Guide to Planning a Stagette (Bachelorette Party)

One of the most important duties of the Maid of Honour is to plan the Stagette otherwise known as a Bachelorette Party. This is the female version of the Male Stag party, and is typically known as the Bride's last night out as an unmarried woman with all of her girlfriends - No Boys Allowed!

Brides Involvement
Try to keep as much of the Stagette a surprise from the Bride as possible. You will need the Bride for some decisions such as Dates, Venue, and Invite List. You can choose to keep the Venue a surprise if you wish.

Dates
Discuss this with the Bride as the party is for her and will need to work for her. Remember that the last few weeks leading up to the wedding can be quite busy and the bride will want to look her best, so try to plan the Bachelorette at least six weeks before the wedding.

Invite List
You will also want to discuss this with the bride. Also ensure that all the Bridesmaids are invited, and any other friends of the Bride that she wants present at her Stagette. It's also helpful to recruit a few other responsible invitees to help with the planning.

Plan a Venue
Not all Stagettes need to involve the traditional male striper. Use your imagination and think of some venues that the Bride will enjoy. Some important questions to ask are whether you want the party to be home or away? And if away, for how long? Many hotels offer group rates for large parties, so it is worthwhile to enquire about this.

Theme
Discuss with the Bride whether she prefers a conservative party or a wild party. Popular ideas are a weekend in Vegas, a Day at a Spa, a Harbour Cruise complete with dinner, dancing, and drinks. There are however tons of ideas you can come up with, but just make sure it is something the Bride will enjoy.

Costs
You will want to estimate the costs ahead of time taking into account Food, Cover Charges, Transportation, Drinks, decorations, and Accommodation if necessary. You will also want to consider whether you are paying for the Brides costs and take this into account when dividing the costs. You will want to collect the money before the Stagette so you will not need to worry about it during the party.

Transportation
Arrange for Designated Drivers or a safe mode of transportation if drinking will be involved.

Invitation
You will want to send out invitations approximately three months ahead of time so everyone has adequate notice to plan the Stagette into their schedule. A good idea is to send out an Evite which will outline all the details, itinerary, and costs. You can do this on www.evite.com. It is also important to have everyone RSVP so you will know approximately how many people are attending.

It's Stagette Time!
It's a good remember to send out a reminder a week in advance to get everyone pumped up about the Stagette. Remember this is the Brides party so give her lots of special treatment. You want her to have a memorable time so take lots of pictures as you can make an album for the Bride after the Stagette. Keep in mind that you may stray from the schedule, but this is okay as long as everyone is having fun.

References:

http://www.bacheloretteparty4amy.com/planning.html

http://www.functionjunction.ca/bachlorette.htm