Guest List for a Bachelorette Party
Often girls wonder who should be invited to a bachelorette party. There are no hard and fast rules about who to invite and who to exclude, but a few key tips will help you decide who is an appropriate guest.
First, what do you do if you are having a very small, intimate wedding? Is it appropriate to invite girlfriends to the bachelorette party who aren’t invited to the wedding itself? It is a tricky issue to determine who can be invited to the bachelorette party if they aren’t coming to the wedding. Technically, coworkers, neighbors, and other female friends who won’t be at the wedding can be invited to the bachelorette party, even though this isn’t appropriate for a bridal shower. However, there are a few keys to inviting these people. First, make it clear that presents are not required, and they are being invited simply because the bride values their friendship. Next, make it clear that this isn’t an implicit invitation to the wedding. Express the reason – is the wedding a destination event, or being held at a very small local church? Have the bride and groom decided to only invite family? Whatever the consideration, be up front with your bachelorette party guests so that they can attend or decline the invitation to the bachelorette party knowing all the facts.
Another tricky issue can be inviting mothers or grandmothers to a bachelorette party. What do you do if the mother of the bride assumes she’s invited to a bachelorette party? T hat all depends on what kind of bachelorette party is being thrown and how close the bride is to her mom.
If the bride herself wouldn’t feel like the party is complete without her mom, by all means invite her to the bachelorette party. If the bachelorette party is a spa day or something else low key, that is an appropriate event to include moms, aunts, and grandmothers.
However, it is also completely acceptable to make the bachelorette party “girlfriends only.” This can be expressed delicately to the mother of the bride or any other family members, and using the term “girlfriends only,” usually helps. This works best when the bride wants a bawdier party, such as a night out at bars and clubs where a mom or grandmother may feel uncomfortable or out of place.
Who must be included on the bachelorette party invitation list? First and foremost, anyone the bride wants invited to her bachelorette party must be invited, no matter their relationship with the hostess of the party. If two friends aren’t getting along, they should both be invited if the bride wants them to be there, and if they are real friends they’ll suck it up for one night and celebrate with the bride.
Also, every single bridesmaid must be included at the bachelorette party. It would be rude and insensitive to single out any bridesmaid as unworthy of being invited to the bachelorette event, and there is no reason to cause trouble among the group in that way.
Destination Bachelorette Parties
Boys have been doing it for ages – taking all the guys off to Las Vegas or another destination spot for their bachelor parties. It is no wonder, then, that girls are now getting in on the act and having destination bachelorette parties. A destination bachelorette party can be a great way for the girls to get away for the weekend. It provides lots of bonding time, a wide variety of activities to keep busy, and a fun time! Another wonderful point about a destination bachelorette party is that it gives the bride a great way to reduce stress with her girlfriends in the middle of the wedding planning craziness.
The most popular spot for an out of town bachelorette party is Las Vegas. It is a party land for adults, and proves to have many activities for bachelorettes. The party can include almost anything you want to do – seeing a show, doing great shopping, and having wonderful dinners out. Vegas also is a prime spot for more wild activities, including male strip clubs and bars and clubs for drinking and dancing.
Las Vegas has a large number of spas, and many poolside retreats for the girls to relax as well. If you don’t want to go to Vegas, other spas are a great option for a girl getaway. Spas are popular with bachelorettes because they are relaxing, and woman friendly. Many popular destination spas even offer bachelorette or group discount, and the bachelorette party can take advantage of this savings. Spas are located in almost every city throughout the country, so there is sure to be an option anywhere you want to take the bachelorette party.
Other options for destination bachelorette parties are tropical beaches. The girls may decide to spend a weekend at the beach in California, Florida, or even somewhere in the Caribbean. These trips depend largely on how much money each of the party attendees is willing to spend for a weekend away with the girls. If you do plan a tropical outing, plan gift bags for each girl with things like a beach towel and sunscreen, to give your bachelorette party weekend a uniform theme of fun in the sun!
When planning a destination bachelorette party, you really must be clear on the plans to coordinate an entire group of girls. First, see what the other bridesmaids are willing to pay for the weekend away. It is best to limit the guest list for a destination bachelorette party to around five or six girls at the most. If you take too many girls with you, it will be difficult to coordinate.
In addition, it is important to discuss with the girls who is paying for the bride’s trip. Traditionally, the bride doesn’t pay for any part of her bachelorette party, though it is appropriate to ask the bride to pay for a small portion of her destination bachelorette party expenses. Also, remember to include the bride herself in all the major destination decisions, as you don’t want to pick a location or a date that don’t work for the honored guest of the weekend!
Bachelor Party Idea For The Best Man To Follow
Here’s a bachelor party idea for the best man – go beyond strippers and strip clubs and give your best friend the experience of his life. While a poker night with a stripper showing up or a trip where he can stuff enough money down a g-string to buy a car may seem traditional, some men don’t really want this kind of event. In that case, you are going to need another bachelor party idea.
If your friend is a sports lover, a golf excursion can be a great idea. Get him on the greens of a fabulous golf club that he wouldn’t normally book for himself. A trip to the watering hole afterwards isn’t a bad idea.
If he’s more of a spectator, a bachelor party idea is to make memories by going to a game. While a local football, basketball, or baseball game is fine, consider making a weekend of it by going to an historic stadium or to a big game out of town.
After he is married, the wife may put the stop to anything that smacks of danger. So a great bachelor party idea is to do death defying stunts together. Go parasailing, skydiving, or bungee jumping.
A camping trip can be a bonding moment for guys. You can sit around the campfire drinking and telling dirty jokes without bringing down the Bride’s ire.
A weekend trip away is becoming a more popular bachelor party idea. Las Vegas is the number one destination, but Cabo San Lucas, New York, and New Orleans also offer popular choices. All of these places offer their own character (plus plenty of strippers if you’re still determined to go that route.)
Remember that if there is drinking involved, you should arrange transportation. If you have several guys, take a limo instead of taxis. Not only will this be more memorable, it also can be more cost effective.
An important bachelor party idea for all to consider is that the cameras should be left at home and no cell phone cameras should be allowed to be used. A perfectly innocent incident can cause a lot of trouble for the groom. Brides are often hysterical enough before a wedding to be faced with “proof” (even if none exists) of bad behavior on her fiance’s part.
A final bachelor party idea is to make it coed. Many men have women friends that they would like to celebrate with. This can be instead of a traditional bridal party. Good food, good drinks, and great friends. And, the groom won’t feel terrible about the event when he wakes up on his wedding morning because the bride was there all along.
There are many bachelor party ideas that make the event memorable but not lecherous. If you are the best man looking to make your friend happy, consider the bachelor party idea list I’ve presented in this article.