Maid of Honor’s Guide to Planning the Bachelorette Party

You are excited! Your best friend has found the love of her life and ready to get married. Now it is the time to bring the FUN! As her maid of honor (MOH), you cannot wait to start planning the big bash and the second most important part of planning any wedding. Not sure about the details of this event? Well, don’t worry! We have put together a quick guide to make planning this party without any hiccups!

As you go along with the Bachelorette party plans always remember rule number 1: Listen to the bride! Ask her how she wants her bachelorette party to be like. She may want to paint the town red with a weekend in Las Vegas. She may want a quiet and relaxing weekend at a spa resort. Remember, it’s what the bride-to-be wants! Not what YOU think she wants. Keep this rule in mind and everything (or almost everything) will be smooth sailing.

Who Hosts The Bachelorette Party?

As MOH, you usually get dibs on planning this exciting event. But anyone can plan this, there are no concrete rules. You can enlist fellow bridal party bridesmaids, close friends, family (a cousin or sister) or even fellow co-workers to help plan the bachelorette party. Unlike the bridal shower where the hostess pays for festivities for the bachelorette party the rules are low key. It is complete acceptable to ask everyone attending to chip in. If you would like everyone to help pay for the Bachelorette Party be sure to notify everyone who is invited the plan, budget, and who to pay before the festivities begin.

Determining The Bachelorette Party’s Guest List

You may want to ask the bride to be for a list of names of who the bride would like to invite. The obvious ones on the list would be you the Maid of Honor, bridesmaids, family (cousins or sisters) and close friends. Most guests invited to the bachelorette party are also invited to the wedding. For any reason, if there are guests invited to the bachelorette party and not invited to the wedding (maybe the wedding is very small or if it’s a destination wedding), let the guests know ahead of time so they don’t end up expecting a wedding invite. Try to keep the bachelorette entourage under 20. Even better, under 10. Keeping it small makes planning easier and less stressful.

How to Send Out Bachelorette Party Invites

Formal invitations and save the dates are for wedding invitations. Depending on the formality of the event, just digital save-the-dates or an email for the Bachelorette party can be sent out. Events that require flights, hotels or shows will need you to spend out official RSVP’s ahead of time. Give guests enough time to reply before putting in the reservations. You can get away with phone calls or emails for casual bachelorette parties.

Plan Ahead For the Bachelorette Party (Decide on Date)

The key to a successful bachelorette party is to plan ahead. Decide on a date and send out invitations. The bachelorette party is usually set for a month or two before the wedding. Avoid the night before the wedding or a couple weeks leading up to the wedding. This time can be very hectic, stressful and nerve-racking for the bride to be. Plus, you don’t want her to be exhausted or even hungover on her big day! Set a budget. Party hosts can ask guests to contribute to the event cost. This can range anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on the destination, how extravagant and how many activities you have planned. You can reach out to the guests to ask how much they are comfortable with spending. It should not be a financially-burdened event. Just remember, the bride does not contribute to this. Usually, the host(s) will cover the bride’s portion or it can be split among all guests attending the bachelorette party.

Make sure you make reservations where reservations are required. Plan transportations ahead of time. Whether it’s a wild weekend in Vegas or a calming spa and wine tasting weekend having preplanned transportations is the best and safest way to get around. You don’t want to be dealing with trying to figure out how to call a cabs or limos after having a few drinks.

Some brides-to-be love themed parties, so their bachelorette party is no different. Plan outfits ahead of time. Some may want their bachelorette entourage in one color while she wears a different color, to have the whole group stand out. Whether it’s a themed event, or just color coordination, give guests plenty of time to plan for it.

Many will want to share this fun and exciting event on social media, letting all their followers to get a glimpse into all the fun they’re having. Check with the bride-to-be to see if sharing any parts of this special bash is okay. Set social media guidelines regarding what is okay and what is not okay to share. Some couples may have unique hashtags or phrases linked to their big day that can be shared with everyone. Share the excitement and festivities! Just be considerate of what you and guests of bachelorette party are sharing. You don’t want family or co-workers seeing things they shouldn’t be seeing.

All this planning may be executed perfectly. But things may and most likely come up that derails your plans. Best way to handle this is by having a back-up plan set up for an unexpected occurrences. The bachelorette bash is supposed to be a bonding experience with you, the bride and the rest of her entourage. So don’t stress out when things don’t go to plan. If all else fails, just go with the flow and have fun! That’s the most important part!

Party Time! What Happens During a Bachelorette Party?

Bachelorette parties are less structured than bridal showers. This is a time to have fun and bond with the bride-to-be. This may include putting her in the spotlight for a bit in a fun and carefree way. Bachelorette parties do not have to be wild, crazy and alcohol-filled. It can be calm and sober. It just depends on what the bride wants. Icebreaker games and activities can be played to put everyone at ease and bond. DIY photo booths can set up so that everyone can capture memories. Just remind everyone about the social media guidelines that the bride-to-be has enforce. Most importantly, have fun!!

Are Bachelorette Party Gifts Required?

Unlike other wedding related events, gifts are optional at bachelorette parties. Friends close to the bride-to-be like to bring silly gifts for the bride-to-be to open, usually consists of sexy lingerie or gag gifts. Some hosts will have fun party favors for attendees as a token of appreciation for being part of the bride-to-be’s entourage. The whole point of this bash is to be bond with the guest of honor and have a fun time.

There you have it! All you need to know to throw the best, most memorable bachelorette party for your best friend! Check out the rest of a Maid Of Honor responsibilities to see what you need to do after the bachelorette party is over.