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Your bachelorette party doesn’t have to be a messy, raunchy party that you don’t remember the morning after. It’s just as fun to have a classy weekend with your BFFs. Plus, the bride wants to feel good on her big weekend and not embarrassed! Here are 15 classy bachelorette party ideas, activities, decorations, and gifts to help you plan a party she wants to remember forever!
Classy Bachelorette Party ideas
1. make the bride feel luxurious
First let’s start with the overall vibe of the weekend. Even though you may have times at the party where you liven things up a bit, classy bachelorette parties give space for relaxation and restoration. This could be getting your nails done or pampering the bride with a spa treatment.
If your group is in the mood to spend, consider doing a spa day or getting your nails done. Obviously, make the appointment in advance so they are prepared for a large group.
If you think the group will riot over the cost of a spa day, consider doing an at-home spa night instead. Buy the bride a robe like this personalized one on Etsy as a gift. She can wear it again as she’s getting ready for the wedding. It’s also much less embarrassing than lingerie.
You can also get some face masks and nail polish on Amazon and make a cozy night out of it. Pick a classic romantic comedy and have fun laughing with the girls.
2. Rent a House
When you stay in a house instead of a hotel, you make it easier to plan “nights in” where you can cook dinner together, play games, and chill.
We recommend finding a place with enough rooms that everyone can fit. It feels a little more luxurious to have all the girls sleeping in beds and not crashing on couches or futons. Plus, having everyone stay in rooms keeps the common spaces clear of bedding, pillows, and suitcases.
If you use Airbnb for your housing, here is an Airbnb credit to save you money. We love Airbnb because you can book a place with special features such as a pool, hot tub, or fireplace.
3. manage expenses without drama
Forget tossing cash back and forth to make sure everyone gets paid the right amount and the bill is split properly. Apps like Splitwise help make sure everyone is covered with a simple tap of a finger. It’s the drama-free way to handle expenses for the party.
Beyond using an app, we recommend being as transparent with your guests about the costs up front. Consider sending a basic itinerary along with the invitation so guests know what to expect in terms of activities and probable costs. A classy bachelorette puts guest considerations first.
The bride will have a good time when her guests are having a good time and not mad that they owe an extra $200 for a surprise activity they weren’t planning on.
4. Hire a Photographer
You spent so much time on the decorations and creating the perfect “look” to the event, why not hire a photographer to capture everything? We recommend hiring a photographer the first night before everything and possibly anyone gets messy. The bride will cherish the photos with her girls. You can even give her a framed photo as a wedding gift!
The easiest way to find a photographer is to search for a local photographer on Google or Instagram. Ask what their hourly rate would be for this type of work. It’s possible you can get more value for your money since it’s a bachelorette party and not a wedding.
5. Choose classy bachelorette shirts
What better way to show you’re all there for the bride, than some matching shirts? The key to classy bachelorette shirts though is to go for something that the whole group will feel comfortable in. Not everyone wants to wear a black racerback tank with a goofy saying.
You can find some classy shirts here on Etsy like these ones. We like them because they have a beautiful scripted font and you can pick any saying you want such as “Team Bride” and “I Do Crew.” This particular style is a bestseller and has many 5-star reviews on Etsy so you know you can trust it. They also have a “Mother of the Bride” shirt too if you want to win brownie points with the bride’s Mom.
6. include a message from the groom
The classiest bachelorette parties always include a little nod from the groom to make the bride feel special. I attended one recently where the groom recorded a quick video message for the bride encouraging her to have a fun weekend and letting her know how much he loved her and couldn’t wait to marry her. We all were tearing up as it was playing – it was so sweet! At another one I attended, the groom gave the bride a card and sent a bottle of champagne to the table at our dinner.
Now of course, the maid of honor facilitates this entire exchange and many grooms won’t think to do this themselves. It is a classy touch to the weekend though and brides love it!
Classy Bachelorette Party activities
You can definitely do a bar crawl during the day but consider some of these other options below to class up the event a little bit.
7. Wine Tasting
Holding a wine glass in your hand just makes you feel a little classier! The blog Emmaline Bride outlines how to make the perfect wine tasting bachelorette party.
If you want to make sure everyone has their own wine glasses, try these customized ones here on Etsy. Or you can get some cute wine tags here on Etsy to make sure everyone knows whose drink is whose. These make great gifts to take home too.
8. Glamping
If the bride-to-be is the outdoorsy type, think about glamping. Bridal Musings says consider a glamping trip complete with an Airstream, s’mores and of course, wildflower headwear. This can be a classy alternative to a night out at the bar if that is not your bride’s style.
9. Bachelorette Tea Party
Pinkies up ladies. As Brides shows you, high tea with your friends can be both classy and fun! If your group would think this type of outing was fun, consider adding it to your itinerary.
10. Take a Cooking Class
Not only is it a lot of fun, but it’s also a great meal afterwards. You can search on Airbnb Experiences to see if you can find a cooking class in your bachelorette party location. It may be hard to arrange this for a large group so definitely call ahead.
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11. Food Tour
Or if cooking isn’t your thing, think about taking a food tour. Ultimate Bridesmaid says most major cities have a food tour where you can taste the best cuisine the city has to offer. Food tours are a cool alternative to bar crawls. You can check Airbnb Experiences for this activity too. I have heard of coffee crawls if you think your bride may prefer that instead (and it will probably be cheaper).
12. Day on the Water
Rent a boat or small yacht for a day of sailing and sunbathing. The Knot says not only will you help the bride with her natural glow, but a day on the water gives you and your friends plenty of time to talk.
I did a fun one on a sailboat in New York City before and I know that Seattle has boat tours on their Lake Union. Wherever your bachelorette party is located will probably have something like this and it can be a great alternative to bar crawls for a day activity.
13. calligraphy workshop
So excited about this one! I just heard about the company Sip & Script which teaches you calligraphy while you drink wine. I love that combination and know that they host a lot of bachelorette parties. If you fawn over beautiful scripted words and hand lettered stuff, and think your group may like to do an activity, check out Sip & Script here.
Classy Bachelorette Party decorations
14. select CLASSY DECORATIONS
Pick a color scheme and theme and then purchase all the decor in that style. Avoid anything raunchy and go for that instagram-worthy look instead.
We really love this rose gold bachelorette party in a box set from Etsy. It contains everything you need for the party decor including banners, balloons, accessories, etc. The only not-so-classy item in the box is an ice cube tray in the shape of a male body part. You can toss that part or if you want that to be the one nod to a traditional raunchy bachelorette party, keep it!
If you prefer a gold color scheme or want a custom banner, we recommend this one here on Etsy.
The key to classy decorations is to keep it all matching and don’t go for any of the raunchy stuff. We recommend one person buy all of the decorations for the group since you can’t control what everyone in a large party will bring. Of course, split up the expenses and let people know how much it will cost in advance.
15. HAVE PARTY RULES
Along with the previous point, let the guests know in advance any rules the bride may want such as no lingerie games, no inappropriate gifts, no strippers, etc. It’s important that the attendees know this in advance so they don’t bring something that embarrasses the bride that you didn’t know was coming.
It’s great that attendees want to chip in and contribute to the party. Don’t shut them down. Give them a little guidance in a nice way so that you avoid any embarrassment for the bride later!
The best way to do this is to ask the bride in advance what she wants and more importantly, doesn’t want. You can use our bachelorette party planner which is a 34 page printable workbook to help you plan the best event possible for the bride’s taste. It contains a Question and Answer sheet to ask the bride during party planning so you can determine what would embarrass her and what would make her LOVE her party. Learn more about the bachelorette planner here.
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