For this laid-back beach bachelorette party, the ladies rented a house in Newport Beach and decked it out with pineapples and palm leaves from Paper Source for their tropical beach theme. Bridesmaid Audrey of Love Always, Audrey crafted the sequined floppy hats herself (you can DIY the Life’s a Beach, Out of Office and Do Not Disturb hats with this tutorial). The goal of the weekend was to get in some serious relaxation time at the beach, with the help of a few oversized pool floats, matching T-shirts designed by the MOH and personalized mason jars created by bride Danielle. Audrey’s advice for planning a beach bachelorette? “RELAX. The whole point of a beach bachelorette party is to just lay in the sun and enjoy it, so don’t worry about the small stuff. Instead of going out to a super-fancy dinner, order in pizza to the house. Sleep in a little bit. Make this the beach vacation everyone wants!”
Channeling Queen Bey, bride Tori and her squad made it their goal to be drunk in love…or just drunk for her bachelorette weekend. The ladies kicked off the drunk in love bachelorette weekend with a Beyonce concert. For their second night, they met up with photographer Katie Burnett in her Edmonton studio for a fun night of glamour and passion. The ladies got their hair and makeup done while enjoying champagne and cupcakes. After their makeovers, Tami of Pure Romance stopped by with racks of lingerie and a few other unmentionables for a “passion party.” The girls ended their session with a sassy photo shoot. Who runs the world? Girls!
I recently celebrated my bachelorette weekend in Charleston with my best girls and I am still buzzing with excitement. It was absolutely the perfect bachelorette for me, full of relaxing beach walks, classy specialty cocktails, delicious Southern cuisine, a little bit of dancing and hours talking and laughing with the ladies I love most. You can find my complete list of recommendations for a Charleston bachelorette at the bottom of this post.
The Details
I met up with my MOH Meryl and bridesmaid Michele at the Charleston airport Thursday evening and we headed straight to dinner at Leon’s Oyster Shop, a cool, eclectic space downtown that specializes in oysters and fried chicken. After a delicious meal, we made a pit stop at the grocery store to stock up on the essentials—aka copious amounts of wine, an entire watermelon, and breakfast foods—while we waited for the rest of the ladies to arrive. (Side note: We ran into what was clearly a bachelor party on the boy version of our grocery trip, filling one cart with beer and a second with canned chili.) Our home for the weekend was the Wild Dunes resort on the Isle of Palms. Meryl’s aunt and uncle own a three-bedroom beach cottage there and were so, so generous to offer to let us use it. It was absolutely perfect—gorgeously decorated in beach-chic blues and whites and the perfect size for our group. They even had party cups and a stuffed shark to act as our weekend mascot!
Meryl put together adorable Charleston-themed gift bags for all the guests and Michele was almost instantly dubbed art director for the weekend when I found her artfully arranging the items for a photo. And she did an amazing job styling our photos for the rest of the weekend! Personalized cup in the sand? Her idea. Constantly shifting us around to get good light? She was on it. Though assistant art director Lexy is responsible for the sand writing 🙂
Friday morning, after sleeping off way too much wine, the girls made an amazing breakfast at home and we headed out to the beach for a stroll, followed by pool drinks and snacks at the Wild Dunes Grand Pavilion. It was just a little bit too chilly for sunbathing or swimming, but it was still lovely and the perfect time to catch up, which is just one of the best parts of a bachelorette weekend. Fellow bride Jae and I got to compare notes on our upcoming weddings. I’m pretty in awe of her—she planned her wedding in four months whereas I will be coming up on a year of planning! Definitely more to come from her summer wedding soon!
After a very important power nap (what, we’re old!), we started the evening at Poogan’s Porch, which serves modern twists on Southern classics (I had the crab and shrimp linguini because, hi, learned my lesson from wine on night one: carbs needed!). All of Meryl’s restaurant choices and the schedule she planned for the weekend were amazing and spot-on me. This is probably the only vacation I’ve ever taken in my life where I haven’t planned one thing, Yelped one restaurant or pulled up Google Maps once in a fit of “where the heck do we go next.” It was heaven! Next, we had drinks on the roof of the Vendue and then headed to Trio for some dancing, where the DJ was spinning 90s jams as if he knew we’d be there (plus, JT’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” because I’m obsessed right now).
Saturday was my bridal shower brunch, and beforehand my friends planned a scavenger hunt for me in our beach house. Each clue was written by my bridesmaid Amanda, who is the queen of cute poetry and emoji usage—she created the poems for our popular wine basket shower gift. The clues led me to the shower gifts, which were all travel-themed, referencing places Andrew and I have visited together. The last clue led to my shower, hosted by my amazingly generous friend Nichole, in the back garden of Eli’s Table in Charleston, where we enjoyed a hearty brunch and some much-needed mimosas in the Charleston sunshine. I was so touched by the thought that everyone put into the shower—it was so personalized to Andrew and I and resulted in me making many silly faces while opening my gifts!
After our outdoor brunch, we were in need of a little AC time. Luckily, Nichole had wisely made a midday reservation at The Gin Joint. Because what’s the best thing to do after you finish two pitchers of mimosas? Have a specialty cocktail, duh! The Gin Joint makes cocktails for you based on a selection of words on the menu, so I asked for a “fizzy and refreshing” drink and received an awesome combo of gin, muddled strawberries, lime and ginger beer. Maybe one of my favorite spots we stopped in Charleston!
Next, we took a stroll along the waterfront of downtown Charleston and through the historic quarter to get a look at Charleston’s rainbow-colored homes. The city really has so much charm and there’s a gorgeous garden or wrought-iron gate around every corner. To end our weekend, we headed over to nearby Sullivan Island for a dinner of wood-fired pizzas and on-tap cocktails at the Obstinate Daughter. I cannot believe how fast the weekend flew by, and I already miss my girls. But I’m even more excited for my wedding this October!
My Bachelorette Guide to Charleston
Stay Wild Dunes: We were lucky enough to have access to a house, but Wild Dunes has tons of vacation rental properties as well. The beachfront community has tons of pools, a golf course, tennis, dining—it’s a really wonderful home base with a lot of Charleston charm.
Eat & Drink There are so many amazing restaurants in Charleston—you can hardly go wrong. We loved:
Modern twists on Southern classics in a historic Charleston home atPoogan’s Porch. Try the shrimp and grits and the fried green tomatoes.
Brunch in the back garden ofEli’s Table. Their hearty meals and pitchers of mimosas are perfect the day after a night out.
Fresh oysters and fried chicken at Leon’s Oyster Shop. We loved the eclectic vibe of this joint.
Wood-fired pizzas at Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island. Try the Old Danger pizza topped with pancetta, mozzarella, a white sauce and a farm egg and one of their cocktails on tap.
With creative cocktails like The Studmuffin and The Debutante, The Gin Jointmakes for a perfect happy hour stop. We especially loved the “bartender’s choice” option.
Thank you a thousand times…
Meryl Dann: COO/Team Captain | Michele Fogel: Art Director | Amanda Leith: Creative Director | Jae Haley: Stylist | Lexy Harrison: Medical Advisor/Asst. Art Director | Nichole “If You Won’t Do It, I Will” Burnap: Chief Instigator
A night in the iconic Madonna Inn has been on my bucket list for awhile, so I’m seriously crushing over this bachelorette weekend. The landmark inn is known for its elaborately themed rooms and kitschy, whimsical decor, with suites decorated in styles ranging from Swiss chalet to African safari (indoor waterfall included). This bride asked each guest to bring an outrageous and colorful dress for a photo shoot by Brandi Lopez Photography on the hotel grounds. Many chose to finally get a second wear out of an old bridesmaid dress or their prom dress, while a few ladies channeled the 80s with thrifted frocks. The Madonna Inn bachelorette weekend included a night out in downtown San Luis Obispo and a Saturday afternoon wine tasting in Paso Robles.
Virginia wedding photographer Kim Stockwell is used to being behind the lens rather than at the center of the action. But for her bachelorette bash in Key West, Kim was blown away by the action-packed weekend planned by her closest friends. “Nine very important people in my life made me feel insanely loved and I am beyond grateful,” said Kim. Kim took a few moments to snap pictures of the gorgeous Florida beaches and their cute beach bungalow close to party-central Duval Street, as well as a group shot or two, which made the perfect thank-you gift to remind the girls of their weekend in the sun.
Check out Kim’s Key West bachelorette weekend agenda below to help plan your own trip to the southernmost city in the continental USA.
Check in to your house on Louisa Street, just a block off of Duval Street, the hub of nightlife and general revelry in Key West. This adorable cigar cottage is decorated in the quirky tropical patterns and bright colors typical of the Key West style, but the real draw is the backyard, complete with plunge pool, grill and patio setup perfect for a casual dinner. Serve drinks and dinner in the backyard one night, or for a casual dinner out, try Willie T’s.
No trip to Key West is complete without a Duval Street bar crawl. Sloppy Joe’s has a huge dance floor and Irish Kevin‘s in known for the great live music, friendly bartenders and generally fun and laid-back atmosphere. The rotating roster of performers are top notch, creating a nightly dance party. (Make sure to try the cinnamon toast crunch shooter.)
Sign up for the Fury’s Ultimate Adventure, an all-day boat trip that includes snorkeling, parasailing, jet skiing, kayaking and more. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon drinks are included in the price of the tour (and the cute crewmembers are an added bonus). A great deal for everything you get!
After a day on the water, head to dinner at the Conch Republic Key West, a beautiful open-air restaurant overlooking the marina (which happens to be right next to the dock you board for the Fury tour). Be sure to try Key West specialties here, like conch fritters, mahi mahi and key lime pie.
If you’re hoping to model your Key West adventure on that season of The Real World, try Dante’s, a giant pool party complete with floating beer pong and shot skis.
Head to 801 Bourbon Bar for their world-famous drag show (it’s been running for 25 years!). This raunchy, racy show isn’t for everyone, but the right bride will have a blast. Call ahead to book a table in front and to the left of the stage, where there’s plenty of room for a large group. The bride gets in free, but the $10/person cover for the other members of your party is well worth it.
After your night out, you’ll be in need of a restorative brunch at Louie’s Backyard Afterdeck. Enjoy a mimosa and tres leches French toast on the multi-level deck overlooking the ocean.
