By Helen Ray
As a bridesmaid, you’ve probably known the bride for a while; you have countless inside jokes, stories of the “old days,” and pictures of each other you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy to surface onto Facebook.
With a long friendship and a spot on Team Bridesmaid, there’s pressure to throw an unforgettable bachelorette party for your dearest friend. Unfortunately not everyone has a wallet size as big as their Pinterest board would lead you to believe.
So, for those bridesmaids looking to throw a budget bachelorette party, here’s a list of five ideas that will resonate with the bride long into her old married years, that don’t require elaborate funds.
1. Reach for a beer
Virginia is known for their grandiose vineyards, but those weekend getaways to wine country can get pricey quickly. Luckily, Northern Virginia has a large community of craft beer lovers.
So, instead of wine opt for beer and take the girls out for a relaxed but classy night out with a beer tasting tour. Some tours can be as low as $10 a person, which saves money for a nice dinner (and more drinks) after the tasting. Not to mention learning about craft beer can come in hand as a future pickup line for the remaining bachelorettes of the party.
Check out our previous article, “Day Trips: Brew Trails” for an in-depth look into local beer tastings.
2. Go old school
Create an ultimate bonding experience by recreating a classic sleepover. A bridesmaid can either host the sleepover herself, or if she has a little more wiggle room in her budget, rent a hotel suite and live like Eloise.
Buy cheesy decorations like balloons and streamers to make the party look more lavish, turn classic sleepover games into drinking games or truth games for the bride to tell all. And make sure to include a pampering station for facials and mani-pedis to tie together the classic evening.
3. Take a hike
Sometimes we forget to take in the beautiful scenery that Virginia has to offer.
For an outdoorsy bride, take her on a hike through one of the many local parks in NoVA and plan an outdoor picnic with creative and sophisticated foods (make sure to check the alcohol policy for an extra special outdoor experience).
If the bride and bridesmaids are up to it, you could even stay in a park for a weekend and give “glamping,” or glamorous camping, a try. For ideas on where to hike in NoVA, revisit our article “3 Parks to Take a Hike in This Weekend.“
4. Stick to a theme
Having a themed bachelorette party is an easy way for the party to have a unified look that lets people define their own budget.
You can choose a favorite theme of the bride like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” create a funny screen printed tee for all the ladies to wear or go on a bar crawl in Clarendon, where you’ll get good drink deals and a pre-planned theme.
5. Learn a skill
When you’re paying for something that you can use again, it makes the money spent worthwhile.
Incorporate something the bride has always wanted to learn and organize a class to attend. Take a cooking class and learn how to make sushi, take a rock-climbing class for an active bride or check out a bartending class and learn to make the brides favorite drinks.
