Throwing a bachelorette party requires some thought to avoid these traps (Source: Helga Weber).
With the weather heating-up and my Yankee friends claiming spring is finally here, it must be wedding season! Time to pack your dancing shoes, get your drink on, and dance the night away with old friends. Don't get me wrong, spring and summer is a time that we here at Überoom love because it means we will be busy with weddings and thus anniversary celebrations. Similarly, bachelorette party celebrations are more common during the summer and now seems like an appropriate time to help a few new bachelorette party planners out.
It just seems like people have a hard time letting go of traditions that are more suited for yesteryear. Unlike Warner Brothers who had a hard time doing something new for The Hangover II (34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - yeesh), Universal Pictures' Bridesmaids is slated to make fun of a few of these traditions. I applaud them, and so are audiences. Especially if you have a destination bachelorette party and friends shell-out some coin to spend time with you, take a hint from society and try something new! To get you started, here are some traditions to avoid at your bachelorette party:
1. Penis paraphernalia at the clubs. Please stop doing this. I probably have a much dirtier sense of humor than you do and still see plenty of hilarious bachelorette parties hitting downtown Austin. Wearing penis hats does not make your party more fun - it just screams that you are desperate to start a dirty conversation. Let your smile, dancing, and wit do the work to create some fun out on the town and leave your middle-school humor in the hotel room. As an alternative, a tiara and/or a sash on the bachelorette is sufficient. Everyone in the group of women around her is assumed to be in the bachelorette party and doesn't need to prove it by wearing tank tops bedazzled with male genetalia.
2. The never-ending suck-for-a-buck. If you want to annoy every group of guys around you, have your friends keep interrupting them to polish off the suck-for-a-buck shirt or veil. Most bachelorettes get tired of this game after an hour anyway. I'd much rather see a game of kiss the bachelorette on the cheek, wish her congratulations, and buy her a shot instead. Bachelorette themed scavenger hunts are always the better choice.
3. Expecting everyone to contribute one thing. Planning for one girl to order the pink bachelorette balloons, another to provide the glasses, a third to get a game, a fourth to get the scavenger hunt, a fifth to get the sash and tiara, all while having everyone pitch-in for alcohol at the hotel is a silly waste of time. Save everyone the headache, separate trips, and shipping costs. Buy everything yourself or get a bachelorette party package and send out a PayPal link on the Evite. Tell them no liquor (less than half-jokingly) without contributing. If someone still does not contribute by the time you go out, ask them to pick-up a round at the bar.
4. Going to male strip clubs. I'll try my best to not be a hypocrite here, but it seems like women only go to male strip clubs because men go to strip clubs at their bachelor parties. That's fine if you enjoy the hilarity of it or want to go even further with a male stripper, but realize that many of your friends will not. For most women, it takes a few minutes for the fun to wear out and boredom to set in. Go to a day spa instead.
5. Having the bachelorette party the night before the wedding. Really? Part of the fun is to see where the night will take you, and staying out all hours before the wedding is not the best way to tell your friends and family you love them. Yes, if absolutely no one can travel for a bachelorette party a few weeks before the wedding, then by all means, have your bachelorette party the night before, but don't call it a bachelorette party. Call it a dinner. Instead, do your best to have local friends take you out for a night a few weeks in advance and live it up. If you are under 21, go do something fun like take a group dance class (not necessarily pole related), visit a day spa, or sit by the pool. Just get together, but try to space out the party and the wedding for your friends that actually want to show you a good time.
6. Plate/cup/bowl painting. Most likely everyone has done this before. If your members haven't, by all means, go for it. Just try to keep it short for those that don't really enjoy expressing their creative side. I figured everyone has done this in elementary school anyway. If you are really stressed out and need to have some quiet pottery-making time, visit your local craft store, put on a relaxing Pandora station, and enjoy.
7. Gifts at the bachelorette party. How much stuff do people really need to fit in their attic gathering dust? A gift for the engagement party, bachelorette party, bridal shower, and wedding? That's just ridiculous. Your friends chipping in for the fun and coming into town is a gift enough. Stop watching Oprah promote endless consumerism and realize that life is too short to worry about what you have and don't have. Friends are what matter - celebrate them.
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