Bachelorette Party on a Budget
Your bestie is getting married, and you have accepted the coveted title of maid of honor.
After the squealing, happy tears and hugging comes a realization: You’ve got the challenge of planning her bachelorette party. Do. Not. Stress. We’ve got tips and tricks for making decorations, food, drinks and party favors for a fabulous bachelorette party that won’t break the bank.
Décor That Says ‘I Do’
Make your space look fabulous for practically pennies — provided you’re up for a little bit of DIY-ing. After you shop the web for affordable paper plates and serveware, roll up your sleeves and have some fun with these simple, low-stress bachelorette decorating projects for everyone from avid crafters to art class dropouts.
Begin with one of party décor’s most versatile items: balloons. You can forego the fancy pre-designed versions and personalize the balloons yourself. Just grab a wide-tip marker and rock those puns. Add pizzazz to your creations by giving them sparkling accents. Simply paint on designs with glue, dip in glitter and bam—added glam. No helium? No worries. Draw your designs upside down, tie on some metallic ribbon and hang balloons from the ceiling. Voilà.
Take tabletop flowers to a gorgeous new level with a bouquet of blossoms PLUS inexpensive makeup brushes to share out at the party’s end. Or, choose pretty or playful mugs to suit each bridesmaid’s taste. Simply add a few daisies and a tie-on name tag and you’ve got personalized place settings that can also hold coffee!
Another way to instantly elevate your bachelorette party décor is by incorporating a bright banner. Are you going to shell out some cash for a pricey premade banner that kind of says what you want it to say? Oh no, my dear. Just grab some paper plates—with fun patterns or standard white, if you’re feeling a little more crafty. If you’re going the extra mile with the plain plates, all you need to is a bottle of spray paint and some twine. Take those plates outside to give them a quick spray with a color of your choosing. Once they dry, leave them as-is or cut out a heart or smaller circle (this can be done to your pre-designed plates as well). Finally, all your masterpiece needs is two hole punches per plate, some linking with twine, and sweet words or designs. Boom! A cute as heck banner à la you.
Here Come the Tasty Treats
Playful wedding-themed treats start your memorable evening with special sweetness. Keep focus on the hole-y matrimony that you are celebrating by filling tummies with tasty donuts. Get it? Donuts have holes! Take some thick, white crafting paper to cut out the shape of the top of a diamond ring, place it in a small precut slit on the donut and you’ve got yourself one punny snack for the gals.
Take that champagne toast up a notch with a ‘Bubbly Bar.’ Beside a few bottles of chilled champagne (or your favorite non-alcoholic sparkling beverage), serve bowls of sliced or pureed fruit. Try strawberries, mangos and raspberries, or even favorite flavors of sorbet. Guests simply spoon fruity sweetness into champagne flutes or playful personalized drinkware, and top them off with a pour of bubbly. Cheers! Up for a more low-key party? How about a bachelorette afternoon tea?
Gift Guide for the Blushing Bride
Make a bride feel especially loved at her party with thoughtful homemade gifts. Reach out to the guests and ask them to send you their favorite pictures or short notes recalling memories about the bride-to-be. Compile everyone’s contributions into an album or scrapbook. You can even make it an event to get to know your fellow bridesmaids! Invite them over to help with the project, throw on some music and bond over your mutual love for the soon-to-be Mrs.
Want something a little more playful and less labor-intensive? Get the girls together and ask them to bring their favorite shade (or most wild shade) of lipstick. Grab a white piece of craft paper and have everyone give it a quick kiss to leave lip marks. Keep it contemporary by showing only kiss marks or give it a personalized touch by having everyone write their names and a sweet message beneath their mark. Throw your masterpiece in the perfect frame, and you have a unique gift that is sure to inspire smiles from the bride.
Gifts for the Bridesmaids, Never Just the Bride
One idea for a creative (and inexpensive!) party favor is a bachelorette party survival kit. All you need are some water bottles, mints, makeup wipes, lip balm, energy bars — you know your bridesmaid crew best — and perhaps an invitation to grab brunch the next morning. Divide the swag into bags for your bridesmaids. Here, the options range from pretty paper bags inscribed with a playful message (“mischief managed” or “bride squad survival”) to personalized cosmetic cases your gal pals can also bring to the wedding.
Celebrating the Bride Is the Name of the Game
Get the bachelorette party started with this laugh-inducing game that judges just how well party guests know the bride and her partner. All you need to get you started are some thick popsicle sticks! Before the party, quiz the lovebirds to gather fun facts and stories about themselves (favorite foods/bands/movies, how/where they met, what they’d name a pet cat/dog). Write bits of info onto each popsicle stick and put them inside of a fun glass or jar. Take turns pulling a stick and then trying to guess which person it applies to—the bride or her love. (IMPORTANT: Make sure you keep a list of which popsicle sticks are attributed to whom tucked somewhere for reference.)
This option combines two things in one—a playful game and a gift for the bride. We like to call it the panty drop! Tell guests to bring in a pair of underwear for the bride and drop it in a dish on your way in. Later, the bride will try guessing who gave which pair. Up the stakes a bit by having small prizes (princess tiaras, feather boas, etc.) to give to give to the girls when the bride guesses them correctly! If you want to spice things up a bit, substitute the underwear for flirty lingerie that the bride can put to good use!
Decorating tips? Check. Menu ideas? Check. Grin-worthy gifts and games? Check. You’re ready to get out there and start planning the most rad bachelorette party the world has ever seen.
