Bachelorette Parties
I recently had the pleasure of throwing my first bachelorette party. Prior to this experience, I was a party planning virgin (pun intended). I've been to my fair share of bachelorette parties & I knew they all shared similar themes: female comradary, debauchery, & all around celebration of a woman's last go-round as a single Miss. I wanted to do something different & unique that maintained the same standards of traditional bachelorette expectations.
Every web page I found on the subject gave the same advice: "Suck for a buck", "Scavenger Hunt", strippers, etc. To each her own & if those sort of parties are your cup of tea then more power to you, but for those of you who are sick of the tried & cliche there are always other possibilities. If you're looking to march to the beat of a different drummer, here are some ideas that might help you on your way.
Hopefully, if you've been placed in charge of organizing such an important event in a bride's life, you are close to her. Next to her fiance, you are most likely the person who knows her best. Use this to your advantage. Essentially, these parties are meant to honor her in a way that you're unable to at a wedding ceremony. This is a way for you to thank her for being the person she is apart from her soon-to-be husband.
Take this time to relive some of your favorite memories. "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" transcends into a very useful tool for personalizing your own trivia. Turn the title into "Who Wants to be the Maid of Honor?" Write some fun questions with multiple choice answers that highlight some of the things that make the woman of the hour who she is. Give each guest as many note cards as they would like to create the pool of questions. Make sure that they write the correct answer along with their name in the bottom left hand corner. This is done in order to avoid asking someone their own question. It will also prevent the "contestant" who is asked the question from knowing who to choose if phoning a friend.
In addition to the question cards, give each guest note cards that can be used & discarded as life-lines. Finally, give each guest a card for each multiple choice letter (A, B, C, D). This is so they can vote when a "contestant" polls the audience. Each person should start the game with 7 cards in hand. You can choose to play the traditional way & let one person see how far they can get. Another option is to involve more people by going around in a circle & taking turns answering questions. Throw the score keeping thing out the window & turn it into a drinking game. Each wrong answer merits a certain amount of drinks based on the simplicity of a given question. The host would be in charge of rating these questions. Phoning a friend is still just that. You can call someone who is not present, or "call" on a person in the circle who you think might know the answer.
There are exceptions to the rules & the # of guests present is going to affect the game, so go with whatever works for you. P.S. Photos can animate the answers so well!
Know her favorites. I don't care if her favorite food is liver & onions, serve it! There are always side dishes & other main courses you can make available. If she's a vegetarian, honor her choice by not serving any meat. See where I'm going with this? Graduation parties are famous for playing it safe with deviled eggs & punch. This party is not about the guests. A bachelorette party is all about her.
.Have fun with her favorite color. Try to find some specialty drinks that are that color, buy the appropriate fixings & learn how to make them. A fall back option is serving her favorite drink in her favorite color cup. Likewise, balloons, flowers, cutlery, plates, napkins, etc.
Finally, set the mood with the right music. This portion of the party planning can indulge everyone involved. Ask the guests to suggest a song that reminds them of the bride's personality or a moment they shared together when they RSVP to your invitation. Use these suggestions to produce a unique arrangement of music that she's sure to love. There are few other things that can spark fun storytelling like a song shared between two people. This is a sure fire way to avoid awkward silences or a lack of conversation starters.
Make a night of it. Obviously, bachelorette parties take place in the evening. Whether you choose to go out or stay in, it should be her choice. Don't pressure her to do something she's not comfortable with & don't withhold from things she can't wait to do. It's tacky, selfish, & juvenile to say, "We're not gonna.." Again, she's only getting married once, so take the chance to live it up her way.
If you choose to stay in, a fire can be perfect for ambiance. Summer parties allow backyard barbecues & fire pits while winter parties offer the opportunity to light up the fireplace. Consider these things when choosing a location.If you choose to go out, be sure you have a designated driver. Consider cab fare when you charge the girls an attendance fee.
