My Miami Bachelorette Party | Guide for Things to Do, Outfit Details & More
If you know me, you know that the people and relationships (especially friendships) in my life are the very most important. My girls are my family and I've always prided myself on my friendships. When I got engaged, we we all may have been equally excited to throw together a bachelorette as we were to plan a wedding (sorry Cole).
And let me tell you, we did not disappoint. I'm honestly still on cloud nine dreaming and reminiscing of every single second of the weekend. It might just be one of the best of my life. Because, really.. how many times in your life do you get to go on vacation with all your best friends? I had girls from every stage of my life come together to celebrate - and it was amazing. Each and every one of these girls light me up. They are hilarious, easy-going, loving, supportive, amazing best friends and it's so fun to see them all come together and become friends too.
I thought I would put together a blog post to spill all the details! From planning & fun to all the links for you to check out the restaurants, bars, outfits, and more.
shop: SeaShell Float
The first step for planning the bachelorette is figuring out who is going to do what. Traditionally, a lot of maid-of-honors take on that duty. However, I have two maid-of-honors and being the crazy planner, type A girl that I am - I wanted to take part in the planning fun too - because I seriously enjoy planning this shit. It also meant a lot to me to be able to take that pressure, time, and responsibility off of them.
I not only wanted my bachelorette weekend to be a celebration, I also wanted it to be a big thank you to all of my girls for the role they have played in my life not to mention for traveling all the way to celebrate with me. The girls had to take time off work, find babysitters, get airfare, meals & drinks, etc. so I wanted to make sure the airbnb was something I personally took care of to treat my girls. I think there is no "right" way to plan a bachelorette but I'm happy to share how we did mine.
Location
Finding the perfect spot to celebrate your bachelorette.
We decided on a destination weekend because I knew I would have to plan my bachelorette in the winter months because I was already taking time off from wedding season before my wedding. I've visited Miami a few times and always loved it. It was a quick flight from Maine so it made the most sense for the perfect balance of a classy yet party bachelorette weekend.
I'm definitely not a Vegas girl but staying in my hometown or going to Boston for the weekend didn't really excite me. Miami was the perfect fit.
Who to Invite
I opted to invite my bridesmaids as well as a few close girlfriends, however I think you can honestly invite anyone you want - small or big!
Flights & Airbnb
After we knew who was going and what dates worked for everyone we began looking at flights and airbnbs. We wanted to find decently cheap flights to make it affordable for everyone and went with Spirit Airlines for a direct flight out of Boston into Fort Lauderdale. Although our trip there went seamless, our flight back - not so much. We got delayed until the next day and ended up having to book another two hotel rooms and stay another night. So needless to say we won't be flying Spirit again. But anywho - you live & your learn.
When searching for a house for us to stay in I was very particular. I wanted the house to be more than just a bed but a part of the destination. I loved the Coconut Grove/Coral Gables area outside of Miami when I visited last and I thought it would be the perfect destination for our house. I personally didn't want to be downtown Miami. We found the Hamilton House when searching our airbnb and fell in LOVE. It's aesthetics are right up my alley and I loved that all the girls could comfortably have a bed and we weren't all piled up on the couch. Also it was a huge plus that it had a pool! We didn't use it as much as we would have liked but it was so great to have the outdoor space to grill, hang out, and take a swim!
Transportation
Because we booked an airbnb outside of the city we wanted to make sure we had transportation. So I rented a 15 passenger van and it was amazing! Honestly it was hilarious that we were all driving around in it but it made it super easy to get to and from the airport as well as day activities like our grocery shopping, boat ride, brunch, and pool party trip. It would have sucked to have to split up and taken multiple ubers every time we wanted to go anywhere.
The journey is the destination people!
But don't worry we left the driving to the sober professionals once the night hit.
I found our bus via my Chase Credit Card on Alamo and used my points and only ended up spending $50 for the total 3 days. SO worth it.
Food & Fun - Creating an Itinerary
Once the big stuff was planned I got together with my two maid-of-honors to start planning all the details. They knew I wanted to be involved in the planning process and we're open to it as long as there could be a few surprises.
So we worked together on creating an itinerary for the weekend. Maybe you're more of a go with the flow kind of girl - and that's totally cool too! But for me, I love planning and making the most of my getaways so creating an itinerary was super helpful not only to me but to all the girls to know what to expect and how to plan.
I actually created this pdf in InDesign (yes I'm a nerd) so I could send via email to my girls and they could click the links to check out the restaurants, boat, and pool party. I also printed them via Cards & Pockets and put one in each of their bags as sort of an invite/itinerary.
Day 1
We had a limo from Maine Limousine pick us up at my house to bring us down to Boston. It was so much easier than to ask family/friends to drive us. Also it helped set the tone and kick the weekend off to a great start. I'm all about creating an experience.
Thanks Momma Trish!
my maid of honor, Mary, made his custom jacket for me!
Once we landed in Fort Lauderdale (a little further away than flying into Miami but cheaper) we got our van and headed to the airbnb!
While a few of us went grocery shopping, others stayed behind to help decorate the house and make it BACH ready. It was such a fun surprise to come home and see all the details the girls put together to make the weekend special.
Including this hilarious bathing suit Danielle had made via Guestbookery.
That night, we were all exhausted from travel and just decided to grill and stay in and hang out while preparing for the weekend ahead.
Day 2
The next morning we woke up and cooked breakfast at the airbnb because we knew we had to be at the boat at a certain time.
The girls rented a boat via BoatSetter. It wasn't exactly the boat we rented but we had a blast. Highly, HIGHLY recommend adding a driver if you can so you can sit back and relax. They also know all the best spots. Our driver took us to an island as well as a sand bar where we anchored the boat and had a chance to swim.
Pro Tip: Make a bachelorette playlist! This was perfect for our car rides, boat ride, getting ready, etc.
We made dinner reservations at LT Steak & Seafood at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach. This is the place that Cole and I stayed during our last vacation in Miami and we fell in love, I just couldn't wait to go back. We had reservations for 8:30 but ended up pushing it to 10:00 because we were all recovering from the day and taking our time getting ready.
In Miami, night life doesn't start until after midnight so I recommend making late night reservations if you are planning on going out after dinner.
We had a few drinks at the Delano Hotel and ended up calling it a night around 2 AM. Honestly I have no idea how people make it out so late?!
DAY 3
We slept in and went to brunch in Coconut Grove at Lulu in the Grove only a few minutes from our house. It was so beautiful and the food & drinks were amazing.
(this was a gift, I can't find exact but linked a similar from the same brand)
Shop: Veil ( I had this left over from halloween a few years ago)
Then - the highlight of the trip (I think for most of us) was the Hyde Beach Club Pool Party.
Guys, I was living my best life. So much dancing, champagne showers, my girls, UGH it was so much fun. I highly highly recommend. There are so many pool parties in Miami but I opted for one of the crazier ones because I have the rest of my life to lounge in a cabana - I wanted to PARTY.
That night we had reservations at Kiki on the River but if I'm being honest with you - we didn't make it. We opted for some McDonald's drive thru and take out tacos as we (surprisingly) recovered for the evening out.
We had a few ideas for night life in Miami including LIV, Story, and Eleven. We only made it to Story but we had a lot of fun!
Day 4
Our last day (was supposed to be) we slept in, ordered bagels, lounged by the pool until it was time to pick up and leave! We spent most of the day reminiscing on the weekend - laughing & crying at the photos & videos.
Other Details
Gift Bags
I wanted a way to say thank you to all my girls for making the trip and celebrating with me and you all know how much I love a good gift bag! But I wanted to make sure it was thoughtful and would include items they could use again.
Towels - Blue & White Striped Towels to use on the boat, pool, and for the wedding weekend.
PJS - Blue & White stripped pjs to wear during the weekend as well as getting ready the morning of the wedding. I opted to go mis-matched so people could wear a style they liked. You can find a few of them here, here, and here.
I also bought myself this Bride towel so I didn't feel left out :)
Tumblers - I searched EVERYWHERE for skinny rose gold tumblers with monograms on them. I could not find anything I loved so I opted to DIY it with my friend Christina with her cricket. I found these tumblers on Walmart and used this font to create the monograms. I understand not everyone has time/design background to do that so here is a similar one if you're interested in ordering.
The girls also bought 'The Party' / 'Wife of the Party' shirts as well as 'Bride' / 'Squad' bathing suits and one of my maid-of-honors put together these amazing hangover kits that came in handy.
I put them all in a bag that I designed myself and printed via Zazzle as well as tags for the bag & hangover kit.
Other Fun Stuff:
Pool Floats:
& Don't forget pumps!
The girls wanted to make most of the decorations a surprise but as you can tell we decided to go with the Tropical - Tiki Chic vibe! Check out my Pinterest board here. I've always loved this vibe but it never seemed so mesh well in Maine so it was fun to take it with us to Miami. The girls did an amazing job making a beautiful balloon arch, the hilarious banners, and flamingo drink floats. Every little detail was so awesome.
So whether you decide to partake in planning your own bachelorette or if you are a MOH or bridesmaid trying to get some ideas for your upcoming party I hope this blog post was helpful! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out!
XO,
