drinks. She’ll feel special either way!

Money, Money, Money: Let’s Talk Budget

Bachelorette parties can be spendy, for sure. It’s a really good idea to gauge the group and see what the can afford as far as the trip goes. Maybe a trip to Mexico is out of the question, but a San Diego bachelorette fits the budget! It will still be a blast either way.

Truly, the best thing you can do as far as money goes is detail all expected costs on the itinerary. You can have everyone pre-pay for the whole weekend, or have each person pay for the larger, joint expenses up front and take care of themselves for the smaller things the rest of the time – either way it’s SO helpful to let everyone know how much to expect to spend for the weekend.

Pro tip: If you plan to decorate the hotel or house you’ll be staying at, have any party favors, or provide hangover kits for the girls, bundle that cost into the “Accommodations” expense. This helps cover the costs for everything and those things totally add to the experience. Plus, if split 8-10+ ways, it’s really not that big of an additional expense.

Another tip: divide the bride’s cost for the weekend between all the guests and include in their accommodation cost. This is her weekend - she shouldn’t have to worry about paying for anything while she’s there!

Girls Just Want To Have Fun: Party Décor

Even if you’re heading out of town for the bachelorette festivities, you can still bring décor that makes the bride feel special. Nothing spices up a boring hotel room or Airbnb like some fun balloons & a tassel garland. If you’re staying at a house, grab some paper plates & napkins for easy clean-up after any meals. Plus, they’re cute so it’s like functional décor – win win!

On that note though, don’t get too overwhelmed with décor & the many, many ideas out there. Focus on a common area like the living room or pool area, and maybe the bride’s room. (Finding a killer house to rent for the weekend makes decorating easy too!)

Top photo from Champagne Darling | Bottom photo: Hangover Kit Bags from designtwentyfive

Party favors & hangover kits are a super fun way to thank the girls for attending and add a little something special to the whole celebration – they totally double as décor too. We also love coordinating koozies & hats for a pool day or matching tanks/tees for a day out on the town!

Fiesta Invitation Available here.

The Club is Jumpin', Jumpin': Itinerary Planning

As an invitation designer, I’ve seen all sorts of Bach Bash itineraries from every minute scheduled to a “here’s the gist of the weekend” vibe; single day celebrations to a full weekend bash! My best piece of advice – if you schedule nothing else, schedule the food. No one likes a hangry group of girls and trying to get a table somewhere with a big group, or even just deciding on where to eat, is a challenge for sure.

I’d also recommend highlighting at least a couple key events/activities – this helps not only with corralling a bunch of girls during the weekend, but also let’s them know what to pack for! If you’re planning on matching tees or a LBD night out, be sure to include that as well. If you’re planning to do a lingerie party during the weekend, the itinerary is a great place to let guests know the bride-to-be’s sizes.

Fiesta Like There’s No Mañana: Pick a theme!

I am alllll about a party with a good theme! A theme is a great way to tie everything in from the activities you do to the décor you buy to the places you eat. When picking the theme for the weekend, definitely consider what the bride loves, as well as the location you’ll be in. If she’s a flamingo fanatic, she’d probably love a “Flamingle” or beach theme. One of my favorite themes for a bachelorette is a “Final Fiesta” – probably because I could live off tacos & margaritas! Check out all the themes we offer here – and be sure to share your fave themes, too!

I hope this helps you plan the most epic bachelorette for your bestie! Just remember, no matter what you end up doing, she’s going to have the time of her life because she’s with her favorite girls! As always, we’d love to hear your tips, tricks & ideas for planning a badass bachelorette. Feel free to share in the comments! Happy planning, girlfriend!