Think girlie. This is your time to decorate just for the ladies. Celebrate youth with posters of the bride's favorite teen idols, tons of scented candles and party lights in all shapes and sizes. Or get wild with animal prints and all sorts of naughty novelties from the local sex shop.
Keep the bride's personality in mind when you're coming up with your decorations. You want to make sure she'll be comfortable and happy to be the center of attention.
For a bachelorette party, the bride is the queen. Yes, the point is to have fun and be carefree, but keep in mind that even the most happy-go-lucky reveler might need to be rescued every now and then.
So that's why you need to assign a bride watcher. Give each guest a shift where she's responsible for the bride. During that time, she should keep a smile on the bride's face and a drink in her hand. That way, the bride is taken care of the entire party, and she gets one-on-one time with each of her girls...when she's not being asked to perform a humiliating, but absolutely mandatory, bachelorette task, that is.
Assign someone (or a group of people) to document the evening – chances are, this will be a night she wants to remember, even if it is a night the groom would probably rather forget.
If you're planning a wild night out on the town, give the bride tasks she has to perform, such as asking guys to donate $10 to her honeymoon fund or give her their boxers. Deck out the bride in a white t-shirt, and hand out markers to the men you meet, so they can decorate her shirt with clever sayings or drawings (hide this from the hubby at all costs). Finish off her ensemble with a candy necklace. For the price of a drink, let men nibble a candy off her neck using just their mouths.
For a more low-key bachelorette party, plan a fun night in with champagne or flavored martinis and encourage guests to share funny, sassy stories about the bride. For a cool theme, plan the night around her favorite movie, even dressing the part and playing the soundtrack.
More bachelorette party ideas:
• A weekend in Napa, filled with extravagant meals and Cabernet barrel tastings.
• A few days at a luxurious spa, complete with mud baths, cucumber masks and granola-filled meals. • Plan a sleepover! This works especially well if the bride and her bridesmaids were all childhood friends. • Overnight camping trip. Pack graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars to make s'mores, and spend an evening sipping spiked hot chocolate outdoors. |
A note to you single gals planning a bachelorette, keep in mind that any embarrassing tasks you make the bride perform will lead to some nasty payback. Tread carefully.
Two words: finger foods. Miniature quiches, chocolate-dipped strawberries and an assortment of toothpick-impaled cubed cheeses are perfect for bachelorette parties. If you’re staying in, pay homage to the world of comfort foods and serve fancy macaroni and cheese, caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella and basil) and – clearly – a decadent chocolate dessert.
If you're going out, make sure your vehicles and destinations offer an assortment of munchies, both sweet and satly.
Oh, and most importantly if you plan to drink: Water is your friend.
Featured Bachelorette Party Recipes from Epicurious.com
Fuzzy Navel
• 1 1/2 oz. peach schnapps
• orange juice
Mix ingredients into a highball glass. Add ice and garnish with a slice of lime and a swizzle stick. |  |
| 1. | A Boy Named Sue / Johnny Cash |
| 2. | Let’s Get Married / Al Green |
| 3. | Alcohol / Brad Paisley |
| 4. | Good Times Roll / The Cars |
| 5. | One Way or Another / Blondie
|
| 6. | Space Oddity / David Bowie |
| 7. | Dancing with the Women at the Bar / Whiskeytown |
| 8. | Your Body is a Wonderland / John Mayer |
| 9. | Bubble Toes / Jack Johnson |
| 10. | Ball and Chain / Social Distortion |
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