It’s summertime! I wish I had more time to vacay before this baby boy of ours arrives, but there is so much to do before his big debut. I actually have a dear friend that is getting married this summer in Ireland–so gorgeous–, but of course, I can’t go because I will be 30+ weeks pregnant and way too big and uncomfortable to sit on a long flight. Such a bummer. This is why I decided to help plan her bachelorette party. I wanted to help get together with her friends and bridesmaids to celebrate the future, Mrs! All the party details came together so perfectly, so I thought I’d share with all of you her bangin’ bachelorette beach bash! If you’re looking to host a girl’s weekend, a get-together, or a bachelorette party, I hope these tips help and give you some inspiration!
1. Location & Theme
First things first. You need to pick out where you are going to go. Will it be close to home or a trip elsewhere? Our bride-to-be decided that it would be best to pick something local for her bachelorette party since her wedding is overseas. We decided on South Padre Island since it’s a quick 45-minute drive from her place, and we had several condo options that we could stay at. Check!
Now you have to pick a good theme or color scheme for the weekend. Because this is a beach bash, I thought that flamingos and palm leaves would be perfect! I had an email thread going on with all of the other ladies throughout the planning process, and they all agreed that the theme was cute. 🙂
2. Food & Drinks
Food is definitely a key piece to any event. The first night I had a delicious Mexican meal ready for all of the ladies, as well as some margaritas ready at the door as they walked in! We also had a cute bar station where they could refill their glasses. It was perfect. I had mimosas for the girls with these cute straws from Couronne Boutique to enjoy in the mornings.
Presentation is everything!
We decided that we would celebrate her bachelorette party for a whole weekend. On the second night, I made reservations for a lovely sunset dinner cruise with a fireworks show included! To make it extra special I had a delicious cake made for our bride. The whole thing, including the flamingo and flowers, were edible!
3. Decor
It is a bachelorette party, you know. I had to have some fun with the decor. 😉 Some people don’t want any penis paraphernalia at their bachelorette party. But I knew that our bride would find it hilarious. I found some banners that were too good to pass up. This penis garland and “Same Penis Forever” banner from Earle’s Folly were perfect. I also found this penis confetti from the same shop that I thought would be great for the lingerie gift table. Obviously, before you make these purchases, make sure to check in with your honored guest. She may not be feeling this type of decor. Our bride got the biggest kick out of them all. It was a great way to jazz up the room and set the tone for a fun weekend.
I also had tons of pictures printed of the bride and groom all over the condo so she could see sweet memories of their relationship everywhere. It’s nice for the bride-to-be to have those photos and take them home because, honestly, when do we ever print out pictures anymore?! Hardly ever. Now she has a whole album worth of pictures of the two of them.
4. Swag Bags
I love a good swag bag. Party favors are not always necessary for every event, but I wanted to give some gifts to the girls attending the weekend to thank them for coming. Some were driving or flying in from afar. Inside their swag bags, they had these goodies:
- a tank top
- hangover kits
- sunglasses from Bachette
- Kate Spade cups
- a monogrammed beach spiker
- a koozie
The hangover kits do not include the items, so I stopped by a local Walgreens and filled them with things I thought we all might need for the weekend.
5. Photo Station
Photos are everything. Whether you hire a photographer to capture some of the moments like I did with Rod Hunter or you take photos on your phone, you need to document these fun times together. This is why you have a good place to take pictures. When you’re at the beach, there’s always a nice spot to snap a photo, but if you are indoors a lot, go the extra mile and make a fun backdrop with some photo props. Photo stations are always a hit for any event. We loved these personalized photo props from Couronne Boutique and the awesome pink and white flamingo backdrop from Rose Rack Boutique.
6. Beach Swag
When you’re at the beach, you, of course, need some shades and a good hat. I thought it would be a good idea to coordinate with our outfits, so we got sunglasses to match our tanks and some floppy beach hats. These adorable monogrammed hats were the best. You can pick the color of the hat, the color of the stitching, and the font style you want. They are the perfect keepsake that you will be able to use over and over again for years that will always remind you of that special weekend together. I absolutely love mine.
We also had way too much fun putting on these “team bride” temporary tattoos. They were quite a hit! I honestly still have a tan mark from where mine was on my baby bump. Haha!
7. Social Media
As we all know, social media is everything and everywhere. Making a hashtag has now become a must for an event. We came up with #laurensbeaches (a fun play on words) and #whosyourpadre (since we were in South Padre Island). Now people are even making custom filters for events as well. So, of course, I had to get a custom Snapchat filter for our girl. How cute is this one!? I ordered it from MeggyLizDesign. It was super easy to do and upload to the app. Just make sure that you are zoning it in the right area!
As I said, the whole thing came together so well, so I had to share all of the goodies that I found. These girls were amazing, and I’m thrilled that I could do something nice for our bride-to-be since I won’t be able to attend her wedding. Cheers to you, Lauren!
Please share with us your ideas for hosting a girl’s getaway! We love reading your comments!
