The Full Guide to Planning a Bachelorette or Bachelor Party
BACH PARTY PLANNING TIPS | HOW TO PLAN A BACHELOR PARTY | BACHELORETTE WEEKEND GUIDE
Planning a bachelorette party or bachelor party can feel like a lot of pressure. For most of us, it's the only time we'll plan such a high-stakes activity for someone outside of ourselves or our partner. If you are near and dear to someone getting married and they've asked you to plan their bach party - don't fret. We've put together a complete guide for you, including a downloadable spreadsheet and survey, so you can pull off the absolute best bach party imaginable.
Find Out their Bach Party Expectations
If you've been put in charge of planning someone's bachelor or bachelorette party, you probably know them pretty well. That being said, you should definitely sit down with the guest of honor before starting to plan to gauge their expectations. After all, some people look forward to their Bach party more than their wedding day!
Find out what their general vision for the bach party is. Are they thinking of a full weekend trip or just a casual night out? Beach or mountains? If the guest of honor is super type-A you can even ask if they have a Pinterest board they can show you! While parts of a bachelor or bachelorette party should be a surprise, getting a good idea of what the guest of honor has in mind can make your life so much easier! When chatting about overall plans, you can also ask about their expectations regarding their share of the costs. Some people will expect to pay for their own travel and accommodations, while others may expect all of their expenses to be covered.
The final and probably most crucial thing you should ask the guest of honor before starting bach planning, is if the event will be R-rated or family-friendly. The stereotypical bachelor and bachelorette party activities can make some people uncomfortable, and that's the last thing you want when celebrating their special day. Having them lay out what they are (funny-shaped pasta) and aren't (private dancers) comfortable with before diving into planning is very important.
Make the Guest List
The last part of bach planning that the guest of honor should be involved with is creating the guest list. Outside of wedding party members, they may have other family and friends that they would like invited, and they may not even want to stick to just guests of one gender. I've even been to a bachelorette party where the bride's mom was invited! You never know who someone might want to be a part of their celebration, so make sure you get the names and contact info of everyone on their list.
Send a Bach Planning Survey
I highly recommend getting everyone on the same page at the start of bach party planning, and the best way to do that is by sending a survey. You can find out what dates everyone is available, and how much money they're willing to spend, as well as lots of other important information. In fact, we think this is so important we've even made up a document with all the questions you should include!
Pick a Date and Budget
Once you've sent the survey and everyone has responded, you should have all the info needed to pick a date and set a per-person budget for the party. If there is a date that everyone is available, awesome! If not, make sure you talk to the Guest of Honor about who may not be able to attend. They may prefer to pick a date that is better for a certain person, and in the end, the date they want is the one to go with!
Budget can be a super sensitive subject when it comes to bach party planning, but it shouldn't be! Making sure everyone is on the same page is super important if you want everyone to have a good time. In your survey, you should have asked everyone how much they are comfortable spending on the trip, including travel and accommodations. The goal is to stick to the lowest number submitted. If that's not possible, pick a number between the lowest and median numbers, and make sure to communicate that to everyone. It's better to have someone decide to opt-out of the trip earlier than after you've planned everything and started taking payments.
Choosing a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party Location
Hopefully, your initial conversation with the Guest of Honor gave you a general idea of where they would like to go. Whether it's a beach, the mountains, local, or international, you can use this as a basis for the location. Then, look at the budget that the group agreed on, and try to find a place that would fit within those parameters. Another thing to keep in mind is how equidistant the destination is for everyone invited. For example, if you have someone who would have to travel cross country, remember that person will likely have a much higher cost than everyone else. If that person was someone with a tighter budget, maybe it's better to try to pick a spot a little closer to them.
Once you have a general location set for the bach party, it's time to think about specific accommodations. If you followed our survey document, you already found out if people are willing to share a room, which is crucial when looking at the price of stays. Another thing to take into consideration is how rowdy the group is. If you think you'll have a loud, late-night crowd, a private Airbnb might be a better choice than a hotel where you'll share walls with strangers. And remember, if your Guest of Honor isn't paying for their own accommodations, you'll have to split that cost between the other guests, increasing the per-person cost.
Decor and Photo Ops
We've made it to the fun part! Once you've chosen and booked the accommodations for your bach trip, it's time to pick a theme. Refer back to your original conversation with the Guest of Honor, and don't forget to make sure it fits the location! Whether it's as minimal as a color scheme to a full-out weekend-long motif, a theme will help make sure that everyone can contribute to a cohesive weekend.
When purchasing decor for the party, it can be too easy to get carried away, but make sure you're thinking your purchases through! First and most importantly - if you're flying to your destination, will all of these items fit in your bag? And second, how long will they take to set up? I can say from first-hand experience, a DIY balloon arch will take longer than you think it will. Find out if any guests will arrive at the destination earlier than the Guest of Honor, and if so, make sure that person will have the decor items. If not, it's always fun to try to come up with a scheme to distract the Nearlywed while you all decorate as fast as possible!
Finally, are you planning a theme night? It seems like every bachelor and bachelorette party has a theme night these days - whether it's as simple as wearing all black with the Bride in white, or a night where everyone wears matching Hawaiian shirts with the Groom's face on them. There was even the viral TikTok about a bach party that went out dressed as Guy Fieri. There are truly no limits to how crazy your outfits can be, so pick anything that fits the overall vibe of the bach and truly reflects the Guest of Honor's personality!
Payments and Money
If you've been to a bachelor or bachelorette party before you know the worst part of the trip is organizing money and who has paid who. In the world of apps and shared spreadsheets, there are so many ways to make your life easier and avoid this headache! If apps are more your style, Splitwise is a great option. But if you want something that doesn't require everyone to download a new app - we've created a spreadsheet to help you keep track of every dollar spent.
Bach Party Activities
Once you've sorted out all of the logistical plans for your upcoming bach party, it's time to come up with activities! This is a great time to reach out to the group for ideas, especially if anyone is local to the area you're visiting. Once you've brainstormed ideas, try to make a rough itinerary including activities, reservations, and estimated times. Keep in mind that things probably won't run exactly on schedule - and everyone's priority should be sticking to the schedule that feels best for the Guest of Honor.
Another important thing to consider for bachelor or bachelorette activities is age and transportation. If there's anyone attending that's under the age of 21 or even 18, they may have trouble getting into some locations, so you'll want to know that and make phone calls in advance. It's also a great idea to ask if anyone knows they won't be drinking on the trip and is willing to be the designated driver. If you're flying into a location, do your research on whether you will need to rent a car or if taxis and ride-shares are easily available. Especially in rural areas, it can be difficult to find a ride so you won't want to rely on these services.
Remember, you've been asked to plan this bachelor or bachelorette party because the person trusts you. And if you've made it this far in our guide, you're doing a great job! It's absolutely possible to pull off a fun, relaxing bach party without breaking the bank or stressing yourself out.
Still have some questions? Set up an appointment with one of our planners for as little as $50 and they'll be happy to provide you with some insight!
