Bachelorette parties are FUN, yet can be challenging to plan. Nowadays, these types of celebrations are all about women celebrating other women and are, quite simply, a fabulous reason to spend quality time with your favorite people. With that being said, often a weekend getaway is in order to reconnect with your best gals. Planning a trip for you and your bestie can be difficult, now imagine adding even more babes to the mix! Where do you even start?! It can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry, we put some great tips together to help your bachelorette fête run smoothly.
1. Appoint a Task Force
It’s best to appoint 1-2 people in your group as the leaders of the planning process. It might seem like a good idea to have everyone in the group make decisions, but that gets complicated. Having your “go to gals” will make the process seamless for everyone. Often, we recommend turning to your maid or matron of honor for this job. From there, it’s their responsibility to take the bride’s vision and bring it to life.
2. Settle on a Date
Based on the group’s size, it is most likely going to be a challenge for everyone to decide on a date. We recommend starting by creating a shared file on Google Drive, or Iphone notes, with everyone in the group. The bride should select three different months, then the days of week, along with a number of nights she’d like to celebrate. From there, everyone in the group contributes which dates would work best for them. After that, lock in the dates – no changes!
3. Talk Financials
Once everyone is settled on the date, you will need to have a real talk about budget. This will be the main factor of where you can go, where you’ll be staying, and what you will be doing. This may be an awkward conversation to have and you don’t want to put anyone on the spot. Lodging is often the main expense for a bachelorette weekend, so you may want to ask what they are comfortable with as their spending range per night ($50 to $100, $100 to $200, $200 to $300, $300 and up). Another safe way to go about this is by talking with everyone one-on-one about individual budgets. Try to be understanding, while knowing it’s hard to make everyone happy – ideally, you’ll be able to find a sweet spot that works!
4. Timing is EVERYTHING
If possible, plan on booking your accommodations (whether it is a hotel or AirBnB) at least four to six months out – especially if it’s a highly desired destination during peak travel times. This way you will get everything you want out of your lodging and you won’t have to settle for anything less. It is also good to ensure there is a communal space for everyone to congregate, so no one feels left out based on how the sleeping arrangements work out.
5. Set the Frame Work
Once you have the dates and the budget set, you can firm up the next parts of the celebration. You will want to book group reservations for restaurants, pool parties, spa treatments, yoga classes, and additional activities like beer cycling, at least three months in advance. Around this time, it is also good to confirm that the entire group (especially the bride) has booked travel to and from the destination.
6. Don’t Over Schedule
Pro Tip: You don’t need to have something planned for every single day you’re away!
Keep in mind that you’re all away to spend time together. Make sure to factor downtime for sitting by the pool, chatting over drinks and snacks, getting ready (there is always at least one in the group who takes extra long showers). Are you staying in a hotel or at an AirBnB that is a little out of the way? You’ll need to think about requesting Ubers and getting to your location so remember to stay flexible and give yourselves enough time so there’s no extra stress!
7. Use Apps like Splitwise or Venmo
These are two great apps to use while you’re away – instead of splitting the bill 10 ways (sorry, servers!) Splitwise allows you to track costs throughout the weekend then calculates how much each person owes and to whom at the end of the trip. Easy-peasy and no drama!
8. The Fun Stuff
Don’t forget your decorations, ladies! Make sure to pick a theme, select coordinating swag and stick with it! Check out our DIY Custom Color Handmade Balloon Garlands to add a little extra spunk too. Also, you may consider going in on a group gift or select a theme for the bachelorette gifts as well. Don’t forget the sashes, veils, pool floaties, “special” straws – these items can feel cheesy but we guarantee it will add extra giggles and good times for the weekend!
Well, we have FOMO now just thinking about all you lucky groups of girls off to plan your getaways. We hope these tips help with planning your destination bachelorette weekend. Also, don’t forget who you are celebrating and make sure the bride-to-be is having the best time possible!
