Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bachelorette Party Idea #3: Scavenger Hunt Bar Crawl!


Going back to the more “traditional” bachelorette idea of drinking and embarrassing the bride-to-be, we bring you the third bachelorette idea! The Bar Crawl Scavenger Hunt. Grab your girlfriends and head out for a night on the town that is sure to be full of a lot of laughs and great memories!

Invites/Guests: Sticking with your closest gal pals would be the best bet for this party. You want enough girls to be able to split into diverse teams, but not too many people that they are left behind at the bar! When you send out the invitations I would suggest telling everyone to bring their camera as well – as of course you need proof of the hunt items.

Typical Costs: The great thing about this bachelorette idea is that it is typically low cost. Although the scavenger hunt is pretty much free of charge, I would factor in some cash for drinks and some munchies after the game. Also make sure you have enough to cover the Bride-to-be all night. After all, it is her celebration. :-)

Game:

Preparation:

1. Create a scavenger hunt list of tasks that each team needs to find. Have each task worth one point, with working in a few bonus points here and there with more difficult tasks. Here are a few sample items that I grabbed from Bachelorette.com (I kept them clean although I know sometimes this list can get crazy!):

a. Take a picture with a man who has a Chinese character or Dragon tattoo.

b. Go to a bar; walk out with the phone numbers of three men. Negative point if any of the numbers turn out to be bogus

c. Have three men write the bride a note signing their names and listing reasons why the bride to should dump her fiancĂ©e and marry them. Don’t let them try too hard.

2. Make copies of the scavenger hunt sheets and set a time limit. Base the time limit on the amount of participants and the amount of items to be found. Note that not all items may be found, but challenge the girls to act fast and enjoy themselves!

Day of Scavenger Hunt, The Actual Game:

1. Divide all of the girls into teams based on the amount of participants. I would suggest having each team 4-8 people to keep it fun and diverse.

2. Give each team a copy of the scavenger hunt list and remind them of the time limit (and meeting point when finished). Let them know that for every 5 minutes they are late a point will be deducted from their score! Crunch time ladies.

3. Make sure that each team has a camera with them (one with video works even better) to document all of their finds.

4. Let them go! And don’t forget to have fun and share a lot of laughs!

Misc. Fun: Dress it up! To add some more fun to the night, have all of your friends grab their favorite cocktail dress and stilettos – or add some spunk and make it themed. Here are some ideas:

- Era-themed: 40’s? 50’s? 60’s? What is your favorite era? Have your gal pals dress accordingly. Be sure to include this note in the invitation with some possible suggestions as to what to wear.

- Color-themed: Bring your wedding colors into your bachelorette party. Tell each guest to wear something purple if you are having a purple wedding, or red if you are going with red. This will make finding your participants fairly simple at the bar, or make for a fun group picture!

- Personal touch-themed: Add your personal touch by creating personalized t-shirts for everyone joining the party! You can even add “Team 1” and “Team 2” on the shirts to decipher teams and add a little more customization. Or just “Jane’s Bachelorette Party 2010” - a great gift for all of the girls to take home!




Saturday, November 6, 2010

All About Monograms!

Happy November! I hope that you all are enjoying your fall season! With the start of November, I was very excited to receive my new issue of Brides magazine in the mail. After reading through it I like to try and share a fun idea, fact or craft that I may stumble across while reading it.

This time around I thought I would pass along a great section they had on monograms as they seem to be all the rage lately! Here are a few awesome sites that allow you to truly customize your big day! Check out the November 2010 issue of Brides for the full list. :-)

Postage Stamps: mountaincow.com

Spotlight: gobostogo.com


Water Bottles: weddingthings.com

Belgian Chocolates: chocolateboxcafe.com

Cupcake Wrappers: daisy-days.com

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Bachelorette Party Idea #2: Spa Day!

Let’s face it - wedding planning can be stressful! So why not plan a fun Spa Day for your Bachelorette party, allowing you and gal pals some quality time together while de-stressing and sharing some great laughs, food and amazing spa treatments. As a side note, this is also a great idea for a pre-wedding prep for the bride and bridesmaids to enjoy a day or two before the wedding!


Invites/Guests: Going this route I would suggest minimizing the guest count. Too many guests will contradict the whole “relaxing” thing and may become much too overwhelming. On the invitation I would also recommend including a list of the services that will be available and for each guest to please RSVP with what services that they would like. This will allow you plenty of time to coordinate with the spa and ensure that everything goes smoothly. Also, I would like to note to remind your guests of the spa’s cancellation policy when they RSVP. You do not want to be slapped with a charge if someone decides to change her mind last minute. Usually there is a 24-hour cancellation policy, but I urge you to call the salon to verify what their policy specifically consists of.

Typical Costs: Although prices can vary quite a bit depending on the treatment and the spa, you can expect to pay around $40-$75 for a treatment and add about 20% gratuity on top of that.

Where to Go:

Local - There are many amazing local spas in the area that can provide you with exactly what you are looking for. Ask your friends and family for their suggestions and their personal experiences with local spas. Word of mouth marketing can be very helpful when it comes to salons and their services (especially when bringing a group of people in)! Additionally, call ahead and see if certain salons offer group rates or have special group policies. By doing so, you can ask specific questions and get a better feel of the salon and if it is someplace that you would like to visit with your gals!

Spa Party Company - Another up-and-coming idea is the home spa party company. A spa party company comes in and creates a comfortable “spa atmosphere” for you including candles, spa music, robes, and slippers for your guests. They send experienced, licensed spa professionals who set up various “spa stations” with the proper equipment. This is a great idea if you want a more intimate feel and have your spa set up to reflect more of your personality. There are only a few companies that are local, but I know that a few salons do offer home services or are willing to work with you to give you what you are looking for.

At Home DIY - Lastly, if you are trying to minimize your expenses, I would suggest setting up your own at home spa atmosphere with some candles, soothing scents, towels, some snacks, and a few at-home treatment stations. Or, to get everyone involved, buy the ingredients for your guests and have everyone make their own Bath & Body Crafts. Check out Craftbits.com for some great recipe ideas – they have an entire section devoted to Bath & Body crafts. Also, I thought that I would include this great Honey Lemon Sugar Body scrub recipe that I found!

Honey Lemon Sugar Body Scrub

  • 2 1/2 Cups sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Sweet almond oil (you can use Olive but it won't smell as divine!)
  • 4 teaspoons Lemon juice
  • 5 Tablespoons Honey

Combine the sugar and oil and stir. Then add the lemon juice, followed by the honey and stir well to combine. This will gently exfoliate your skin and it smells delish. You may want to test a patch before slathering it all over you if you have sensitive skin!

To Note: I also wanted to mention that if you end up celebrating your last few weeks of a single woman at a local spa, call ahead to see if they offer any cheese/cracker or veggie trays or wine/drinks while you are there – or if you are able to bring your own. Many places do offer them and it is a nice extra to think about!