Get In Formation

Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation; time to organize the bachelorette party. You want this party to go as smooth as possible, so now it’s time to lay out a plan to make it all happen. Per usual during the planning process, it all comes back to what the bride truly wants. Make sure you’re following her wishes and all will be well. See below for a loose guideline!

Go over details with the bride. Make sure you’ve nailed now every tiny aspect that the bride is hoping for. You don’t necessarily need to tell her exactly what you’re planning if she wants it to be a surprise—but have her general interests in mind. If she wants something low key, stick with the brunch or tea party idea we listed on Tuesday. If you know she’s into sports, go for organizing an activity like skiing or something of the like.

Invitations. It’s always fun to give your invitations a bit of a flare that ties back into the overall wedding vision. Maybe include her colors or flowers of choice, or whatever else it is that makes her wedding unique and special. Send out the invitations with the date, time, location, recommended attire (if necessary) and any other details you feel are needed. Also, let everyone know what the general expense will be if you aren’t just hosting a party. The bride should never have to pay for anything.  Costs should be covered and split amongst the party throwers.

Roll call. Get a head count of everyone that is coming. This will help you prep for how much food and drink you’ll need, what transportation will look like if you’re traveling near or far, and what expenses per person will look like. Also keep in mind who has kids and who doesn’t, and therefore, who is more likely able to come on a weekend getaway as opposed to a brunch or spa day.

Make the reservations. Make any lodging, lunch, dinner, spa reservations or car rental arrangements when you have somewhat of a solid head count. Do this as soon as possible. If you have a large group of people, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So make any sort of reservations you need to right away!

As long as you follow the general wishes of your bride, executing the actual party will come easy. Just keep it simple by following the guidelines we’ve outlined here, followed by deep breathing and calm thoughts. Here’s to a fantastic bachelorette party! 

Party Ideas fit for a Bachelorette

Ladies, are you worried about what you’re going to do for your bride for her pre-ceremony festivities? Throwing a bachelorette party for your bride is one of the most fun parts about a wedding celebration! So relax and take a look at the list of ideas we’ve compiled for you. As we discussed last week in regards to the groom and the bachelor party, this is going to be a celebration of the bride’s soon-to-be wedded bliss, so make sure you target exactly what she likes.

Spa day / Spa weekend. The ultimate goal for most brides is relaxation. Treat your bride to a spa day or a whole weekend of massages, facials, pedicures and seaweed wraps. The more friends that attend, the cheaper it is; everyone will be pitching in to cover the bride’s expenses. All of the pampering will also be relaxing for you, too!

Wine tasting. Set aside a day to go on a tour of wineries nearby, or take a trip to wine country within your state. If you’re feeling adventurous, go out of state and make it a little trip! Stop midday for lunch for a little pick-me-up and then hit a few more wineries before dinner. This gives time for everyone to chat and visit, and just have general down time with the bride during the hectic planning. The bride will also appreciate a little break with some friend time in a relaxing setting.

Brunch. So many maids of honor have recently begun throwing lavish brunch parties within the last couple of wedding seasons. Brunch parties are the best! You can serve mimosas, play games, and make all of the bride’s favorites brunch foods. This is a great idea because you have control over the details of the party and can mold it to exactly what the bride likes.

Tea party. Tea parties or garden parties are in the same genre of ideas as hosting a brunch. Simple and easy to execute, an adorable little shindig where everyone can visit with the bride is always a good idea. Serve little sandwiches to accompany the tea, even offer a spirit or two for people to spice their tea cups up!

Weekend getaway. If you want to go big, plan a weekend trip to your bride’s favorite location! Make it a 3-day weekend so there’s enough time to actually relax. It’s important that everyone can enjoy themselves! If the bride wants to do something active, go for a weekend of skiing in the mountains, or the opposite; boating and water skiing for a little fun in the sun. This is also a good time to plan hikes!

As long as you know the details about what is important to your bride, you can’t go wrong with throwing her the perfect bachelorette party. She’ll welcome the relaxation, or if she’s all about being active, she’ll appreciate the chance to blow off some steam with a beautiful hike or weekend skiing. On Thursday, we’ll focus on how to organize and ensure a smooth bachelorette party! 

Organize like a Boss: Bachelor Party Edition

Okay, you have the idea about what the groom wants to do for his bachelor party…but now what? If you’re anything like most groomsmen, the planning process can get a little hazy and blurry, induce excessive perspiration, and may even cause you to faint. That’s completely okay, because that’s what we’re for and here are some step-by-step instructions on how to execute your mission are listed below.

Confirm where and when with the groom. After the groom decides what he wants to do, figure out where you’ll be going and where you’re going to stay. If this is a one day activity, then obviously there’s no need for lodging decisions. Otherwise, figure out if you’re staying at a hotel, cabin, lake house, treehouse, yurt, cottage, etc. then specifically choose which hotel, cabin, lake house, treehouse, yurt, cottage, etc. it will be.

Approximate general expense. After you have the lodging nailed down, calculate the average cost it will be for everyone to stay there. Have a general sense of what everyone can afford and what everyone will want to pay. The bachelor should be covered in his costs for this, so divide his dollar amount across the groomsmen as well. Also, include any extra-excursion costs into the general total per each attendee. They’ll appreciate the heads up of what’s to come.

Pick a date. Unless you’re looking to plan this party on a super busy weekend in hopes of spicing up your trip with a bunch of tourists and/or children, try to book around major holidays and national events. Also, consider who out of the attendees has children and will need notice of the date as soon as possible to make sure their family life is in order before they retreat to the wilderness with no cell service for roughly 48-72 hours. DO NOT plan the party the night before the wedding!

Alert the troops. Send an email or round everyone up via conch shell horn and include the details of the party and/or trip. When translated into the male dialect, it should go somewhat like this;

TITLE (i.e. Brad’s Bachelor Party)

We’re doing (chosen activity), so bring (items necessary for chosen activity). We’re going on (date of departure) and coming back (date of return). Bring $(trip/activity expense estimation). 

Then maybe include something about getting your affairs in order before the trip, any flight details if you’ll be going somewhere exotic like Lake Tahoe, then finish it off with a nice photo of Brad (or whoever the groom is) last Halloween performing a full whip & nae nae in his Stormtrooper costume.  

Once you have everything in order, you’ll feel less panicked about logistics, and therefore, fully able to freely take part in all the hilarity and manly bonding that will ensue during the bachelor party. Just make sure to keep tabs on the groom (he will be needed shortly thereafter for the wedding ceremony and marriage to follow) and you’ll be golden.