How to Plan a Bachelorette Party All of Your Friends Can Afford
Are you in charge of planning your best friend’s bachelorette party? While it’s an honor to be asked, planning a bachelorette party can be stressful — especially when it comes to budgeting. You want to show the bride-to-be a good time, but you don’t want to strain everyone’s budget to do it. Don’t stress yourself out! It’s possible to plan an unforgettable bachelorette party and cover the next month’s rent when you follow these three tips.
Ask About Budgets
Talking about money is always awkward, especially if some women in your group are less well-off than others. However, it’s better to be upfront about budgeting than risk planning a party that some people can’t afford. Keep money talk low-key by sending out an anonymous poll so attendees can share their budget limits without fear of judgment.
Don’t Fly
Buying plane tickets is a sure way to send a bachelorette party budget sky-high. Instead of flying, pick a destination that everyone can drive to. This may be tricky if your attendees don’t all live in the same city! If you’re totally stumped on destinations, use sites such as MeetWays or What’s Halfway? to identify the midpoint between everyone’s locations, then look for cool towns, cities, or natural attractions nearby you can enjoy.
Opt for a Vacation Rental
When traveling with a group, booking a vacation rental is almost always cheaper than renting multiple hotel rooms or an entire suite. What’s more, you’ll be a lot more comfortable! With a full kitchen to work with, instead of only a minifridge and a microwave, you can cook meals and mix cocktails in your rental rather than eating out every meal.
While vacation rental hosts go out of their way to keep guests comfortable, keep in mind that your lodging may not have all the amenities of home, especially if you’re staying somewhere rustic. If you want the ability to turn on a movie after a busy day celebrating or stream music while getting ready, pack a streaming device that can offer you easy access to apps, channels, and thousands of TV shows and movies -- these come in a variety of points that should fit your budget. This goes for hotel stays too — bringing your own entertainment is much cheaper than buying channels on your hotel TV.
3 Ideas for a Budget-Friendly Bachelorette Party
There’s a ton you can do for a bachelorette party that doesn’t involve spending thousands in Las Vegas or hitting Bourbon Street for the weekend. If you’re looking for something a little less expensive, consider one of these ideas for your favorite bride-to-be.
Plan a Winery Crawl
Class up the traditional bar crawl by planning a winery tour. Although California has the most well-known wine country, you can find wine regions in nearly every state across the country. If chartering a bus or limo for the day is out of the question, recruit a bridesmaid’s significant other or relative of the bride to be your designated driver.
Go Glamping
If your friends are the outdoorsy type, coordinate a girls’ camping weekend complete with a nature hike, rustic cabin or yurt, and s’mores around the campfire. Even a luxury campsite is affordable compared to the cost of renting a hotel room and spending the night on the town. Check out Glamping Hub to find drool-worthy campsites near your destination.
Throw a Craft Party
Crafty brides-to-be will love a party themed around their favorite activities. There are lots of ways to pull off a crafting bachelorette party, from going out to a paint and sip night to throwing a naughty cupcake decorating party at home.
A budget-friendly bachelorette party doesn’t have to mean sipping boxed wine at home. With a little bit of creative planning, you can throw an affordable bachelorette party that saves bridesmaids money and makes the bride-to-be feel like a million bucks.
Image via Unsplash
Aimee Lyons
