Who, What, When, Where?
As a bridesmaid, or friend, it’s all up to you to plan the perfect party. The only thing you need to discuss with the bride is the guest list and the date of the party. After you work out those details, you should leave the bride out of the planning unless she just really wants to be involved. But it would be more fun if most of the evening was a surprise for her! Once you do figure out the guest list and when the party will be, you need to figure out what you will do and where you will go. Go out to a quiet dinner? Have a wild night out with embarrassing outfits and gags for the bride? A weekend away at spa? A weekend in Vegas? Private party at someone’s house or venue? There are so many options, but you should choose whatever fits your bride the best and what she would enjoy and be the most comfortable with.
Entertain the Bride!
The most popular bachelorette party is probably the traditional dressing of the bride in embarrassing (sometimes offensive) attire and then taking her out on the town to different bars and challenging her to do embarrassing tasks and just dancing and drinking the night away. However, there are alternatives to this if you do not want to bar hop or if the guests are not into the party scene. If this is the case you may want to choose to plan your own private party. There are a lot of party entertainment ideas if you have the budget for it. Do not be afraid to ask the bridesmaids and friends to chip in!
If the guest list is going to be pretty large, then you may want to hire a live band or DJ to play while the guests dance and mingle. Or if the venue is big enough, hiring dueling pianos would be a big hit! Does the bride have a favorite celebrity or music group? See if you can find an impersonator or tribute band and hire them to stop by the party and surprise the bride. If they are a performer, set up a stage and let them serenade the bride with her favorite song. If you don’t want a specific celebrity impersonator, then you could just hire a singing telegram or barbershop quartet to come by the party and sing a song to the bride. You could even write a personalized song for them to sing with jokes about her and her husband-to-be.
Hypnotists, magicians and comedians also make for terrific entertainment for bachelorette parties.
Adding that Extra Touch!
The entertainment and events are the main focus of the bachelorette party but there are many other added touches that can help make the party more memorable and fun! Bachelorette party decorations can be really inexpensive and are available at any local party store and they will create a great party atmosphere. You may also want to buy some fun games to play and party favors for the guests to take home with them. Another great idea, especially if you are going out, would be to make matching t-shirts for the guests attending the party. The shirts can have the bride’s name on them, the date of the party and each guest’s relation to the bride or wedding; such as "Maid of Honor," "Bridesmaid," "Sister of the Bride," "Friend of the Bride," etc.
If you have a dinner or party at your own house or private venue, then you may want to hire a caterer to handle the food for you and a bartender to pass out cocktails or glasses of wine. Or to spice up the party a little, hire a flair bartender! Your guests can be entertained by juggling, flipping and magic tricks while also enjoying professionally mixed drinks! If you do plan on having alcoholic beverages and plan to move from one location to another, you’ll want to hire transportation or select a designated driver. If you have the budget for it, hire a limo service so you can travel in style!
If the party you are planning does end up being a big event with a need for lots of planning, you could hire a professional event planner to handle the details for you. However, the party can also be a simple one and with the right resources, you should have no trouble handling it yourself or with the help of your fellow bridesmaids. GigSalad is here to help you every step of the way by being your one stop shop for all your Bachelorette Party planning needs!