Ah! All the beautiful weddings of the season- from Annie Macaulay Idibia to Lola Okoye, Anita Okoye, Toke Makinwa, Tiwa Savage, and stretching overseas to international stars like rapper Eve- kicked off first with the Bachelorette party.
This is when ladies get together to bid a friend goodbye to spinsterhood. It is a fun night or day-out and always full of laughter and colour.
How do you organise the perfect Bachelorette party? This usually is left to the maid-of-honour to plan and direct. She is in charge to ensure that the bride gets a once-in-a-lifetime treat with her friends. It should be a pleasant surprise for the bride-to-be though it is important to carry her (bride) along.
Before we dish out the tips, one thing stands tall: As the woman in charge, do not invite rival groups to a bachelorette party. If you think a group of girls cannot get along well and act maturely within a small space together, then you have the responsibility of managing their excesses or striking their names off the guest list. It is possible that a bride can be friends with different types of women who normally wouldn’t get along. Cat-fights over the years would have built a tidy partition amongst her friends; and unless you are certain the women are mature enough to handle three hours or more in close space, then it is safer to narrow it down to friends who get along well. This is important because you wouldn’t want a beautiful well-planned Hen party to turn into a short clip of girl-madness for youtube!
So here are 5 tips to help you:
Get a theme: How is it going to play out? Will you be having a party at a bar? Will you all run off to the beach? Would it be a spa day? Cupcakes and music at a friend’s place? Costume party? Get a theme and then get to work!
Get ideas from everyone: Well, maybe not every single person, but reach out to trusted friends of the bride and see if they have any ideas they would like to chip into the theme party. Not everything would fit in but you’ll be amazed how much easier it’ll be when you gather a rich list of ideas; it’ll help you build a very colourful plan for the day.
Money: For a bachelorette party, every friend has to contribute financially to its success. It’s a surprise for the bride, remember? So yes, she deserves to kick her leg up and watch you do something for her on that special occasion. If she has many friends then you get to spread the budget thinly and successfully. And don’t forget to get all the money needed on time- weeks before the party.
Fix a date: Sundays are perfect for Bachelorette parties; why? Well, Saturdays are hectic- weddings and laundry and trying to catch up with life. If you work in cosmopolitan societies, week days are just as hectic too. Sundays are the only times you get to exhale. Make sure the date fixed is suitable for everyone.
Have fun: The bachelorette party is not the time to open old wounds or share sour tales. Keep it light and happy. Find something to be cheerful and thankful about; share testimonies. Leave the disappointments of friendship and invest in the beauty of it. Drink light, chat, share, evolve and dance.
– Joy Isi Bewaji