If you’re getting married, you’re going to want to enjoy a fun, creative, memorable bachelorette party – and you’re going to want to do it your way. Some brides are happy for the maid of honor to deal with all the organization, but if you prefer to have at least a say (or even organize the whole thing yourself) then this guide on how to have the perfect bachelorette party is going to help you out.
Who’s Coming?
Getting the guest list for your perfect bachelorette party right can be close to a nightmare – so many people, so many choices, so little time or room or desire to have some of them anywhere near you. If you leave this to your bridesmaid, make sure you have some input, otherwise you could find out on the day itself that your best work friend was forgotten, and your most distant cousin has arrived from out of state and is expecting you to put her up for the night. Be involved and you can stop any issues in their tracks. Make a list of all the people who you really want to attend, and see if there are going to be any clashes, either in personality, or in what they might enjoy doing. Yes, it’s your party, but you want everyone to enjoy themselves too. If it does look like there might be a problem, split the day into two halves – day time for the more sedate activities (and people), and evening for the wilder side of things!
Save The Date
Once you know who’s coming, it’s time to choose the perfect date to hold your bachelorette party. Try to find a weekend that’s at least a week, but more preferably two, before your wedding. Never ever ever (ever!) organize your bachelorette party for the night before your wedding. Even if you don’t have a hangover the next day, you’ll be tired, as will half of your wedding guests, and sleeping in by accident can very easily occur! Not only that, but you’ll want to look your best for the photos, and if there are any last-minute wedding preparations to take care of, you don’t want to run out of time for them. With the guest list done and the date set, send out invitations – if you don’t know exactly what the details are going to be yet, then send out save the date cards instead.
Budget
It’s essential that you set a budget for your party. The budget isn’t just for you (unless you’re being very generous and paying for everyone’s night out); the rest of the group will need to know how much they’re going to have to chip in, or bring with them. They’ll need to know this in advance, as the cost can be a deal breaker for some. To make it fair on everyone’s wallet, try to save money where you can by booking well in advance and securing some good deals where possible. If you need to pay for an activity before the date itself, make collecting the money from your friends a priority – impose a deadline well ahead of the real one to make sure you’ve got the cash.
What To Do
Part of making the budget will be working out what you are going to do. For some, they want to have a lovely meal with their friends and then go on somewhere for drinks and possibly dancing. Others want to enjoy an activity such as learning how to pole dance, entering a baking class, a spa day, or going to the theater (it really can be anything!). Others still want their bachelorette party in the comfort of their own home with pot luck dishes and the addition of the fun and sexy Central Coast Strippers. Your personality will dictate exactly what will happen on the night – or day – itself. Don’t get carried along with other people’s ideas of what a bachelorette party should be about; it needs to be something you’ll enjoy.
Speak To Your Guests
If you’re stuck on ideas of what to do and where to do it, speak to your guests. Ask them for ideas of what might be fun, but make sure to let them know that you might not pick their idea! Remind them that you’re speaking to everyone, and getting some inspiration. Once you’ve got a list of things you could do, sit down and research the ones that sound most appealing. This way to can work out costs and logistics, and see if any are truly viable. Your shortlist will soon narrow itself down to a handful – or maybe even just the one perfect party idea – of suggestions that you can think about. Don’t try to please everyone by trying for elements of all the ideas together, though; it’s nice to make people happy, but it can also be time consuming and expensive, and this is your party after all, so you do have final say.
Be Flexible
If you are booking activities don’t go overboard and book too many. Look at how much time you really have, and work out whether you can actually do all of the things you’re planning. Once you all get together and start chatting and having fun, time will most certainly fly, and you might find that you run out of time to get to the next event if you plan them too closely together. Be flexible with your plans, and if the party doesn’t go exactly the way it was planned, then as long as you’re enjoying yourself does it really matter?
Pace Yourself
Pace yourself. This could be linked to alcoholic beverages, or strenuous activities, but remember not to go too mad right at the start. You’ll hurt yourself or get too drunk to enjoy anything else. Be sensible and factor in some rest time, eating time, and some time. Otherwise you might have to cut your party short, and no one wants that.
Enjoy It!
After all the organization and planning, the most important part of having the perfect bachelorette party is to enjoy it!