Contemporary weddings involve a multitude of time-honored traditions. For the bridal crew, the bachelorette party has become an event all its own. While bachelorette parties once consisted of a single night of barhopping, elaborate weekend-long events are now becoming the norm. The maid of honor traditionally holds the task of planning the soiree, and the pressure to get it right can be intense. Here is a list of the ten biggest bachelorette party mistakes. Avoiding these will help you ensure a catastrophe-free celebration that the bride and her friends will enjoy and remember long after the honeymoon is over.
1. Procrastinating
If you fail to plan ahead, you will definitely hit some road bumps. The best venues will book up if you don’t reserve them early. Share the party dates well in advance so the attendees can find affordable travel accommodations.
2. Not Knowing Your Group
Take steps to learn the group vibe and communicate with everyone as you plan. No bachelorette party mistakes will kill a vibe faster than a mismatched celebration. Get a feel for the tribe’s demographics, interests, and energy levels and plan accordingly.
3. Going Extravagant
While a cruise ship sounds like the perfect bachelorette venue, remember that just being a bridesmaid is usually a significant wallet strainer. Be considerate of the other guests and their budgets when making your plans, and find compromises if your ideas are too much.
4. Being Basic
On the flip side, an important event like the bachelorette party should be anything but basic. Work to strike a good balance between over-the-top and underwhelming. If you want to recycle a classic party idea, add some custom elements to make it personal and memorable.
5. Employing Mean Girl Tactics
Remember that everyone on the guest list may not be your favorite person, but the bride is including them for a reason. Avoid the big bachelorette party mistakes of excluding people or making them feel unwelcome, and avoid awkwardness by incorporating ways for all the partygoers to get acquainted before the festivities get rolling.
6. Ignoring the Bride’s Wishes
Surprises are great, but maybe not for something as epic as the bachelorette party. If the bride wants a low-key local spa day, don’t book a crazy weekend in Vegas. Also be sure to include everyone she wants to attend, even if they wouldn’t be on your personal list.
7. Underplanning
The bigger the group, the harder the decision-making process will be in the moment, so ensure you have a detailed plan prior to embarking on the adventure. Nothing ruins an outing like the dreaded back-and-forth of “I don’t know, what do you want to do?”
8. Losing Flexibility
While detailed planning is critical, it’s also important to maintain some level of flexibility. If the first bar on your list is completely dead, don’t be afraid to move on to Destination B a little early. Most importantly, don’t freak out if the plan goes sideways…the most memorable moments will probably happen during one of the bachelorette party mistakes.
9. Failing the Safety Test
Part of the fun of the bachelorette party is commanding attention on your night out. Unfortunately, that also makes you a target. Create a safety pact to all stay together and avoid accepting drinks from strangers. Speaking of drinking, make good choices. “Let’s end the bachelorette party with a trip to the hospital,” said no one ever.
10. Posting Bachelorette Party Mistakes
Definitely preserve your memories with lots of photos during the big event, but keep in mind that social media might not be the best choice for all your visual evidence. Respect everyone’s privacy and set some ground rules regarding posting to socials before the alcohol starts to flow. No one wants their embarrassing bachelorette party mistakes trending on TikTok for the world to see.
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