How to Throw the Best Bachelorette Party (Updated for 2024)

How to Throw the Best Bachelorette Party

Planning a bachelorette party takes a lot of organization. It’s fun, but it’s also hard work. Usually, the maid of honor plans and organizes the event, but that’s not a hard and fast rule, especially if the MOH is a poor organizer. Any family member or member of the bridal party can volunteer – or be drafted – for the occasion.

You’ll be spending a lot of time creating a guest list and dealing with different types of personalities. It will undoubtedly take some tact and diplomacy to keep everyone happy. So, don’t let the planning slide. The bachelorette party won’t happen on its own. Get an early start and throw the bachelorette party of everyone’s dreams.

Three months before the bachelorette party, have a meeting with the bride. Find out who she wants to invite; more importantly, ask her about the type of bachelorette party she wants. She may be the wild child of the group, but don’t assume she wants strippers. And don’t assume that the prim and proper bride wants a tea party. It might very well be the exact opposite, so ask and discuss various options. Do remind her that the one serious goal of a bachelorette party is to have FUN.

Agree on the guest list and date. If there are bridal party members from out of town, you may need to get creative with logistics, to the point where the bachelorette party gets scheduled within days of the wedding. Try to be flexible.

Keep in mind that within any group, someone will have trouble with the agreed-upon date. This could be very legitimate, such as job or family responsibilities. As the bachelorette party planner, you could go crazy trying to schedule and reschedule in an effort to please everyone.

Accept that there is only so much you can do and let the person know that you understand the problem and that she will be missed. Once a date has been agreed upon, send out either paper invitations (nice touch) or evites (perfectly acceptable).

These days, social media and email is probably the most efficient way of communicating with everyone. Toss a few ideas around as to the best activities that will be fun for everyone. It’s fine to get the input from others, but avoid planning by committee. You’re in charge - act like the boss.

Group emails make planning a lot easier than it used to be. If the bachelorette party takes place out-of-town, you will need to make reservations and arrange for limo company. Also, make reservations if you are going to a restaurant. (When phoning a restaurant, ask about “bridal” specials. It never hurts to ask.)

If the festivities are taking place in someone’s home, be sure to assign tasks to the some of the other guests, such as party decoration or bringing food and beverages.

The activities, anything from a night at a Vegas strip club to a weekend tea service, will largely depend on what the guests can afford. While group emails are great for tossing ideas around, discussing finances is personal. Be kind and send private emails to each guest asking how much they are able to contribute. Take them at their word. Just because a guest is a lawyer or doctor doesn’t mean that she isn’t heavily in debt from student loans and struggling financially.

The ultimate decision will probably come down to location. If the guests are living in the same area, you’ll get more bang for your bucks by doing something local because you’ll save on travel expenses. If guests are randomly spread across the country, an out-of-town weekend bash might make more sense.

After your discussion with the bride and the other guests, you should have some idea of where this bachelorette party is headed.

There are basically three ideas you can use to adapt for a bachelorette party. Give some serious thought to the guest list before deciding on the activities. Will the bride’s grandmother feel comfortable at a sexy movie marathon or does she think Magic Mike is a mountain in Alaska? An excellent source of information would be the bride’s mother.

• A fun time with the girls means going all-out girlie, with an abundance of bride to be tiaras and glitter. This can include a slumber party movie marathon. An elegant high tea or a dinner at home or at a restaurant. A spa day is always a popular idea. For the budget-conscious, a DIY spa party is a fun way to relax and glam up before dinner. Rent an Airbnb house with a pool for everyone and have a nothing-barred weekend. Whatever your location, consider hiring a chef for a group cooking lesson and fabulous meal.
• For something a bit more adventurous, arrange for a party limousine treasure hunt (perhaps with a Shades of Grey theme) or go to a karaoke bar and sing your heart out.
• For the ultimate in fun, there is always the reliable strip club. Call for one person to be the designated driver, even if you’re taking cabs. It’s just a good idea.

If your planning a night on the town, toss in a few bachelorette party games. These can work just about anywhere and will keep the fun going. Play “How Well Does She Know Him?” over dinner or at a bar. Collect vital information from the groom beforehand and quiz the bride. See how well she does. Another fun game is “Dare.” Have a list of dares for everyone on a card with various point value, depending on the intensity of the dare. Go from, “Say hello to a stranger,” to “Buy a stranger a drink,” to “Plant a kiss on a stranger.” The highest scorer deserves a price.

Keep everyone posted on the details as they develop. For an out-of-town affair, have a location and arrival schedule handy. Keep an updated list of activities circulating. And do allow for some downtime so people can just sit back, relax and get re-acquainted with old friends.

Having a theme for your bachelorette party will tie the entire event together and contributes to the overall fun. If you are hiring a chef or if food is a major part of the event, food-themed decorations will fit right in. For a movie marathon, hang up posters of the movies you will be viewing. Everyone wears pajamas. Getting a popcorn machine would be a great idea.

Make use of color. Decide on a common color for everyone to wear. Score extra points if you can find a pink limousine for your pink-clad guests.

Unless your bachelorette party includes dinner at a restaurant, you will need to feed the crowd in-between all of the fun. A lovely idea would be a dessert bar with mimosas, martinis, jello shots, and champagne. Decorate with balloons and sparklers and large banners stating, “She’s Getting Married!” Here are some great ideas for unique bachelorette party decorations.

Definitely hire a professional photographer to capture all of the fun. You will be creating memories, and an album of bachelorette photos would make a fabulous wedding present. (Best to photoshop the ones from the strip club.)

Without a doubt, everyone will want to post pictures of the affair on social media to show off all of the hilarity. That’s great, but if a close relative or friend was unable to attend, she may feel left out and disappointed seeing everyone else have so much fun. Why not send her a special album and create a mention on social media about how much she was missed. It’s that easy to be thoughtful of someone else’s feelings and would mean a lot to that person.

Planning a bachelorette party may take a lot of patience, but it is the ultimate in fun time. Take advantage of the occasion and give everyone a chance to let their hair down.