Pre-wedding Parties

'Minor' Bachelor/Bachelorette Party?

 So my little sister is getting married June 12th & I've been trying to pin her down to dicuss her thoughts about her bachelorette party. We still have yet to be able to really discuss it but today she told me that she & her husband (they were already married in a private ceremony in Jan.) want to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party & rent a party bus. It seemed kind of unusual but if that's what they want, I'm all for it!

 Now, here's the kicker, while she & I have some of the same interests in music, we are complete opposites. She likes loud, bright & shiny, I prefer peaceful, natural & creative but the biggest problem is....they're both over 18 but under 21 and so is most of the party with the exception of myself & my fiance, and the groom's older brother. So pretty much all of the fun night spots that I know of in the area are a no go. I don't get out much but I can't imagine there's much here. I'm not really sure what to do for them that they & their friends can truly enjoy without feeling ' too young' or something. Does anyone have any ideas?? I have a few but I'm trying to gather as many options as possible right now so I can hopefully come up with something exciting and unforgettable for everyone! :)

Re: 'Minor' Bachelor/Bachelorette Party?

  • danieliza1127danieliza1127 member
    5 Love Its First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I would ask her for suggestions.  I would be at a total loss for what she expected to be able to do or where to go in a party bus if they're all too young to get into bars.  Just ask her if there are any places that she knows of that she would like to go or she can get into, then you can check them out and plan something.

    Personally, I think since they are already married, they shouldn't even be having bachelor/bachelorette parties, but that's neither here nor there.
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  • edited December 2011
    I see the wedding is in Grand Rapids (I'm assuming Michigan unless there's another Grand Rapids I don't know about).  If so, you're close to our Canadian border.  Our drinking age is 19, and if you keep going further north it's 18 in Montreal, Quebec (but that would be a LOOONG drive!).  Your closest cities in Ontario would be Windsor where they have an awesome hotel/casino (www.caesarswindsor.com) or London which is a university town, so full of nightlife.

    Hope that helps!
  • SuMmErKuTiESuMmErKuTiE member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_pre-wedding-parties_minor-bachelorbachelorette-party?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:32Discussion:d81f7b0d-6e44-4b78-805b-a7f7622ada35Post:382a43d9-a3ad-4e3b-bc40-9ee079ae7368">Re: 'Minor' Bachelor/Bachelorette Party?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Personally, I think since they are already married, they shouldn't even be having bachelor/bachelorette parties.
    Posted by danieliza1127[/QUOTE]

    Ditto this! If they're already legally married, they shouldn't be having a bachelor/bachelorette party.. they're no longer consider a bachelor or bachelorette. That ship sailed when they were legally married.

    But all that aside.. I don't think having a joint co-ed party or renting a party bus is unusual at all. That's actually what we're having as well and friends of ours who got married last year did this too. But our bus is taking us up to the casino where we'll hit the tables and the bars/clubs because we're all of-age. I'm not quite sure what she had in mind. Maybe you can schedule the party bus around the time of a good concert in town or go to an MLB game. You guys can party it up on the bus then go see a concert or a baseball game and then have fun transportation back as well.
  • edited December 2011
    Would the consider a party at someone's house?  Or maybe going bowling?  Do you have any nearby theme parks?  Dave and Busters?  HTH!
  • trix1223trix1223 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    She's married.  Therefore, by definition she's not a bachelorette.  IMO, she gave up the chance to have a b-party (and shower, and do-over pretend wedding) when she got married last January.
    "Trix, it's what they/our parents wanted. Why so judgemental? And why is your wedding date over a year and a half ago? And why do you not have a groom's name? And why have you posted over 12,000 posts? And why do you always say mean things to brides?" palegirl146
  • AmandaK2010AmandaK2010 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had a friend who isn't a big partier and most of the bridal party was under 21.  So we had dinner at a fun restaraunt where the over 21 could get drinks but the under 21s could participate.  Then we went back to my parents house (they were out of town) where we played games, had an ice cream and cocktail bar, and had an old fashioned sleepover.  That is an idea that could be adapted to fit your group.
  • edited December 2011
    Wow ladies, thank you so much for all of your input! 

    The issue the party has bothered me for awhile. I had a long talk with her today & was able to make her realize that a bachelor & bachelorette party was really inappropriate and that if she wanted to have kind of a celebration for them and their younger friends to kind of be able to relax a little more & not have to worry about the entire family as they will at the formal reception I understand that & we can figure something out instead. Everyone's over 18, just most aren't 21 yet it. So.....we're going to include a little bit of everything! All of your thoughts and ideas helped a ton. The guest list is a little bigger because it's a joint party so, we won't be able to travel out of state although that is a fantastic idea misspinks! Then because we won't be popping in and out of places much & a regular party bus service wouldn't really be worth it for the cost, I have a friend who has a smaller sized touring bus from the late 70's that he's been completely revamping for the last several years. Well he just finished it in February & has a chauffers license so he offered to drive everyone around for the night for a $100!! I am so grateful & SO ecstatic :) We'll get dinner at one of the restaurants inside The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids. Minors can be there before 9pm, it's a classy place and there are many options & things to do. So they'll be able to have a nice dinner without feeling like kids & everyone can relax & enjoy. I'm trying to check out the bands that'll be playing in the area so that we can go to a show, otherwise we'll go laser bowling or roller skating, grab some ice cream & then the guys & gals will go our separate ways for the night. As for the ladies, we'll be coming back to my house & having our own little sleepover. This way my sister gets a bit of everything, a night out with her husband & good friends, she gets her "last night to be a little girl" feeling with the sleepover, and she and her husband will feel almost like they're newly dating all over again, hanging with friends, dinner & ice cream, that middle school hand-holding session, a kiss goodnight at the end of it all, and giggling about it & hamming it up doing silly "girly" things with all of her favorite girls in one place and in her pj's till she can't keep her eyes open anymore :) She doesn't know the  whole plan yet but I'm really excited & know she'll love it.
    Even though I get really frustrated at my sister's high maintenance tendencies sometimes, we're 5 years apart in age & we've always been really really close so I want her to be happy  even though it's a little excessive :P Plus, her husband's going into the Air Force & they're moving to Texas in September, so it's really important to me that she has a night. It'll all come together & I thank you ladies so much again for your responses!!! :)
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