Bachelorette Party on a Budget

mormi

I am the matron of honor and am trying to plan a bachelorette party in an area that I'm not familiar with on a budget. The bride says that she doesn't care and isn't expecting anything extravagant, but does want to do something "special." She has said no strippers or toy parties. She does not like to go to clubs either. She's not really a fan of putting herself in embarassing situations, so karaoke, etc. is out. Anyone have any ideas? The party will be taking place in the Orange County, CA area.

AdeleDazeem

Have a girls night where you all get together, sleep over, watch movies, drink wine, and maybe give each other manicures and pedicures.

Go out to dinner and to a comedy club.

Go bowling!  Maybe even cosmic bowling.

Go to an amusement park during the day and order dinner in that night.

Bachelorette's don't have to be wild, crazy, drunken, stripper filled evenings or about making the bride the center of attention.  It can be low key fun with your friends.  I've been two of these parties and they were wonderful. 

hz80408

My bachelorette party was pretty low key but really fun!:

-Dinner at a tapas restaurant (everyone split the bill, except me)
-Gifts/games/drinks at home
-A drag queen show
-A few bars after

JandAWeddingWed128913

Have a tea in a garden!

Have a beach  or pool party!

Go to a concert

Go get manicures

Go shopping for shoes, or clutches, or jewelry. Every girl loves to window shop. Go on Rodeo.

sister2groom

If you're going with dinner:

Whenever I don't know anything about the area, I get a restaurant.com gift certificates for whichever restaurant has decent online reviews.

 If you join restaurant.com now, you'll get emails all the time about certificates 70-90% off so if you buy during a special you might be able to cut about 1/2 off the bill (or roughly up to $100 off).

agall1006

Why don't you do a spa thing? Or does she like the beach - you could do a day at the beach and then do a fun dinner maybe somewhere or something she's never tried before?

fyrefairie

i don't know your bride.PAr tof my party was a comedy club, not too expensive here anyways...and it was absolutely a great thing...a couple hours of stand up cured the prewedding stress (and maybe a few drinks).
But think about what your bride like doing and maybe post on a local board so people who know the area can assist

Tessy87

town scavanger hunt.  And it ends at a roller scate or  bowling alley and end the night having fun.

Keahonui

wine tasting!

chelc2424

Try the melting pot or another fondue restaurant for dinner. It's something a lot of ppl haven't tried and a great converstation piece for strangers.

JloveB

I live in orange county...I don't know how expensive or inexpensive you would like for it to be but you can plan something on the beach...

Newport Beach near balboa pier or dana point are nice areas where you can have dinner and maybe find a live band playing. 

mitchellred

One of my favorite bachelorette parties that I attended was very classy.  Instead of penis straws and condom veils, we had a couple other cute ideas that still had us stand out as a bridal group. 
On one night we all more short dresses and a lacy garter.  We were beautiful, on another night we all wore baseball caps with cute sayings.  Both of these ideas allowed us to were our own cute clothes... We went out to dinner one night and out to a couple low key bars on the other night. 

weisscv

I planned a bachelorette party for my sisters wedding a few years back, and I also did not know what to do!  My sister is very laid back, and she wanted to have fun but definitely didn't want strippers, etc.  A bunch of us dressed up and went out to a wine bar.  It was really nice - it felt really special, bit it definitely was not "wild."  She loves wine, so it was perfect for her (not to mention delicious for eveyone else, too!)

Snof1ake

If enough of the girls have season passes, go to Disneyland.  It's right there, and it's amazing how fun and different it is to do with your girlfriends as opposed to when you were a kid, and have dinner at Napa Rose in the Grand California hotel (if not a lot of the girls have passes, this could get pricey really fast, but you can also call Disneyland customer service to see if they have any sort of group rate or something to help you out--you never know).  You could wear "bachelorette party" sashes and princess tiaras, and I bet the staff would give you buttons to wear, at a minimum they'd give the bride to be a bride to be button (my fiance and I went 2 days after he proposed, they gave us "Just Engaged" buttons).  It's park policy that if staff sees those buttons, they're supposed to comment.  You're bride to be will be beaming with all the "congratulations!" she'll get while walking around the park.
If she likes sports, take her to a Ducks or Angels game--you can get tix for pretty cheap.
The Irvine Improv at the Spectrum can be fun, and they usually actually bring in some pretty big names; Dave & Busters is in that complex, and the Yardhouse is right next to it as well if she's the beer type.
Nordstrom Spa in South Coast Plaza (the 4th floor of that Norstrom) will do private mani/pedi parties with champagne, wine and food from their cafe.  It's pricey, but way cheaper than most full spas, and the people there are GREAT.
There's also atomic bowling in Orange near the Chapman University campus.
A relaxing and fun idea might be Zena's on Tustin in Orange--it's Lebanese food (which would be really fun if she's never had it before), hookahs out on the patio, and usually belly dancers on Fridays.  The manager/owner is REALLY nice, I bet he'd hook you up if you brought in a decent sized gaggle of gals.
If you want some loud raucus FUN and some serious girl power, take her to a roller derby match! Check http://www.ocrollergirls.com/ for their schedule.  There's a bout coming up on the 13th.  There's always a band, food trucks galore, beer, and one helluva after party.  It's something different, special, and if you've never been to a game, ADDICTIVE.  If that's a bit too hardcore, how bout going to the skating rink in Fountain Valley? It's right next to a Boomers with a mini-golf course, which could be awesome too.
Ummm... This is starting to get REALLY long, so I'll leave it at that!  Good luck!

caitlinjgardner

I was at Disney Land not too long ago and saw a bachelorette party. It was so cute they all had ears with there titles on them (bride, MOH, BM) and some of them just had there names on them, then they all had really cute homemade shirts that said something silly on them (i really don't remember what) If each girl paid for herself, and you all pitched for the bride it could work. And its a fun way to spend a day!!

If thats too pricy, I always loved the idea of a super old school slumber party! You could do facials, play truth or dare, watch scary movies, eat pop corn. fun stuff like that. (and why not include a cocktale or two to lighten the party up...)

ambergem142

What about an old fashioned Kitchen Tea - dress up in vintage gear, have lovely little nibbles and games etc - this is what I'm doing for mine.  Here are some websites that can tell you more about it:

http://www.easyweddings.com.au/HensParty/Articles/KitchenTea.asp

http://www.theweddingdirectory.co.za/planning-tools/wedding-planning-advice/kitchen-tea-pamper-party-bachelorette

http://www.tea-party-guide.com/kitchen-tea-ideas.html

http://www.suite101.com/content/modern-day-kitchen-tea-a37710

http://www.gtp.com.au/webweddings/html/tipsandtraditions/bridalshowergames.html

amymcole

I went to a party that was cooking/dinner bachelorette party. There were two cute chefs and everyone helped with the cooking. We had a wonderful italian meal, and got to take the recipes home. There are stores or places that specialize in cooking parties.

I like the idea of going wine tasting. I had another friend who is adventurous do a kayaking tour of Chicago, then later we all went to a piano bar. Go off what your friend likes to do but rarely gets a chance to, maybe a concert or a play. Another friend had hers at a water park because it's a place she loves but never seems to have the time to go.

kidder311

What about a spa day with shopping and dinner after. That's always relaxing, special and yet still personal.

dreamdancer2086

When I planned my best friend's bachelorette party we wanted to include her 17 year old sister in the festivities. So we went to a pottery painting place and then went to dinner and played games at Dave & Busters. It was a blast!

allykathy

In OC something that allows everyone to spend as much or as little as they want is to go to either Downtown Disney or the shops at Knott's Berry Farm. If you carpool you'll save on parking and neither of those require a ticket since they are outside the actual parks.

lgrither

I'm getting married September 2011. I am not into the strippers or clubbing. The only type of alcohol I drink any more is wine. My BM's have told me that they are talking about finding a local winery that possibly has a B&B that we could stay at over night. That way we can do wine tasting all day. Buy a couple of bottles, then not have to worry about driving home.  

JEeyore28

I think the slumber party idea is great!  My friends and I used to have sleepovers whenever we could back in the day while in high school!  It would be so much fun to have another as my bachelorette party!  Dinner out would be great, or a special dinner we cook together would be cool too!  I am not so much the go out and party type. 

shawna&ted

Consider having a Spa Party at home. I don't know what kind of business you have there, but here in WI we have consultants for PartyLite, Mary Kay, and a few others that provide these in-home parties. You could provide a nice spread of finger foods and beverages, guests can endulge and maybe make purchases for themselves or as gifts for the bride.

I will be hostinga Spa Party from CandleLite about 3 months before just as a way to de-stress and the credits I will earn from guest purchases will help me to earn items from the catelog that will either be for my pampering session the night before (bath salts, lotions, etc.) or decorations for the reception (candles and holders).

lpolak

I'm not a MOH, but as a bride I've given my own MOH's a few ideas.

I'm not a big drinker so I told them I'd rather do something low key.  Dinner out is right up my alley.  I also love baseball and since I'm getting married in the summer I know they've thought about taking me to a game before the wedding (like we've seen tons of other bachelor and bachelorette parties there).  I've also given them an option that may be a little strange for me, but really fun and something I've always wanted to try.  I've told them I'd do a Pole Chicks type of party.  It's the pole excercise classes that you can go to that teaches you dance moves and gets you to work out.  I've heard of other people doing it and loving it and one of my MOH's does it for exercise and fun and says it's great.  Just something different that I gave the okay for for whenever they decide to plan the BP. 

Do what you think your bride will like.  Or ask her for some ideas so you know what's within her comfort zone to do.  Whatever you decide on I'm positive you'll have a blast so no worries and have fun planning it!

rvasquez525

If the bride is into sports, a game is a great idea.  I am getting married in a few weeks and my bridesmaids are taking me to a college football game for my bachelorette party and then out to a bar afterwards.  I'm so excited because I LOVE football!   Wine tasting sounds fun, too.  Sometimes you can get some great group rates!

jess6486

Go to a local brewery and do a free tour!

cat07england

I love that someone else is asking the same questions I am! I am a sort of independent bride-to-be and I wanted to have my bachelorette party at a cabin with a hot tub and a nice living area to mingle, drink some holiday beverages, and just enjoy my last overnight with the girls! I happen to love karaoke and idc WHO is watching. Alcohol in NOT a must, just a bonus when in the form of fru-fru, seasonal drink. However, we were running into monetary concerns as most all the people I would be inviting are still broke college kids, also, if you are trying to have more people, the biggest cabin we could afford I think had a 12 person limit for comfrotable sleeping.

So here's the plan for us: My MOH glooked into a hotel room, verry nice, with lots of living space, not just for crashing after a night out on the town. We are going to paint wine glasses, I am fairly certain that her big surprise for me is karaoke, and then watching chik fliks, make cool beverages, and order Italian food to go. Total cost per person for the 8 ppl plus me is only going to be like 50-60 ABSOLUTE TOPS. and no one wakes up with a hang over, we wak away with a momentum of the occasion, and I don't have to feel awkward with strippers. I am so excited! 42 days til my wedding!b Good luck with planning!

JenS711

My matron of honor wants to do a slumber party with manis and pedis like I did for hers. We just watched some classic chick flicks and 80s movies and had a blast. We made a signature drink and had plenty of snacks and desserts

Another cute idea that I've seen is going to a paint your own pottery place. Its really fun and its a nice way to de-stress

awarm014

Is she crafty? Made a place that you can make something, like jewelry or pottery.