How to Plan a Bachelorette Party in 75894412 Easy Steps

Whenever possible I try and re-use decor because buying special stuff to decorate with just for parties doesn't make sense to me anymore. The Shutterfly book I made and gave Jamie for Christmas has been her guest book at all three of her showers. Everything in this picture is something I already had and just re-vamped to pull together the cute 'succulent' theme for the party. The pictures + frames were all given to her after her first shower planned by Adam's Aunt's/Sister. 

I'm kidding. I only have SIX easy steps to bequeath to you all in regards to planning the perfect Bachelorette Party.

Perhaps you noticed two weeks ago I threw Jamie's bachelorette party and I have to say, it might have been one of my best parties to date. I had six whole months to think about it, plenty of time post-Christmas to plan it, and a great group of girls to gather to celebrate. It was all pretty ideal conditions for party-planning.

So if you find yourself in the bach-party-planning position, here are my best pieces of advice:

Apparently there was a miscommunication about Jamie wearing a white dress to the party...she wanted to wear black to match everyone else but I forced her into white and this is the magic that happened. #dontmesswiththeplanner

Step 1: TALK TO THE BRIDE.

I get the whole 'surprise' thing...I mean I sort of get it. The problem with surprising is that maybe you're accidentally planning something the bride hates. There can be elements of surprise built into the night/day/weekend, but I'm a firm believer that the party should be loosely discussed with the bride prior to making plans. Who does she want there? What does she 'picture' for the day/night? What would she like to do? Most of you are probably saying, 'Well if you're the MOH, shouldn't you just know all those things?' I am not sure there has ever been a bride + bridesmaid who have known each other BETTER than Jamie and I do, and we still had lengthy discussions on certain aspects of the party. Logistics, number of guests, including the mom's, activities for the day leading up to the party, where she wanted to go for dinner, etc.

There isn't a single restaurant in Ames that takes reservations, so I called Provisions a week prior to the party and then also an hour before we arrived to let them know a party of 18 would be needing their biggest table around 7:00. We barely waited 10 minutes, just enough time to snap pictures of every possible friend-combination in the perfect evening light.

Step 2: SET A DATE + MAKE THE GUEST LIST.

A night in January full of texting + Facebook messaging wedding party, mom's, and a couple of 'key' besties, and we had the date set. At that point, I knew I could take a couple more months 'off' before the 'real planning' started, because planning something simple for months on end isn't how I like to party-prep. Certain things just don't need to be done four months in advance. I had a couple girls immediately texting me to ask what they could bring for the party and I was like, 'Cannot handle those details right now.' Once the general plan is mapped out, the rest really doesn't need to happen until the week before. Jamie's homework was curating the guest list and getting me everything I needed to address invites during this in-between time.

I served a small selection of Jamie-Favorites for appetizers...bacon-wrapped-dates, my mom's scotcheroos, and chips + salsa. The theme of a bachelorette party should be the BRIDE! What she likes, what she wants, what she eats.

Step 3: CREATE + SEND INVITES.

I make sure I know the framework for the day/night/weekend EXACTLY. Then I head straight to Etsy, pay anywhere between $5-$10 for an adorable template, and create in less than an hour. I showed Jamie everything before we did the final save+print just to make sure I wasn't implementing something into the schedule she didn't want and/or wording something in a way she didn't like. The invite for a bachelorette party is SO important because it communicates the 'vibe' for this particular kind of party. Will it be a weekend rager? Will it be a night of binge drinking + strippers? Will it be a fun, classy, appropriate affair where everyone will be comfortable and have a great time? (Ours was the latter, if you were wondering) I prefer to send invites for parties like this 4-5 weeks prior and I think I was right around the four-week-mark with these...most of the attendees were already aware of the date, which meant I didn't need to rush.

Activities with mom's + sister's included brunch, nails, shopping, coffee, ring cleaning, porch-time. 

Step 4: KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Perhaps you enjoy taking an entire weekend away to Nashville, KC, Vegas, etc. to spend $1,500 at a party with a bunch of people you don't know. It's been my experience that bachelorette parties like that are just unnecessary and TOO MUCH. The very best ones have been when we gather to spoil and celebrate the bride with good drinks, good food, good friends, and a few structured 'activities' that all make for a fun night of laughs, conversation, and goofy stories about Nikki. I didn't over-do the decor (I went with a succulent-theme, perfect because Jamie loves succulents and I happen to have quite a collection), I didn't over-do the apps (because we were going to dinner after!) and I asked all the girls to bring a bottle of wine so I could share that expense a bit. We were strategic about how we structured the day so we could include the mom's and do some of the fun bachelorette-day things Jamie loves (nails, brunch, coffee) without asking a group of 18 girls to spend that much money and time on a bachelorette party.

A general rule Jamie and I like to abide by: Unless they're part of the wedding party or family, you shouldn't require 'your people' to attend/throw more than one shower for you. People get over-extended and annoyed that they're being invited to a bridal shower and then a church shower and also a bachelorette party, then an online Norwex/Pampered Chef shower in addition to the actual wedding + gift. SIMPLIFY, EVERYONE.

Step 5: PARTY PREP.

Start with a big list of everything that needs to be bought/ordered/cleaned on Monday the week before the party. Then just take each day at a time, checking things off the list and outsourcing as much as you can (MOM!). Do not get side-tracked with big projects that don't need to happen (See: potting bench outside of my white garage that did NOT need to be tackled the Wednesday before the bachelorette party). Don't be afraid to ask for help (Also see: texting friends to ask about borrowing wine glasses b/c I only own 8 and I had planned a 'wine bar' on my porch). And wait until the day before to do any real cleaning...otherwise, you'll just end up cleaning three bathrooms twice in one week. I like to start pulling out all the decor/party supplies I've gathered so I can see everything I have and fill in the holes with a final list + trip to the store (yes, I'd forgotten party plates + napkins until the day before) and then I take my time setting things up because that part is the most fun for me. Prep the week prior is the most important part to ensure the day is easy/fun/stress-free/and zero work.

I always like to switch the house around just a bit to make the party seem more special, not just like any other day when people come over. Part of that was adding this fun fabric, succulents, and replacing our family pictures w/ pictures of J + A.

Step 6: PARTY!

When the schedule and expectations have been clearly communicated to all guests and the MOH has done the work to over-plan every detail according to the exact desires of the bride (with a couple surprises thrown in!)...it makes for a flawless party. I'm not kidding. From drinks + apps to breakfast the next morning, it was some of my best work and it's really because I killed myself on the front end. It was so worth it though! Everyone had fun (except maybe Josh who I announced as 'the stripper is here!' when he snuck in from working at 6:00) and ending the night with a slumber party was the perfect way to get in some extra cuddle + coffee time with Jamie's most-special besties. We ended the festivities with tired eyes + church on Sunday morning, and don't worry, I made sure we stopped and posed for group-photos throughout the night because there's NOTHING WORSE than getting to the end of a party and realizing you forgot to take pictures with your favorite people.

I'd do it again! But the good news is, I won't have to. ;)

MmB

We're using eucalyptus at the wedding, so I didn't want to overuse that kind of greenery, but did throw some in to this shower. I've tried to come up with different colors/themes for each party/shower so the wedding stays completely unique.

The wine table was out on the porch to break up traffic-flow in the dining room and to get fresh air in the house.

The bride's latest obsession.

Mom's + sister's spend the afternoon at Cafe Diem reminiscing over their old wedding albums...

We ended the night with games at the Wine Bar.

Without knowing we'd get such amazing pictures at Provisions, I forced everyone outside in the middle of gifts so Josh could take this picture before he left. I have no regrets about this. #prettydressesandbarefeet

I made Jamie's favorite, sweet potato hash, for breakfast on Sunday morning. This was something I could prep well in advance so I'd be able to relax and enjoy my morning coffee with everyone else. It's been two weeks and the beds in the basement are still unmade but it doesn't matter because it was fun.

In wedding prep season, maintenance is just a whole thing. It's like our full-time job. Tans, eyelashes, waxes, manicures/pedicures, hair extensions...you guys. Having a wedding in 2010 was so different than bachelorette parties and weddings in 2019 but WE ARE HAVING SO MUCH FUN.