Bikini's & Martini's - Lessons in Bachelorette Planning

As wedding season is approaching, bachelorette planning should be getting into full swing! Last year I was the maid of honor in my older sisters' wedding (: While it was so much fun, planning the bachelorette seemed daunting at first. . . deciding on a theme, picking a location, and just about everything in between. We're heading to 30A/Rosemary Beach, and this post is for the girls who don't even know where to start planning (like me, a year ago)!

I work in corporate retail, so Excel and Power point are a strong suit of mine. Which should be no surprise when I tell you that I curated a Power point of theme ideas and presented it to my sister. Pinterest was the brains behind the ideas, which leads me to my first lesson. . .

Lesson #1: Pinterest will become (if it already isn't...) your best friend

I mean who doesn't love Pinterest?? This trip was the first time I had to plan, organize, and execute a trip by "myself", and I wanted it to be perfect. I headed to Pinterest to gather theme ideas, and once we decided on Bikini's & Martini's, knew that decorating inspiration would be my next search. Pinterest is filled with not only so much creativity, but the app also links to blog posts, which came in handy while searching for recommendations.

I was able to create a board that included my decor inspo, restaurant recommendations, bachelorette games, cocktail recipes and party favor ideas. . . all in one location for easy access! You also have the ability to share boards with friends so that you can all contribute to the creativity! My mom and I did this while planning my sisters bridal shower and it was very helpful to get on the same aesthetic mindset and have our ideas in one spot.

Lesson #2: Do your research

Between dinner reservations and activity planning, it can be hard to narrow down all the options. We had two full days on this trip and wanted to make the most of both.

• Friday: We rented a boat through 30A Pontoon Rental and had a chartered captain for the 6 hours. Our captain was extremely nice, and even hinted that we may have gotten ripped off by the company, which was not fun to hear, but important to share now!

  • We noticed every other rental boat company had games and water toys and were told that those companies appeal to the "fun" factor and do not charge an additional fee for the use of the toys and games, while the company we booked through wanted to charge an arm and a leg.

  • The captains are chartered out and do not work specifically for one company. Our captain was trying to start his own rental company at the time, and asked what I paid for the actual boat rental (since the captains get paid separately). After I told him, he was very shocked and told me that I was severely overcharged. So, I suggest you do your research and really pay attention to the fine print!

• Saturday: We stayed at an airbnb with a pool so during the day, we had a DIY martini bar and lounged by the pool. Since this was our final night of the trip, my sister and I wanted to have a fun but relaxing night. So. . . pizza and beach bonfire it was! This was honestly the best part of the trip. I booked the Three Little Birds package through Light Me Up 30A

  
  

Lesson #3: Flights may not go as planned

We all know how unpredictable flying can be. Between layovers, delays and cancelations, I really wanted to give myself enough time to get to Florida before everyone else so I could decorate and go to the grocery store. Ultimately. . . that did not happen. My cousin and I booked a 5am flight out of Pittsburgh, with a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. Well, silly us for thinking 12 hours would be enough time get there before everyone. We were not able to do an early check-in at our airbnb, and we did not have a car, so by the time we landed and uber-ed to the grocery store, girls were already arriving. My biggest tip to consider before planning your travel itinerary:

• Are you able to check- in early, or request a late check-out? We had a late flight back to Pittsburgh and thankfully found a hotel in town that would hold our luggage for only $10 until we had to leave for the airport. If I could go back in planning, I probably would tell myself to look at hotel options and not just airbnb. . . simply for the convenience

Lesson #4: Tracking Spending

"Splitwise is a free app used to help split expenses between friends and family"

For the trip, there were 9 girls and I decided to pay for everyone for the weekend, collect all the dinner receipts, and use excel at the end of the weekend to calculate what each person owed. Since everyone ordered different priced options at dinners and lunches, this approach was easier. However. . . Prior to the trip, my mom recommended using the app Splitwise, which would be great to use if everyone was paying the same amount, or there are fewer people in the group. My boyfriend and I used this app in Europe and it was very convenient!

Heading on a bachelorette trip this year? Let me know where you're going in the comments below!

Happy Planning, xo,

Anne