How To: Bachelorette Party

I am one of two Matron(s)-of-Honor in Taylor's wedding in June. First, I'd like to say how much more amazing it has been not having it all on me. Having just gotten married, I had no idea how I'd balance the budget of being someone's MOH.   So, here are my tips to planning the best bachelorette party with a small budget.   1. Know the bride. Obviously if you're her MOH, you know her fairly well. Know her likes, her dislikes, the taboo topics, the do's and don'ts. For mine, it didn't matter what I said because I ended up with a penis cake, panty shaped cookies, and alcohol. Its the one thing I would re-do about my wedding planning.   2. Find a theme. Our theme was dictated by the decor we found and loved.  We found these streamers and fell in love. So our color scheme was pink and black. We did the plates, cups, silverware, etc. around that color scheme.  I added chinese paper lanterns to match the colors.   3. Use your resources. Because the baker of aforementioned cake is invited to this party, I knew she'd be good with baking another cake for Taylor's bachelorette party.  She's a phenomenal baker, so I knew she'd love to do it.    4. Shop around. Oh, you don't want to pay $15 for that "Bride to Be" sash? You don't want to go into a store to buy phalic shaped items? Amazon has you covered. Really. That way, it comes in a box, no embarassing visits to Spencer's.    5. Don't be afraid to embarass the bride. I don't mean dressing her up like a hooch and strutting her around downtown (if that's your cup of tea, I apologize.). I mean don't be afraid to play games that are going to put her in the hot seat. This game is so much fun! I'm not saying be malicious, but have nice fun at her expense (that's a thing, right?). It's her night!!    6. Have precautionary measures in place. If you know there will be alcohol and people under 21 are attending, keep a watchful eye.  You definitely don't want that on your head.  Be the DD, offer a place to sleep, etc. if you think excessive alcohol consumption (for those old enough) will be an issue.    7. Feed the attendees.  It's probably smart to include dinner in the plan that way everyone can pay for their own food. However, I also think it's wise to include dessert.  :) For Taylor's I'm having friend mentioned in 1. and 3. to bake aforementioned cake, we're doing cookies, ice cream, etc.   8. Provide a fun guest book. My favorite, and the one we did at my party, was a photo mat for a 5x7 frame (4x6 picture) with lipstick provided. Each attendant kisses and signs the photo mat, and if you're feeling generous, you can frame it for her at the end of the night!! :)   9. Be prepared to take lots of pictures. There are tons of fun props you can find to take pictures with. I plan on doing a chalkboard on which the attendants will write one word that describes the bride. I'll then make her a little photo book with all of the pictures!   10. Don't stress. she loves you, and that is why she made you her MOH. It will all fall into place. Have fun and enjoy the party you put together!! :) She will love you for all of your hard work!!