The time has finally arrived!!!!
We are officially reaching the countdown for my bachelorette weekend, and I really can’t believe it. The entire month of February/March, I’ve been working with my maid of honor, matron of honor, and God-Sister to plan some really cool things for this ultimate bridal trip (the things that they actually let me plan). This trip has truly opened my eyes to a few things:
- I’m really a type A person
- I’m DEF a type A bride
For months, these ladies have kept where we are going, what we are doing, and where we are staying an absolute secret. I’ve just been in La-La land, not knowing anything, but giving my two scents on things that I ABSOLUTELY would love. To be honest, I never really envisioned myself as a person that enjoys surprises, however this trip has really opened my eyes to embracing them…just this one time.
While my hand is not in the pot, there are a few things that I just felt was such a “Joi” thing to do. One thing I really felt passionate about was a boat ride. Normally every trip I plan, we end the trip with an epic boat ride. It is only right that we keep the tradition going, and enjoy each other one last time…on da boat. Another thing that I really thought was amazing, was a photoshoot with me and my girls! I honestly feel that this is the only tangible memory I will have of this time, where I can show my kids, and reminisce on the “good ole days”. I love photos and creating memories with people that I know will be in my life forever- so one thing that I couldn’t budge on…was a photoshoot!
While “kinda/sorta/not really” helping to plan this bachelorette, I quickly noticed that having an extremely large bachelorette party can get chaotic QUICK. For my bachelorette, 17 of my closest friends all agreed to come. I was honestly in shock!! First of all, it really made my heart warm that ALL of my friends are joining me for this special occasion. That is just so crazy, 17 people…wow! Second of all, it was just amazing that even during a pandemic, people loved me enough to spend their hard earned coins for a trip, with me! This is so sappy, but I’m always in awe about this.
While I don’t have any tips or tricks (yet), for this bachelorette trip, there are a few things that I can say are helping me prepare for this trip:
1.Beauty Prep
I’m starting to think about how I would like my hair, nails, and all of the things beauty. For hair, the first initial thought was a good ole knotless braid. However, my poor edges just can’t take them anymore, so it is off to Plan B. I am looking for a style that screams Bridal…but also “Bad B****”. To be honest, Tik Tok doesn’t help either- there are so many amazing ideas, and I just can’t pick one style. Stay tuned to find out what I actually pick, because right now I’m in limbo. With nails, I have decided its time to be a woman again, and get back in the groove of getting my nails done (ugh!). So Pinterest has my heart with amazing designs that are bridal, yet- partyish. I’ll also tack this one with beauty- you can’t forget the at-home covid tests! I have been stock piling for months to bring at least a few at-home covid tests with me…just to make sure I’m on the safe side.
2. Outfits
This is where things get good. Because I have absolutely no idea exactly what we are doing (besides the boat and the photoshoot), I really have free range on what I can wear. There are a lot of days that I told my friends they can really wear whatever they want as long as they are cute. There are 2 days where we have planned colors, but other than that- free range!
While I was shopping for the trip, I really wanted to purchase items that I knew I had no business purchasing, unless it was a really monumental moment.
Check out some sample looks/vibes I thought about while picking out my bachelorette lewks!
My maid of honor, basically told me I should be giving instagrammy-tuscany vibes. And that is exactly what has been catching my eye with clothes! The only tricky part with shopping now, is there are not enough spring items for sale (unless you are shopping at Free People). There are a few dresses that I purchased that I’ve had my eye on for YEARS, and I couldn’t let this moment pass me by, I’ll make sure to share those details during the bach!
3. Gifts for the Girls
One thing I absolutely love…are some gifts! I’m a stickler for monogrammed or personalized gifts to really show my love and appreciation to others. I’m so grateful that I have a great squad that understands my appreciation, and put together something nice for the girls- but you know I had to put my little two cents in on some items that I would like to personally gift people. In other bachelorette parties that I have planned, I have really gone above and beyond on some of the gifts, here are some examples on what I have included in some of the gift bags:
- Old Navy Pool Shoes in Pink/The Bride Received White
- A Custom gift bag, with their name written in gold calligraphy (The bride received her own bag for her honeymoon)
- A Custom shot glass with their name on it (I purchased these from amazon, and had one of the bridesmaids that owned a laser machine include the names)
- A “Weekend” drinking cup that you can take to the pool- I made sure these were personalized with the weekend theme
- An Oh Sh*t kit for long nights- I included Tylenol, and Pedialyte. In the era of Covid, you can put hand sanitizer, lysol wipes, etc.
- A Custom thank you card, for them traveling this far (and also putting up with my group text messages) for almost a year.
- I also added in the bag their custom fanny pack that they purchased for a group photo.
These are just some ideas that have helped me navigate through this bachelorette season, and hopefully it can help an upcoming bach bride!!
I can’t wait to share with you guys the entire trip (or as much as I can share 😉 ) If you have any tips or tricks on what helped you prepare for your bachelorette, PLEASE share!
Until next time,
Joi