Bachelorette Party Idea - The Last Hoorah

She's on her way out! You're losing one of the girls to the married life and it's up to you to make sure that she has one last great night of being single before slipping on that gold band. Planning a bachelorette party is not something that you will want to take lightly, make sure it's a night that she will think of fondly for years to come. When putting the event together, keep the special guest to be in mind. Is she a wild child or a mild-mannered lady? It's supposed to be a night designed just for her so keep her personality in mind or it could end up being a night she is eager to forget (and not for the good reasons).

Bachelorette Party Idea #1 - Name it with your best shot!

Most likely alcohol will be served at the bachelorette party, why not make a game of it by creating unique (possibly naughty) names for shoots? To play, have each guest come up with their own shoot recipe and corresponding name. The party girl to come up with the best shoot name wins a naughty prize!.

Party Idea #2 - Run a Tight Ship

A bachelorette party is a large event and, if you're planning one , it's iessential that you are organized. Create a list of everything that needs to be done (making the guestlist, sending out invites, shopping for supplies, making reservations, renting transportation, etc.). It's a good decision to start making your preparations weeks ahead to ensure that you have the time to set everything up. Putting a party together in a rush can end up being messy and, well, an unsuccessful endeavor. Get started early and try getting some mutal friends to help you with the process.

Bachelorette Idea #3 - Party Like You've Never Partied Before!

Bachelorette party ideas all seem the same these days. You see it all the time, a giant group of women all gussied up and out at the bars, giggling and cutting up like schoolgirls. One of the best tips on putting together a bachelorette party that you can get is to be unique. It's a great idea to throw a theme party; tell all of the ladies to dress alike (as cowgirls, flapper girls, Hollywood stars, etc.). Then, hit up venues that you don't usually frequent. In other words, don't dine at the same restaurants or drink and dance at the same bars and clubs that you always frequent. This is your girl's last night out being single, don't turn it into the same old song & dance!

Bachelorette Party Idea #4 - Don't Leave Anyone Out!

People get married everyday but it's not everday that one of your best buds ties the knot! It's up to you to make sure she gets a proper dismissal from singlehood. First things first, make sure that you get all of her favorite gals together to celebrate. Make a guest list (don't forget her work buddies, her female relatives, and her fiance's female relatives). When you send out those bachelorette party invitations you don't want to forget anyone important. It's a great idea to call her mother or sister and confirm that you haven't left out any important invitees.

Idea for the bachelorette party #5 - Good Girls Have Fun Too

Just like every authority figure probably told you when you were young, you don't need booze and drugs to have fun. You don't have to throw a ridiculously wild bachelorette party! Remember that the most important reason for putting the event together is so that the future bride can spend valuable time with all of her favorite women. Some of the best bachelorette parties can be ones where you just hang out together, talking and enjoying the company. If the future bride isn't a wild girl, consider throwing a a tea party, a sleepover, or even a ladies' night gossip and movie night. Nice, innocent fun with the ladies might be all the bride-to-bereally wants...remember that.

Tip #6 - Steppin' Out in Style

Call up all the ladies, it's now time for a hardcore bachelorette party! Don't let your friend merely fade out of the single life, send her out with a spectacle! If you're plotting to go all out, however, be intelligent about it. If you know they'll be drinking arrange enough designated drivers to get the group home safely. If this seems unlikely, hire transportation (it will cost next to nothing if everyone chips in). It's a special occasion so why not go all out and rent a party bus or limo? The lasie will not only have a personal chauffer but you'll be riding around the town in style. And, to sweeten the deal, you'll get door-to-door service and won't have to worry about searching for parking or walking from the lots!

Idea #7 - Take it Down a Notch

So, you've been elected to orchestrate all of the bachelorette party planning, what do you do now? Plan your evening out wisely and cerefully, that's what. Many bachelorette parties end up out on the town and that's always a good time. Before letting loose and gettin' buck wild, however, begin the evening slowly. Make some reservations at a nice restaurant or arrange a dinner at someone's house before going out to party. Enjoy a delicious meal and give everyone a chance to catch up or get acquainted before things get out of control. This is also the best time to pass out party favors, and let the future bride open her gifts. Everyone will be able to see what's going on and there won't be any shouting over loud music.

Idea #8 - A Hungover Bride Isn't a Pretty Picture

A bachelorette party is a the future bride's last night to let loose. All of her best female friends and relatives join together to make sure that her final night out as a single woman is memorable (or, ahem, not so very memorable). If you're plotting to take your gal pal out for a long night of dancing, drinking, and strippers for her "final night" as a single lady, don't be too literal. Among the best tips on planning a bachelorette party (if not the very best tip) is not to arrange to have the fiesta the night directly before the big wedding day! It is in the future bride's best interest to arrive at her wedding having had a good night's sleep and looking stunning. If she's been out all night the night before, she's going to look like death! Don't let this happen to her! Have the bachelorette party at least seven days before the big day, the bride will definitely thank you down the road.

Idea #9 - Plan an Event to Remember

Are all of the tips on planning a bachelorette party that you've been hearing sounding like a broken record? That's probably because the majority of bachelorette parties nowadays are basically the same. A group of girls get together to embarrass their gal pal before her wedding day. There is typically a lot drinking, a stretch limo, and, of course, buff strippers. It may be a the bees knees that evening but what will the bride think about it when she looks back in the years to come? Will she remember any of it? The main point of a bachelorette party event is to spend some time with the future bride before she leaves the single life forever, why not make the bachelorette party memorable? Try doing something unique and exciting! Plan an activity that the bride has never experienced before and surprise her with the plans. Think white water rafting, sky diving, spelunking, cliff diving, or even parasailing. Not her idea of fun? If you want a milder adventure, arrange a lovely luncheon followed by a breathtaking hot air balloon ride through the clouds. Make it an occassion she'll always keep close to her heart.

Idea #10 - Wilderness Girls

Want to put together a wild bachelorette party? Get wild...literally and plan a nature event, a hike through a wooded area or the mountains. There are hiking areas all over the place, even if you have to drive a few hours. Pack up your gear and head to the great outdoors. It's a fantastic idea to pack a great lunch (picnic lunches work best) to enjoy midday. If you want to truly rough it , camp in the woods for the night and enjoy the stars. If traipsing about in the wilderness for a day is about all you can take, however, reserve a hotel (or motel) nearby. If you're lucky enough to be in the vicinity of a charming bed and breakfast, don't miss out on that experience.

Idea #11 - Hold on Tight

Want to plan a genuinely unique bachelorette party? If strippers and drinking aren't you're idea of a good time, try doing something exciting and challenging instead. White water rafting can be a wonderful bonding experience for the bride-to-be and all of her fvorite ladies. There are many locations where you can enjoy white water rafting but why not go somehwere where someone else does the work for you? All-Outdoors Rafting (www.aorafting.com) in Walnut Creek, California is one of the best places to hit the water. After you make a reservation they arrange the event for you and even send out the invites. In addition, they provide meals, equipment, and shuttles to the area. They also give the bride a great T-shirt as well as a waterproof camera to help her document the event. If the Bay area in California is too far to swing for a bachelorette party, search the Internet for more convenient locations. Don't forget to inquire about special packages for parties!

Seven Pointless and Painful Wedding Traditions

African-American couples jump over the broom, Jewish couples dance the Hora, and my own parents’ wedding involved my mother wearing a special hat while old ladies sang a Polish folk song around her. Not to mention the traditional Polish vodka-drinking competition.

Wedding ceremonies are ruled by traditions, most stemming from the couple’s ethnic heritage, their religious affiliation, or where they live. Many wedding traditions reflect deep ties to our culture and community, but like anything else, weddings evolve as the times change. Some old-fashioned traditions have become meaningless actions that don’t have much relevance to our modern lives. As summer approaches, many of us will be sweating through a wedding or two, and we definitely wouldn’t complain if some of these outdated rituals fell by the wayside.

1. Throwing the Garter
This tradition supposedly originated in a belief that it was lucky to grab a swatch of the bride’s clothes. Somehow, it metamorphosed into the groom removing the bride’s lingerie and throwing it at all the single men, bestowing nuptial luck on the catcher of the garter. It’s archaic at best, just plain uncomfortable at worst. Who wants to watch a woman hoist her skirts above her head on what is supposedly the happiest and most dignified day of her life? And what single man actually wants to catch the thing, anyway?

2. Smashing Cake in Each Other’s Face
It’s your wedding day, you’re all dressed up, and you’re being watched by all of your nearest and dearest … now is not the time for a food fight. The lore surrounding cake-smashing describes it as stemming from an ancient Roman ritual where cake was thrown at the bride to ensure fertility. While it’s nice that the tradition has become a little less violent, covering each other in pastry is pretty silly and juvenile. Married couples have the rest of their lives to throw things at each other, and if you’re paying top dollar for photography, you don’t want all your pictures to show a face full of frosting.


3. Catching the Bouquet
What is it with weddings and projectile accessories? The tossing of the bridal bouquet, another remnant of distributing the bride’s “lucky” clothes to the anxious single ladies of the audience stopped being compulsory when women stopped rushing to the altar. I have been to several weddings as a single woman and not once has the dance floor been full of women anxious to catch the darned thing. And for those who are looking to get hitched, nobody wants to pop the question to a girl who’s writhing and scrapping for flowers on the floor.

4. Ginormous Wedding Parties
Having a best friend or two stand with you at your wedding is powerful and meaningful, but does anyone really need an entire army of attendants? It’s doubtful that any marauding hordes are going to try to bust up the wedding. Most friends are delighted to help with the shower or bachelorette party if they can, but are perfectly happy enjoying the ceremony from the sidelines. Plus it saves them from spending $250 on a dress or renting a tuxedo.

5. The Bride’s Parents Footing the Bill
This relic of a time when girls were used as bartering chips just doesn’t fit in with modern families. The bride’s family doesn’t have to show their appreciation to the groom for taking their daughter off their hands. Few modern weddings are paid for solely by the bride’s parents; most are financed by the couple themselves, in conjunction with their parents. If everyone is able to contribute to the affair, they should.

6. The “Dollar Dance”
It’s nice to want to drum up a little cash for the bride and groom as they start their new life together, but charging guests $1 to dance with them for sixty seconds just feels chintzy. At the end of the night, what difference does $47 really make? Wedding guests already bring gifts and well-wishes and don’t want to feel like they have to make extra donations.

7. Diamond Engagement Rings
Diamonds may be “forever,” but they haven’t been that way for very long. The De Beers company created the engagement ring rush in the early twentieth century as a way to boost sales. Their PR machine placed diamonds in Hollywood films and advertised diamonds as the ultimate expression of love and fidelity. Americans bought it hook, line, and sinker, becoming the world’s largest market for diamonds. Actually, diamonds aren’t even all that rare, but diamond miners control the supply to artificially inflate prices. Especially since people have become more aware of diamonds’ origins in conflict-ravaged Africa, some people are opting to avoid diamonds in their engagement jewelry.


What was once fashionable and expected doesn’t have to rule how couples celebrate their marriage nowadays. Many couples now write their own vows or choose exciting locations for their ceremony, rather than follow the usual traditions. Having cupcakes instead of cake or wearing dresses in colors other than white are other ways that people create the wedding they want.

Ultimately, it’s up to the couple to decide which traditions they want to include in their celebrations and which traditions to leave out. It’s no more necessary to put a sixpence in the bride’s shoe than it is to save a piece of wedding cake until the first anniversary. And any tradition that’s special and meaningful to the bride and groom will seem special and meaningful to their guests, no matter how many bridesmaids there are, how cheesy the first dance is, or how many undergarments get tossed into the crowd.

By: Allison Ford
Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22360/76067-seven-pointless-painful-wedding-traditions

The Bridesmaid’s Bill of Rights

On behalf of brides everywhere, I would like to officially apologize to the bridesmaids. I apologize for the taffeta, the butt bows, and the uncomfortable shoes you’ll never wear again. I apologize for choosing to express just how much your friendship means to me by making you wear an ugly dress and dance with my weird, unsociable cousin. I’m really, really sorry.

Well, although I’ll apologize on behalf of other brides, I haven’t technically done any of these things to my own bridesmaids. (Not yet, anyway.) But wedding season is starting, and you can bet that for every sane, reasonable bride out there, there’s a crazy person stomping around on a power trip, having royal freakouts about the wrong color shoes, or forcing her bridesmaids to paint the grass at the ceremony site a prettier shade of green, like on an episode of Bridezillas. Bridesmaids may be obligated to put on a smile and a strapless gown for a day, but nowhere is it written that they have to put up with abuse. Before you perform one more thankless wedding errand (or before you even agree to be a bridesmaid at all), be sure to know a bridesmaid’s unalienable rights.

You have the right to know what you’re getting into.
Being a bridesmaid in a wedding is an honor, but it’s also a commitment, and before you agree, it’s fair to ask the bride about what she expects. Some brides expect their bridesmaids to throw multiple showers and help them with each and every planning decision. Some brides just want their bridesmaids to show up and get the dancing started. No matter what the bride wants, it’s better to find out sooner rather than later. You can’t possibly know whether you’re up for the task of being a bridesmaid until you know exactly what that task is going to entail.

You have the right to have a life—and to have it come first.
Don’t tell the bride, but the only person who considers her wedding to be a big deal … is her. While she’s dreaming about floral schemes or linen rentals, you may be dealing with schoolwork, work stress, or family obligations. Don’t feel bad if you can’t drop everything for each and every vendor meeting, dress fitting, or menu consultation. Your life—whether it’s your kid’s school play, your family vacation, or just your night to relax—can come first.





You have the right to adhere to your budget.
Yes, being a bridesmaid means that you’ll be incurring some expenses, but you’re under no obligation to take out a second mortgage to make sure your friend has her dream wedding. Whether emergency car repairs have left you unable to afford a five-star bachelorette weekend or you just don’t want to spend more than $150 on a dress, you don’t need to explain or justify your decision. If she’s a good friend, the bride should already have some idea of your financial situation and what you can or can’t afford.

You have the right to not wear an ugly dress.
Since you’re buying your own dress, you should have at least some say in what it looks like, whether you want to be able to wear a regular bra or you think tea-length skirts make you look dumpy. Some brides like to make the dress decisions themselves, and in the case of large bridal parties, that’s often the easiest solution, but any bride worth her salt will acknowledge her bridesmaids’ likes and dislikes, as well as their budgets. While it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, you should expect the bride to at least make an effort to take your opinions under advisement and choose something flattering.

You have the right not to be a servant.
Bridesmaids traditionally help with some of the wedding chores, but if the bride expects someone to go running all over town on her behalf, performing a laundry list of errands, then what she really needs is a wedding coordinator. Bridesmaids are not just a free source of unpaid labor.

You have the right to an opinion.
If the bride wants her bridesmaids involved in decisions, then she’d better expect real opinions. No one likes showing up to dress fittings, florist appointments, or other wedding to-dos just to have her each and every idea shot down. Even if the bride doesn’t ultimately take your suggestions, you should feel like your opinion is valid and valued


You have the right not to play therapist.
Sometimes it falls to the bridesmaids to help run interference on a pushy relative or keep an eye on the underage cousin with the fake ID, but asking them to mediate long-standing drama between parents or siblings is too much to ask. When it comes to grudges, feuds, misbehaving, or untrustworthy relations, the couple should handle these problems themselves.

You have the right to have fun.
At the wedding, it’s not the bridesmaids’ job to be at the bride’s beck and call the whole time, so let loose and enjoy yourself! Sure, you’ll hold the bride’s dress if she has to use the restroom, and you’d be happy to help with a few small tasks, but remember this: unless you’re getting paid to be there, you’re there to have a good time.

You have the right to a non-lame gift.
After a year of planning, celebrating, reassuring, and obsessing over someone else’s wedding, it’s okay to be disappointed if you get a lame, impersonal gift that seems hastily picked out of a catalog. Who wouldn’t expect more from a close friend than just a polka-dot beach bag with your initials embroidered on it? Even if the bride blew her budget on imported Peruvian orchids, she should still take the time to find a thoughtful and personalized gift.

You have the right to say no.
No one has the obligation to be a bridesmaid. If you suspect that the impending wedding will stretch beyond the limits of what you can tolerate or afford, don’t be afraid to say no. It’s better to decline gracefully from the start than to risk ruining the friendship by harboring resentments along the way.

A bride’s bad behavior usually stirs up only one thing in the minds of her bridesmaids: thoughts of sweet, sweet revenge. So, for ladies who treat their bridesmaids like handmaids, be prepared for your comeuppance. For those ladies about to squeeze themselves into unflattering dresses, we salute you.

By: Allison Ford
Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22052/99463-bridesmaid-s-bill-rights


I'm a staff writer here at Divine Caroline. I lived in New York City for 10 years, where I tended bar, worked as a film and theater critic, did freelance writing, had lots of brunch, and fell in love with NY1's dreamy morning anchor, Pat Kiernan. Although I miss Manhattan, I love San Francisco, along with all of its amazing Mexican food. (Seriously--if I thought I could survive by eating tacos and quesadillas every day, I would definitely try) I also have a serious sweet tooth, and anyone who brings me real English Cadbury chocolate can be my new best friend.

I love cooking and baking, playing my piano, watching House reruns, watching my cats hunt bugs, and scuba diving, and my favorite places in the world are Hawaii and Newport, Rhode Island. But nothing beats the the experience of reading a good book in a quiet room.

If I wasn't a writer, I would apply to be a quality assurance expert at Ben & Jerry's. If you'd like to be privy to my innermost thoughts (or if you'd just like to receive updates of weird news stories and cute animal videos), come follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/allibird.