Bridal Showers, Bachelorette Parties, and Bridesmaids- Oh My!

mkarns

Yo Ho Ho!
I've got 4.5 months before the big day and although it seems like quite a bit of time...It most certainly is NOT.
Bridesmaids:
I've stalled on picking bridesmaids dresses because I couldn't really find any that I loved. Well I finally found one that I thought was glamorous enough to make my girls feel sexy and classy and still if in with my partial theme. Sooo since I waited so long they now have only 1 month to get ALL of their orders in. Yikes! 
Side notes for VB Brides: All The Rage will not order Bridesmaids dresses one at a time. They order them all at once, and they take THREE months to come in.
Bridal Showers:
Sooo one of my Maids offered to host the Shower. I told her TWICE why my Grooms family wants to do it for me (they haven't had much to do as far as planning and they want to be involved). Well, apparently she is either deaf or REALLY hard headed because she just told someone she was hosting my Shower. WTH? What do I do with her without hurting her feelings?!
Bachelorette Parties!
I found a deal at the Mirage in Las Vegas for $500 per person including round-trip and rooms for 4 nights. Is a Las Vegas Bachelorette too much? What is everyone else doing for their bachelorette?
I'd love to hear what everyone else is doing in these categories and how it's working out for them. I try not to worry, but I'm anxious by nature!

MelG06

Wow, a vegas bachelorette? I think if it's just you and your closest friends, it'd be great!  Butttt.... if you're planning on bringing your bridal party, your cousins, your grooms family, ect., I think it would be a tad much.

As for your maid... I'd take it easy on her. I'm a bridesmaid, and I'm so excited about planning the shower, I can hardly stand it. I'd just sit her down and tell her "look, I'm sorry, but I have my reasons.. " Maybe she just needs to hear it one more time.

Hope I helped. Good luck

[Deleted User]

A good friend of mine had 3 showers last year because different people "really" wanted to host for her.  It wasn't a problem and she had a mix of people at each one (some girls in the BP went to 1, 2 or 3 depending on their location).

Vegas bachelorette... FI is probably doing his bachelor party in Vegas, but that's his friends not mine.  My girls are a litlte more budget conscious and I'd never dream of putting that pressure on them.  I also know that some definitely won't be able to swing it, and I want them there.  I'm hoping for either smith mountain lake (free lodging but long drive) or OBX (could be expensive depending on rental fees).  I figured I'd let my maids decide, I'm fine with either.

If all of your girls are willing to spend the money and time, then heck yea- go for Vegas!  I would just feel them out first.

ladysttar

My cousin's bridal shower did not go as planned... the mother of the bride and maid of honor were hosting in the bride's hometown. Which was in a different state than she lived in. The bride wanted it this way so her family could get to the shower easily (as some were very old). Well one of her friends decided she didn't want to make the drive so she threw my cousin a "surprise" bridal shower and invited everyone except family and the maid of honor. So, none of her friends drove to the bridal shower in her hometown because they already went to the one near by-- basically it ruined everything. My cousin was very upset that no one went to the *real* bridal shower. And her mother and maid of honor were very hurt that they weren't included in the surprise shower. If your friend is planning to throw you a surprise bridal shower it may divide your shower into more than one and if thats not what you want you need to get a handle on it NOW. I wouldn't just tell her that she's NOT throwing it, I'd tell all your bridesmaids and anyone who is coming to your shower!

Las Vegas sounds great... but if you think about your bride's maids current expenses you may feel differently. I spent $700 dollars on being a Maid of Honor at one of my friends weddings and that didn't include a bridal shower. Really think about all the costs your bridesmaids are having for your wedding- gas, time off work, dress, shoes, hair, wedding present, nails, hotel stay, wedding favors... anything and everything they have to pay for and then decide if its really fair to them or realistic. You may be pressuring them without realizing it and they may feel bad for trying to say no because its your wedding. So really really really make sure they can afford it before you ask.