Everyone talks about how to throw the "ultimate" bachelorette party, or how to make your bride's party "unforgettable." And those are all helpful articles and blog posts! But... let's just get some ground rules out of the way first, shall we?

Sure, you want your party to be unforgettable. In a good way. Here are the big things to keep in mind if you've been tasked with planning a bachelorette party. 

FIRST:

Consider the bride. (If you’re the bride, then this is pretty easy!) After all, this is the bride’s party. If she doesn’t want a stripper, if she doesn’t want to get wasted at the best dive bar in town… well, then those things are off the table, no matter how bad you might want to do those things. 

Besides, there are so many more options than just getting drunk and/or watching some beefy guy take it all off. Unless that’s what she wants. (And if that is what she wants, then hit the bank for some dollar bills.) Anyway - my point here is to ask: What are the bride’s interests? What is her activity level? Once you have those down, then you can start brainstorming.

Paintball bachelorette party || Painting bachelorette party || Drinking Bachelorette party

SECOND:

Get the guest list from the bride. It's a party! And if it's going to be super fun, everyone will want to be there. And that might be a problem. You, the maker of the guest list, need to make sure the people at this party are, you know, people she actually wants to be there. If the party is a surprise then you'll just have to be a bit more sneaky. But still - don't guess on this one. Better to slightly spoil the surprise than to spend the night keeping the bride-to-be from her 8th grade frenemy.

THIRD:

Set the Budget. Let's say your bride wants to go to the Napa Valley for the weekend. You’re all in New Jersey and nobody can afford tickets to California. As much as you want to make the bride happy, nobody should go broke for her bachelorette party. Maybe there’s an local upscale wine bar you can all visit? Check in with all the bridesmaids and set a limit - and then stick to it!

Those are the Three Biggies. But there are just a few more rules you should remember...

Timing

Ideally, the bachelorette party should take place 2-4 weeks before the big day. Use your best judgement but keep this in mind: You don't want to be too close to the wedding, as it might add to the bride's stress. Too far out,though, might be anticlimactic. 

Take Transportation into Account 

This is even more important if booze will be involved. Transportation is that one detail everybody needs but nobody wants to worry about. Before you start to sweat the details, keep in mind that this is another one of those areas that can be as simple or as creative as you want. Lyft or Uber is probably the simplest, and it's a great idea. Here's another: enlist a friend with a giant (and perhaps under-utilized?) SUV or minivan. People love to bag on the minivan, but have you ever counted all the cupholders in one? 

If you've got the extra cash (or just want to splurge), go all out and rent yourself something special.

In case you're wondering: here's How To Choose the Best Limousine Service, according to James Limousine.

Establish Guidelines For Social Media

Our last suggestion should be pretty basic, but bears repeating: Set the guidelines as to what can and can’t go on social media. I don't need to add links for this - a quick Google search will lead you to dozens of examples of people getting fired for offensive or inappropriate Instagram / Facebook posts.

For best results, ask your bride-to-be what she thinks first. Put that answer in front of all the bridesmaids and see if anyone wants to take it a step further. Then be kind and stick to it.

So those are the basic and not-so-fun rules for throwing a bachelorette party. Just kinda thought we should establish those early. Don't worry though, we'll get into all the FUN parts of party planning in future posts!