Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bachelorette

We are limiting ourselves to one penis-shaped item

enlarged to show texture — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:08:06 -0800

Non-traditional, non-girly, physically active bachelorette party ideas in the DC area? A couple of friends and I are trying to organize a bachelorette party for our dear friend who lives in the Maryland suburbs of DC. We've already got dinner and post-dinner activities planned, but we're looking for some sort of pre-dinner activity that would be good for a group of about 10 women.

Our friend likes outdoor activities and physical challenges; it's difficult to find something that a) fits those criteria, b) is social, and c) is accommodating of different levels of physical fitness and courage (all of the attendees enjoy physical activity, but not all of them enjoy walking on tightropes 20 feet off the ground and one of the attendees will be rather pregnant).

I thought I had the perfect idea with the low ropes course at Terrapin Adventures, but alas, they are already booked up for the day of the party. Laser tag is a possibility, though unless we're willing to fork over tons of money it seems that we would be thrown in with a bunch of adolescent boys, which is sub-optimal. So, in short, I'm looking for suggestions for activities that:

-Are in the DC area, preferably the Maryland side
-Aren't too expensive (maybe $30/person max)
-Involve some amount of physical exertion and maybe a little bit of adrenaline
-Aren't particularly girly (NO POLE DANCING LESSONS!)
-Facilitate social interaction amongst the participants (and I guess ideally not with strangers)

We're not averse to setting something up ourselves, but it would be much easier if it's something pre-fab.

Have at it, hive mind!

Help Assuage My Fear of Las Vegas

These Birds of a Feather — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:51:24 -0800

I have never been to Las Vegas but will be going for the first time this summer as a bridesmaid for my friend's bachelorette party. I am not a Vegas person: I don't drink or club, I don't like being around lots of people all the time, my budget is extremely tight, and crashing at the yucky hotel we're staying at sets off all my buttons in every way. Am I going to be able to realistically make this happen, or do I need to figure out a way to bail now? We are staying at the Quad over a big holiday weekend from Friday to Sunday. I thankfully get to fly in as my parents don't want me driving there and back, but I will be staying in a suite with 3-6 other girls. My friend the bride has also invited the vast majority of her sorority sisters, all of whom are intense partiers and not the nicest people on the planet when drunk. Many of the girls have already booked rooms at the Quad too, but based on prior experiences with these women during college I am fairly certain that there will be other people attempting to crash in our rooms at various times during the weekend.

I am not sure how I'm going to handle a) paying for my own food as well as special treats for the bride when my budget is stretched so thin to begin with (I have $200 to spend that weekend max), b) being the lone sober person the whole time, c) having to be around people all day every day the whole weekend, and d) the fact that everyone I've talked to thus far has warned me against the Quad because its rooms aren't clean/quiet/in good repair.

My questions are therefore these:

a) Is $200 enough to cover dinner Friday, 3 decent meals Saturday, and breakfast Sunday, along with going to shows and contributing to the pot that covers the bride's share of everything? If not, how much should I try to save up?
b) Is it going to be a big faux pas on my part if I don't drink and also attempt to steal away every now and then for an hour or two to recharge?
c) What if I can't afford a show and have to say that I can't join them? I plan to still attempt to help pay for the bride's ticket obviously.
d) Is the Quad as terrible as I'm being told and is there anything I can do about the bad stuff?
e) Will I look like a huge bitch if I attempt to insist that no other people crash in the room we've got?

My friend's happiness is important to me, and I want to do right by her, but I also can't afford to come back to work stressed and ill from a weekend in a place I don't feel like I'm compatible with. I absolutely cannot afford to go over whatever budget I set for this and I'm really worried that food, having to possibly get other hotel accommodations, and paying for my friend's good time will drain me before I know it. If I were to bail now (2-3 months before) and put the money I save toward a kickass bridal shower/wedding present, is that an option?

Help me plan a unique New York City bachelorette party

rachaelfaith — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:10:24 -0800

I could use some input on how I can pull off the bachelorette party I have envisioned, in New York City, in late May of this year. Keywords: fun (not raunchy), slumber party, karaoke, good food, overnight. My cousin pulled a fast one on me and moved her wedding up by a full year. I'm scrambling to plan the bridal shower (a whole 'nother beast) and a bachelorette party. Most of the bridesmaids and a few friends are in the North Jersey/NYC area, so holding it in Manhattan is the primary choice. The party will be held either 5/31 or 6/1.

I have envisioned a night that goes something like this: Eat some delicious food, go to a karaoke bar and sing drunken anthems, maybe hit a bar or club after, end the night at a location in which I can turn into the greatest slumber party, complete with blanket forts, snacks and cupcakes and air mattresses or shared beds, fluffy slippers, silly little-kid blankets, et cetera.

I suppose the most important questions are:
1. Where can I construct a slumber party? Are there any hotels you might know of that would work with me on this? I considered AirBnB, but I would have to clear it with the owner beforehand, and possibly come in a day early to decorate... This is my main concern.

2. Where should I bring a group of 5-10 mid to late 20's women for a not-too-expensive, not too 'adventurous' (I think some of them are picky about worldly cuisine) dinner? Maybe a tapas place? I would consider Blue Ribbon Bakery for the general ambience and food type but it's not ideal in terms of loudness and large parties.

3. Which karaoke bar can accommodate large-ish parties? Sing Sing on St. Marks is my go-to, but maybe I'm missing out on other great options. Private rooms are ideal.

4. Any suggestions on other clubs or bars to go to? None of us are into the club scene, nothing super exclusive, nothing snobby, nothing aimed at the college crowd. Just a decent place we can get drinks and dance a bit before ending the night.

5. Any other alternative ideas or activities that might work for this group would be wonderful. Bride-to-be is 26, girly, loves romantic comedies and coming of age movies, comfort food, getting dressed up, baseball. Not into overdone NYC bachelorette things like Lucky Cheng's. Can handle some raunchy fun but nothing overt. Probably not into the 'spa' thing but will go for occasional pedicures.

Help!

How to hire a stripper?

showbiz_liz — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 17:54:55 -0800

I am helping plan a bachelorette party and have some questions about the hiring of strippers. Specifically, one male and one female stripper. More specifically, in Richmond VA. The party will be in late May, in Richmond VA. The bride-to-be has requested one male and one female stripper, and would ideally like to receive one lapdance from each and then one co-lapdance. No one involved in the planning of this has ever hired a stripper before.

Logistical hurdles:
-How to find them? No one involved in the planning lives in Richmond, so we can't go and scope people out at strip clubs. Are there legit review sites? Also, is there any way at all for us to hire both strippers at once? Are there companies who have both male and female strippers?

-The bride-to-be doesn't actually live in Richmond either- she lives out in the country and doesn't want to have the party at her house. Can we rent a hotel room and bring the stripper there? Is that too sketchy? Are there any other places we could bring them? Extremely tolerant bars with private back rooms?

-What sort of ballpark costs are we looking at here? Do you tip?

-If we must, we could always go to strip clubs instead of privately hiring strippers. What strip clubs in Richmond are decent and would be ok with a bachelorette party coming in? Are there any strip clubs there with male strippers? A gay strip club would be ok, assuming they wouldn't mind our presence.

-Since you're here already, what other fun things are there to do for a bachelorette party in Richmond?

Is it even possible to have a "night on the town" with ~20 women without going crazy?

thirdletter — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:47:25 -0800

I'm currently a maid of honor in NYC. My bride wants to invite 24 ladies to a night on the town for her bachelorette party. Please help us not kill each other. Bachelorette party is in March. I need to get a move on, but I'm stumped -- how do I accomplish this with such a large group?

Bride and I are the only NYC residents of the bridal party, and only a few of the other potential invitees are from the area... So it needs to be something relatively accessible, but I will not abide any Times Square shenanigans. Bride (and I) will get grumpy if things are too loosey goosey, and she has a low tolerance for tackiness but has requested a "night on the town" and definitely wants a reason to dress up.

Details
- Aimless bar crawling is simply not possible with 20 people
- No club hopping, No male revue, No Lucky Chengs
- No women-only activities - there will be at least one man in attendance
- Bridal Shower is being held in suburban New Jersey in the afternoon, and attendees of both will likely take NJT into Penn

The bride
- Loves to dress up and flirt
- Will "kill us" if we make her give/get a lapdance
- Has fairly mainstream but classic/classy taste
- Has lived in Brooklyn for several years and won't be impressed by supertrendy places
- Is in her mid-twenties, with friends the same age. We don't have a million bucks to spend

Thank you in advance for your recommendations of activities/venues/strategies!

Disney Princesses Gone Wild

halseyaa — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:17:24 -0800

[posting for a friend, but extremely interested as well!] I need games/recipes/ideas for a bachelorette party I am throwing. The theme: Disney Princesses Gone Wild Please no opinions on the validity of the theme. I realize its not everyone's cup of tea but the bride will love it. I am asking the ladies to arrive in a costume based on their favorite princess. The night will probably include dancing/bar hopping at some point but that will hopefully only be part of the fun.

I am looking for any theme-centric ideas to make the night memorable. For example, we thought about having the bride do a photo scavenger hunt to find guys who resemble a list of male Disney characters and take a picture with them. For drinks, I'm thinking of having a spiked tea party before we go out (or at least serve other drinks in teacups).

There are no bad ideas- we're just brainstorming here... What else have you got, MeFi?

Being a bridesmaid is the WORST THING EVER EVER EVER

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:49:13 -0800

I'm in the wedding party of a woman I detest. In fact, 3 of the 4 women in the bridal party now officially hate the bride. Help us navigate this crazy situation. I realize on the surface this sounds like run of the mill wedding drama. Perhaps it is, but at this point it's spilling into a lot of areas of a lot of people's lives and I'm hoping I can get some outside perspectives.

A little background: I've known the bride for over a decade. What I've discovered over this time is she is a perfectly capable "dish over drinks" kind of friend. She's a woman that's good for getting a fancy cocktail with and complaining about whatever man problem you have. A+ on that front.

Of course, that worked a lot better when we were young women in the throes of wildly overwrought romantic dramas. Once we aged a bit and moved out of this model, things completely exploded. We worked together and it went terribly. We went on trips together and it was miserable. The consensus among many mutual friends is she is not someone to embark on any sort of project with because she will ultimately leave you holding the "every crappy part of the project" bag and simultaneously be angry that you aren't thanking her for giving it to you. She isn't meaningfully malicious as far as I can tell - she is just extremely self-involved and lacking in much empathy for other people. Setting boundaries goes badly - she has a way of turning it around on you every time to the point where it feels fruitless to try to have an honest interaction. Long story short, I would prefer to not have a friendship with her. Sad reality though - we still work together and letting the contact whither away naturally has been difficult when she sits next to me. yay.

Cut to this wedding. At the time she asked me to be involved, we worked together. Still do in fact. I am in another wedding (for a very close friend who I am SO THRILLED is getting married and so disgustingly overjoyed to shop for wedding shoes with that it's almost embarrassing) and it looked like I might be able to cite a date conflict. Unfortunately she made it clear she would tailor her dates to ensure I was included. yay.

Working with her has been a continuous challenge for many reasons, and I ultimately decided it was in my best interest to agree to participate because if this is how she treated me at work when she considered me close enough to schedule her wedding around me, I didn't want to see the outcome where I said no when she could plain as day see my day to day life and question my saying no when she was "so flexible." I've debated whether or not this was a good or bad choice with my therapist and friends many times and ultimately people seem to think this was a largely practical decision on my part. I of course am now miserable and wish I had said no in the first place, but hindsight is 20/20 and I have no way of knowing if trading work misery for personal misery was the better choice, so it's sort of a moot point beyond a lesson for the future.

Add to this that two of my close girlfriends (I'll call them 1 and 2) were also asked to be in the bridal party and said yes - 1 because she felt pressured by 2, and 2 because she genuinely still liked her since their friendship was still limited to fancy cocktails and she hadn't embarked on anything complex with her in a few years, forgetting previous traumas.

Cut to now - 2 hates the bride after a couple of as usual non-malicious but somewhat hard-hearted decisions to include 2's ex fiance in the wedding for services to save money, despite 2 still being completely devastated by their breakup and bride not being close with her ex fiance. She told her she chose to use ex fiance to use a deal they were offering. 2 wants to drop out and 1 is mad and hurt because she feels 2 pressured her in the first place when she was crying on her couch about how much the bride had hurt her over the past few months and is now resentful that 2 wants to drop out given that she wasn't supported at that moment. As for me, I have the pleasure of working with her and being continually appalled by her behavior at work, all while swallowing my frustration and fielding 8 bazillion links to different flower arrangements, and hearing truly twisted representations of her side of these issues with 2. My feeling is it wasn't necessarily wrong on paper, but why hurt someone you would include in your wedding if it's simply a practical decision? It just seems unkind.

I could go on and on, but it boils down to this - it is creating wild amounts of cognitive dissonance to be involved in this wedding for all of us, and it's spilling over into my friendships with 1 and 2 and their friendships with each other, all while bride seems oblivious to it. She blames people's non-responsiveness and muted enthusiasm to activities on everyone being busy. In truth, none of us had much social contact with her in the previous years before her wedding and are baffled we were even asked to be involved in something so intimate given that our friendships had all essentially devolved into non-existence up until this point.

Overall, I wish everyone had made independent decisions about their involvement. I did - I decided to do it because of work. I think they tried some 3 musketeers though and now it's backfiring on all of us.

The whole thing is just sort of crazy and tragic. I hate watching my friends hurt about it and feel conflicted. I hate the idea of dropping out and devastating this woman, but I also hate lying to her on a daily basis. I hate pretending to care, and even more I hate the ways I fail at it and don't bring my best self to this day for her despite the fact that I don't believe she deserves my enthusiasm. It's just not who I am and it feels terrible.

At this point, my plan is to hunker through. She revealed she plans to move to a new city on a very fast schedule, so she won't work with me soon which removes that problem, and my moral compass seems to point slightly more toward sucking it up and being deceitful for a few more months rather than being genuine and bursting her weird, fake friendship perception bubble. It's uncomfortable but I feel like I committed at the front end and should see it through. 2 is a live wire and may drop out and I can live with that. 1 feels dropping out under any circumstances is mean and hates 2 for even considering it, so I have no idea how badly this will impact any of our friendships long term.

So I guess the question is - is it worse to drop out or worse to disingenuously stay involved, all while privately hating on this lady? I'd love to have a genuine heart to heart with her, but past experience has revealed that this will ultimately cause more grief to the aggrieved than solve any problems and lead to a higher plane of understanding, so while that is a very mature and reasonable answer for most adults, it's not an option here. What say you, mefites?

Final note - this is so crazy long. I apologize in advance if I didn't get to the point concisely, but the context seemed important.

What should we do over a weekend near ATL for less than $100?

ohsnapdragon — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:02:51 -0800

Bachelorette weekend suggestions near Atlanta, GA? Myself, my fianceé, and two of our friends want to have a bachelorette party weekend in early June. We live in Atlanta, GA, and would like to stay within a two hour drive. Something less than $100 per person would also be ideal (not including food/gas.) We also need to bring our two small dogs with us. BUT I don't want to go camping - not in the traditional, sleep in a tent on the ground sort of way at least.

I'm really open to any suggestions though as long as they fit the criteria. We've already looked into getting a cabin (can't find one cheap enough), state park lodging (booked or non dog-friendly) and random motels in the mountains. (Possible, but not super exciting.)

Ideas? Thanks!

Partying with a Pregnant Lady in NYC

firei — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:29:21 -0800

Planning a daytime bachelorette party in NYC - with complications! I'm a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding. We are a non-traditional wedding party - myself, the bride's brother, and a seventh month pregnant woman are the "bridesmaids."

On Saturday May 12, we are planning to do separate bachelor & bachelorette parties during the day, then meet up with both groups for fun shenanigans at night.

We need to think up something fun from 1 or 2 pm to 6:30-ish that is fun, but not dangerous or taxing for the pregnant member of our group! (Example - the guys are going to spend the day paintballing. The girls would love to go paintballing or lasertagging - but we can't!)

So I turn to you, mefites! We'd rather it not be too expensive, but all ideas are welcome.

How to be at peace with being a wallflower

shiu mai baby — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:51:08 -0800

Help me get in a good frame of mind for a night out this weekend. This weekend is the bachelorette party for a dear friend of mine. Thankfully, we're not talking penis tiaras and tacky male strippers or anything; what we are talking about is a pre-party at another friend's house, followed by a night out clubbing. And here is where my anxieties kick in.

I am not a clubber by any stretch of the imagination. I do not dance because I am overweight, and feel utterly ridiculous and horrifically self-conscious on the dancefloor. The concept of hitting the town and going to some fabulous club makes me squeamish, because clubs, especially the ones downtown, are populated mostly by the super-hot and super-young and super-thin singles, and I am none of those. FWIW, I'm also happily married for over 15 years, so the singles meat-market aspect of it is the least troubling aspect. Thank god I'm not looking for a hook-up.

Anyway, I'm going because I love my friend and I want to celebrate her impending nuptials, and so I'm trying to figure out how to get my mind in a decent spot so I'll have a good time.

I had a similar experience a few months ago, where some business associates and I hit an ultra swanky club in Chicago, and while I enjoyed it just from an observational point of view, I had to repeatedly refuse my friends and colleagues who were wanting me to get up and dance, because this was the kind of place where it felt like if I did, one of the Marcellus Wallace bouncers would come up to me, take me by the elbow and hide me away so I don't embarrass all the beautiful people. I mean, one of the sales guys had payed several hundred dollars for us to have this exclusive booth, and yet I was worried about not being hot enough to be there.

Anyway, I feel like it's going to be the same situation this weekend. I will be (mostly) fine just sitting on the sidelines, nursing a drink and checking Twitter while my friends dance their asses off, but I have zero interest in being on the dancefloor because I am mortified by the thought of dancing. I would bet a million dollars that I'm going to have to stave off the same kind of cajoling from these friends as well. And then the bride will stress out that I'm not having a good time, or that I'll be seen like I'm some kind of drag or whatever, and I don't want that, either.

So basically, I'm looking for some perspective. Advice. Whatever. I've toyed with the idea of shooting a quick e-mail to my friend, telling her that I'm really excited about going out this weekend and celebrating her, but also that I don't want her to worry about it if I don't dance. I don't know.

As I said: perspective would be very much appreciated here, most especially from people who have body image issues. If you've been thin all your life, you can tell me that people don't really care about how other people look on the dance floor, but, to be brutally honest, I don't know how much I can believe you when you haven't been on this side of the scale.

Where to stay in New York for Bachelorette party of 10?

cad — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:57:54 -0800

I'm in the process of planning a bachelorette party in New York, and am looking for some hotel recommendations. We'd like to stay in the SoHo/Meat Packing district. There will be a total of 10 of us and I'd like to keep the price around $100 per person, but think people would be comfortable spending a little bit more if necessary. From my research, and the prices I've seen, it looks like this is going to be tricky! What are you hotel recommendations?

Am I a terrible MoH?

hellameangirl — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:44:28 -0800

More Maid of Honor woes. How am I going to do this? What are normal expectations for a MoH? So, I've already posted this and got some great advice. I'm going to throw my sister a "Naughty or Nice" themed bridal shower. Yes I know traditionally that immediate family is not supposed to throw it, but the other bridesmaids haven't offered nor have my crazy aunts (more on that here). I am actually having fun with it, making cutesy decorations and planing the games. Anyway, my sister gave me the list of people she wants invited to the shower. Its 60. I was expecting 25. No worries, I've contained my shock, made a few adjustments to my original plans, asked for help from the other maids, and I think it'll work out.
Now I'm moving on to bachelorette party plans. My sister wants to do wine tasting followed by a night of dancing and staying at a hotel. This will be a few hours from where we live. I've started researching wine tasting tours, but I'm not a clubbing type so I'm kinda struggling with that plan.
Today I asked my sister for the list of "bachelorettes" to invite. Its 27 ladies long. I nearly had a panic attack. I don't have any experience with this kinda thing..is this par for the course these days? I thought bachelorette parties were for 5-10 of the brides best friends. Just the correspondence alone is making my head spin, forget about trying to coordinate all those ladies in a 2 hour carpool/wine tasting rooms/dance clubs/hotel rooms.
Anyway, my question is, can I decline my duties here? The shower is already all planned, so can I hand off the bachelorette party to another bridesmaid? The others are younger and more mainstream anyway, and probably better suited for the job. Plus, I'm feeling resentment for my sister building up, and I don't want to get drunk at her wedding and deliver a mean-hearted speech for all the stress she's putting me through!

Bachelorette gift help!

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:46:12 -0800

Help! Best friend's bachelorette party in less than 48 hours and I still have no idea what gift to get her... She's very down to earth, loves classical and British literature, likes to write and draw, is very Christian, and she's a doctor. I don't want to give her anything sexy/'sleazy' or cheesy. (Her bachelorette party is not very typical/traditional; it is being held at a cooking school and includes some of her good male friends, not just female friends.).

We've been friends since we were little kids, I'm her bridesmaid and I'm still stumped on what to get her. I want to give her something that will honor and celebrate her upcoming wedding, not just any gift that I could give her for her birthday or Christmas. (or am I overthinking this?)

(Anonymous because I'm supposed to keep details of her party secret since the venue is a surprise...)

I need fun/embarrassing/unique "How well do you know your groom?" party questions!

rinosaur — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:57:31 -0800

I need fun/embarrassing/unique "How well do you know your groom?" party questions! So one of my best gals is getting married soon and we're throwing her a getaway bachelorette weekend. One of the games I'd like to offer to the group is one where we ask her intended a set of questions about himself, her, or their relationship/courtship in advance of the party and she if she can guess his answers for our entertainment. I've got some good, boring questions about what he likes to eat and other mundane trivia, but I'm hoping the cheeky folks of AskMe can do better than I.

Bonus points if you can suggest any awesome consequences for wrong answers from our beloved bride-to-be.

I love you, AskMe!

OMG hot recs 4 sushi w/ my grrlz in VA Beach :x :x :x xoxoxo

Keter — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 13:55:23 -0800

I've been drafted by a Maid of Honor into finding a restaurant to host 8 probably somewhat-sauced 20-something grrls (and their token gay, yours truly) post-Bachelorette-Beach-Party in Virginia Beach, VA. I've never been to Virginia Beach. Uh, has.... has anyone else? Halp! While I think I was drafted into this as I have the reputation for good restaurant-sense, I've never been to Virginia Beach in my life, so fuck if I know what is and is not good dining in a resort town. (I guess it's safer than "buying gag gifts"; I fear my ideas might be a bit lewd for this bunch). This would be for this next Saturday.

The Maid of Honor has specifically requested somewhere close to our hotel, which is located at 5655 Greenwich Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23462, but I would consider this a lower priority than good food and drink, especially as I haven't the faintest whether this is a plausible set of demands given my ignorance of how VA Beach is laid out. The group is a combination of very perky former sorority girls and high-powered business-womyn-types, with some mixing-between... I'm not particularly sure how "adventurous" as a whole the group is (I assume not but only know a sparse few party members), but then again I doubt there's much that isn't whitewashed in a resort town. But, perhaps I'll be surprised, and surprise them all in turn? Maybe something gimmicky like a Hibachi place, but, really, anything tasty would do.

I just want to avoid going to Bubba Gump Shrimp... and, I do love the bride-to-be dearly, so would like her to have a fun dinner with her grrlz before continuing on with the debauchery.

How can I bond with friends at my bachelorette?

tessalations999 — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:50:27 -0800

Ideas for bachelorette party in Providence, RI? I really wanted to do a group hot tub/ sauna thing but have not been able to find a place. I have a group of about 12 ladies. I love the outdoors, spas, games. It would be nice to do something intimate where we can talk and bond. Also, a low price point is important because the girls are all coming from out of town. Thanks so much for your help!

Help me make the best ever Bachelorette party goody bags.

ridiculous — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:19:39 -0800

Help me make the best ever Bachelorette party goody bags. So, I totally slacked and now I am 2 weeks out from a bachelorette party that I am planning for a very awesome friend of mine. I have the activities for the evening planned, dinner reservation and a hotel room booked but now I am stressing out about goody bags.

Goody bags you say, seems silly right? But this same friend threw my bachelorette party and put together some of the most awesome goody bags ever. She sewed everyone a tote bag in fabric that made sense for the individual, made pins in some sort of pin machine, burned and decorated cds appropriate for the event- it was really sweet and personalized...and now I am feeling a super amount of pressure to at least put in some effort to reciprocate.

Here's where we stand/what I need:

Reasonably priced ideas for items to include in a goody bag for each of 8 women. I guess no individual item over $3, but willing to spend $10 per bag.

No penises or other raunchy items, I promised. Alcohol is good.

I am pretty darn crafty, but I don't own a sewing machine. I am working on some custom labels to put on water bottles and I was thinking mini sparkling wine bottles, but my graphic design skills are total fail.

Ideas for a reuseable bag of some sort, otherwise I will just use some craft paper bags.

Colors are pink and green, these were the invites.

I think I may be past the point of ordering things online, but if you know of reputable, fast companies I would love to know.

Bonus points if you have ideas for an item to wear to make the group look cohesive yet classy- some sort of necklace, boa, light up pin, headband, whatever.

Bachelorette. Portland. Co-ed.

momus_window — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:31:00 -0800

Bachelorette party. Portland, OR. Co-ed. Eight of us. Please, hive, don't tell me to go to Old Town. So, we are six women and two men, there are a couple folks I haven't met. One man and one woman don't drink, but don't object to other folks doing so. We're in our early 30s. We all love delicious food. We'll be starting ~6 pm on a Saturday in April, and it's not the night before the wedding, so we can be rambunctious.

Stuff that's for-sure on the agenda:
*Beauty Lounge on Mississippi. Bride wants to go. Is it possible to include the guys in this in some meaningful way? Do they have moustache wax?

*Private karaoke room. As far as I know, everyone likes karaoke, those who want to can drink, it should be awesome bonding time. Suggestions to make this part extra awesome welcome.

Stuff that needs to be pinned down:
*Early-ish dinner with the crew - location must be tasty, kitschy, and affordable for everyone coming (think ~$20/person max). At least a couple members of the party work with food, so there is some pressure to find something AWESOME.

*Some sort of group activity.
-I like the idea of some sort of DIY class, ideally food-related.
-The bride is open about liking raunchy undies - perhaps we could decorate or shop for knickers, but I think this might be too weird.
-Another suggestion was doing some sort of pole-dancing/burlesque/bellydancing class, maybe earlier in the day - the dudes might play along or could opt out, but I'd really rather have something they'd be comfortable with. Will ask them for approval if y'all suggest a place that does friendly, co-ed classes.

I saw this question; it is old and the answers are exactly what I'm not looking for.

What to do for a conservative sister's bachelorette party?

Pinkuahiru — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:03:15 -0800

What could be planned for a conservative sister's bachelorette party? She doesn't want strippers, but is not opposed to the idea of drinks. I want to do something special for her, but taking her out to a bar with her closest friends just doesn't feel right. Any suggestions?

girls and grandmas just wanna have fun...

Amizu — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:23:15 -0800

Help me plan a multi-generational bachelorette party in Courthouse/Clarendon (Arlington, VA)! I have been tasked with planning the evening entertainment for my friend's bachelorette party. The day will be spent in the burbs of NoVa, and I have been asked to plan a fun bachelorette night out in Courthouse/Clarendon. Unfortunately my friend doesn't want to be involved in planning it, so I can't bounce ideas off of her. Unfortunately, I haven't gone out in NoVa in years, so I am totally out of the loop.

The idea is to start out with a reasonably quiet, calm bar for the grandmothers to enjoy with the younger ladies (mainly early 30s young moms), then progress to a more lively scene after the grandmothers head home, preferably where we can dance and have a very fun girls' night out. Doesn't need to be bachelorette-y and cheesy, but both parts should be good, quality fun. There will probably be about 10 of us. I've been to this place (Taverna Opa in South Beach) several times and it would be perfect for phase 2 (i.e. tons of silly fun for dancing and drinking).

Any ideas?! Help me! I'm really not the person for this job anymore. (Any ideas for a fun dinner option in that area too? Not too pricey or too loud.)

I want to rock the party.

yersinia — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:10:51 -0800

One bachelorette party, ten miscellaneous female guests, one extremely introverted organizer (that's me!). Activities are set, but what little things can I do (or how should I behave) to keep things cohesive and lively, instead of awkward or lame? As maid of honor at my sister's wedding, I'm in charge of running her bachelorette party in a few months' time. The thing is, I'm personally pretty reserved and low-energy. I've never been to one of these things myself, and in general female group socialization of the "SQUEE!"/Sex-and-the-City variety is kind of a mystery to me. Sis is also on the quiet side of average, but she does like parties and I know she'd enjoy having a proper bachelorette experience.

The guests are likely to be a mix of mutually-unacquainted high-school, college, and work friends, ages 25-35, and I haven't seen Sis with any of them, so I have no real sense of the existing social dynamics. We'll likely be doing a pole-dancing class plus dinner, and thanks to this question I'm set with ideas for smaller activities/games.

What I'm worried about are the intangibles of executing this plan, the little details of demeanor and conversation that might help unite everyone into a group and ensure that the energy level stays high. Being a kind of un-fun person myself, I've had plenty of social interactions that bottomed out, energy-wise (as well as some where I ended up having to exhaustedly feign enjoyment for hours at a time), and I'm worried about how the party will fare if I'm the one responsible for getting the evening going.

Normally, just the thought of attending a bachelorette party would fill me with dread and anxiety, but I think I can make it through the hostessing if I have a very clear, explicit plan for how to act/what to say/how to "be"/etc. to keep things lively for everyone. So thinking back to the absolute funnest small party you've ever attended, what qualities and behaviors characterized the host(ess)? And how can I fake being, well, more like that?

Where to party in like a Southern girl?

thejanna — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:12:31 -0800

Where to go for a girls night out in Charleston, SC? We're going out tomorrow night for a girls night/bachelorette in Charleston, South Carolina. We're all from out of town and don't know where to go, especially since it's a Wednesday night so some of the happening places might be closed or dead. I'm not looking for anything too wild - just fun places to hang out and have drinks or dance. Any South Carolina Mefites have any suggestions?

Things To Do In Virginia Beach

fancypants — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:19:57 -0800

I'm heading down to Virginia Beach with some friends for a low-key bachelorette party this weekend. We have a beach house rented but no other plans. Help us find fun things to do! Other than getting some sun and doing some grilling what is there to do in Virginia Beach at this time of year? Are there restaurants and bars that we shouldn't miss? We're not super in to clubs or woo-hoo bachelorette party type things, but we'd definitely like to go out and have fun. Obviously it's a little early for serious beaching, but will it be warm enough to walk and just sit by the water?

Philly bachelorette ideas needed!

als129 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:08:55 -0800

Philly Philter: I am looking for a pre-dinner activity for a very low key bachelorette party. If this were happening in NYC, we'd likely hit up Beauty Bar for martinis and manicures before dinner. But I'm striking out when it comes to finding something like this in Philly.

Any ideas would be appreciated -- even a wine tasting or something like that would be cool.

For what it's worth, it will be happening on an upcoming Saturday and dinner is at Cuba Libre around 8 p.m. So if the activity was in the Old City (or at least Center City) vicinity, that would be ideal. We will be meeting at a bridesmaid's apartment before going out, so even an activity there could be fun. I just lack inspiration.

Thanks -- all ideas welcome!

PS: No strippers or anything like that. It's just not that type of crowd.

Bachelorette Party Fun in Paw Paw

eggerspretty — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:19:09 -0800

How do I do an inexpensive and not lame bachelorette party in a tiny town in West Michigan? I'm helping to host a bachelorette party in a very small town in West Michigan. The nearest city of any real size is 25 minutes away and the city with any real activity is 1 hour away. The bride has asked that all of the girls come in two days early, and this is the only thing they will have as an activity for the two days before the wedding so I want to make it fun.

Unfortunately, the maid of honor has given up planning or paying for the party so I am left trying to figure out what to do with ten late-20-something women who have all flown in to Michigan and driven three hours to the hotel that morning.

I am planning on having us trek to the city 25 minutes away for a nicer dinner and some bar hopping later in the evening, but I need something for us all to do from about 3pm-6pm that will not be hokey or expensive. It also will have to be in a Holiday Inn conference room. (woohoo!) I am also driving 13 hours the day before with two dogs so I can't bring a lot as far as supplies.

I have called yoga teachers, spas, cooking teachers, and caterers. They are all either too expensive or won't travel that far for a class. The bride has made it clear that we have to be "active" - she originally asked for the party to be from 11am-11pm, but I nixed the idea when it turned into me planning and paying for most/all of it. (Plus, I pity the fact that everyone would have to fly into MI an extra day earlier than they would expect just for a weekend wedding with little notice at this point.)

Thanks for the ideas. The wedding is in Paw Paw if that helps, and I have called the wineries in the area but am weary of adding daytime drinking/tasting onto nighttime events.