Sex and the City Bachelorette Party

I threw a "Sex and the City" themed bachelorette party for one of my closest friends, because frankly, she is a Sex and the City fanatic. Luckily she had gotten me hooked also, so I had seen the series and had plenty of ideas to draw from. Below are a few you can use for inspiration:

Decorate with a New York state of mind. Party supply stores now have these relatively inexpensive wall murals in themes to convert the walls of any room into the feel you are looking to create. I used the one that actual is made for Spider Man (luckily that took place in New York, too) because it's basically just a city skyline. You can just tape or tack this to you walls.



Throw some pictures of the Show up on the walls (I found some online and printed them off), and don't forget the Absolute Hunk. That's just too appropriate to pass up.




Need an idea for a centerpiece? Head up to your local craft store and get one of those giant martini glasses, and fill it with either plastic diamonds, or water with floating candles (add a few drops of food coloring to make it look like a pinkish-red cosmo).




For a cheaper centerpiece just grab a vase and take a cue from the Ron Livingston episode (Berger) and fill it with pink carnations, then attach a note that says "I can't do this. I'm sorry, don't hate me".




Or if you have martini glasses at home, fill one with sand 3/4 full and put a tea light in it. Voila. Sexy centerpiece.





We started with a Scavenger Hunt (see "Ideas for Bachelorette Parties (beyond the strip club)" post for more info). All the clues were related to the show, and she collected her goodies in a "Manolo" bag (I simply bought a silver gift bag and attached sticker letters to it).





After going out to dinner, we came back to my place for a lingerie shower, and as a thank you to the guests, I made party favors that went with the theme for pretty cheap. Just get some disposable plastic martini glasses, fill them with M&M's in your choice of color, wrap some tulle around the top and secure with ribbon. (Note: a helpful hint on disposable martini glasses, or any kind that you have to attach the bottom to the glass stem; krazy glue is a good idea, because those bottoms never seem to want to stay on. You don't want your favors, or drinks to be loosing their bottoms, it just looks cheap).
A New York skyline cake also adds to the fun. Just get chocolate bars, break them in the sizes you want, and dab white or yellow frosting to create the "windows".




Also consider a drink menu that fits the party theme. I created this one on the computer (I also made up the drink recipes partly), printed it off, folded it and attached it to thicker colored cardstock.





A few other ideas for a Sex and the City party:

* For invitations, print up a flyer in Sex and the City Column format, complete with "if so-and-so was about to be married, I couldn't help but wonder... how fabulous her bachelorette party was going to be".

* Have guests dress as a character, or just dress in Sex and the City Style.

* Hire a cab to take you to the club (a New York City style yellow checked one if you can).

* Watch the bride's favorite episode.

* Serve all drinks in martini glasses, even if it's just water.

* Play background music that gives a New York lounge kind of feel, and don't forget to get the show's theme song on the playlist, too (available on itunes).

Ideas for Bachelorette Parties (beyond the strip club)

As I said for the guys, the strip club is fine if it fits the crowd for the party, but here are a few ideas to make the bachelorette party you throw more original or more meaningful.

* Scavenger hunt - this I have done twice for bachelorettes and they both seemed to love it. Along with the girls I threw the party with, we bought a variety of small items (whatever you can think of: a single condom, mini chocolate body frosting, a high heel shoe bottle opener [available at www.myweddingfavors.com] anything the would be somewhat related to a bachelorette party or the theme) and hide them throughout the house (or wherever you are hosting it) with clues to each item. For one party, it was a Sex and the City theme, so I gave the bride a bag that I had put sticker letters on to say "Manolo" for her to put the goodies she found in.

* Mani-pedi's - if the bride is a fan, take her to get a manicure, pedicure, or both. It can actually be a relatively affordable way to get the girls out.

* Day at the beach - if you are lucky enough to have one nearby, take the girls to the beach during the day (just make sure everyone has got their sunblock, you don't want burns or bad tan lines for the wedding).

* Wine tasting - pick a variety of wines, both sweet and dry, red and white, and get some nice cheese and cracker trays. This could be a classier twist on a night of drinking.

* Spa Party at home - many cities have spa party companies that will come to your home and offer many of the same services as a normal spa (including salt scrubs, massages, nails, facials, etc). This is a great way to start a slumber party bachelorette party.

* Slumber Party - If the bride would rather not go out, why not stay in and watch lots of movies? Get your favorite pj's, some popcorn, paint your nails and watch some chick flicks.

* Vegas baby - take a cue from the guys... if you can afford it, a weekend getaway to Vegas could be the way to go.

* Deep Thoughts - no, not from Jack Handley, but a great way to make a bachelorette party more meaningful is the get a stack of questions together, or just pick a two or three that everyone at the party has to answer. Some can be funny, but some could be meaningful, like "how has the bride been a great friend to you?" or "what qualities do you think will make her a great wife?". I have also done this twice for bachelorettes, and both seemed to find it very meaningful and special.

* Lingerie Shower - get the brides sizes and throw a more naughty version of her bridal shower. Tell guests to get her something either naughty or nice. Luckily, thongs can be pretty inexpensive, so it doesn't necessarily mean guests have to shell out a lot more cash. Add to the fun on this one by telling guests ahead of time that a prize will be given to the person who has the "sexiest gift wrapping". You can also write down (discretely) what the bride says in response to each gift she opens and read it back at the end as "this is what she will say on her wedding night". This tends to get a lot of laughs.

* Pub Crawl - hire a party bus or limo, and head out for a night of drinking or dancing, or both.

Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties

Bachelor and Bachelorette parties vary greatly in many ways... from the level of formality, to the number and type of guests, the activities, and of course, the level of raunchiness. The most important thing to remember is that this is a special night for the bride or groom, a final send off from single life, and those who host the party should be considerate of what the bride or groom would like or dislike.

If the they would be extremely embarrassed by a stripper, do not hire a stripper. Sounds pretty logical, yes, but some people have the misconception that the purpose of a bachelor or bachelorette party IS to embarrass the bride or groom. This should not be the goal. A little light humor is one thing, but this is an event that they will long look back on, so be courteous in that respect.

I love bachelor and bachelorette parties because, to me, they are a deeper event than just a deboucherous night of pub crawling. That may be involved, but for the ones I have thrown I felt an obligation to make at least slightly more meaningful. In a sense, it is a good-bye. Friendships can easily remain after people get married, but they shift. The shift is meant to happen, because something should shift when you make such a huge commitment and life change. So in a sense this event is like a rite of passage. More detailed ideas that I have used (and have been a success with guests) are in bachelor and bachelorette specific posts.

A few general ideas for both:

* Don't feel limited to just the evening for the event. If you have the budget and/or creativity, it can be an all day celebration, or even a weekend long getaway.

* Ask the guest of honor specifics about what they want and do not want, and respect those preferences. Be particular... Who exactly do they want to attend? Do they want their mom (bride) or dad (groom) there? Do they want everything to be a surprise? What have they envisioned for this night?

* Do not throw the party the night before the wedding, for obvious reasons.

* Refer to the "general party planning tips" post, also.

* Remember to have fun, and keep the event as low stress for the bride or groom as possible. This is already an extremely stressful time for them. Allow it to be an event where they can relax and have fun.