Tag Archives: bachelorette party planning

Bachelorette Parties – HOT! HOT! HOT!

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Given the fact that this has been one of the hottest summers in history with more triple digit temperatures than ever, ( and it’s not over, yet) this might be time to  have a really COOL  bachelorette party. Here are just a few ideas on how to deal with the heat and use it to your advantage:

Pool Party – Plan a beach themed pool party, complete with Hawaiian leis, tropical drinks with little  paper umbrellas, and all the accoutrements. Hula contest, pinata, and much more can help bring your tropical bachelorette party alive. Bring food out to the event, or have a bonfire so that everyone can participate.You can still have the raunchy male stripper if you want (or not).

Magic Movie Night– Speaking of male strippers. Magic Mike is the latest GNO (girls night out) pleasure and is great fun for ladies of all ages. The movie is okay. JUST okay . But, the fun that surrounds it, the speculation, the abs, the whole theater-that-serves-food-and-drinks experience along with the abs ( did I say that twice?) makes this  one of the best girls nights you can have. The best part- chatting with the ladies after the movie deciding who was the hottest. Manganiello – hands down! Oh yeah, there is a plot, too (whatever). It’s Raining Men …. WORTH IT!

Sleepover Party – Maybe it sounds tame by comparison, but, a good sleepover with pajamas, pillow fights, doing each other’s hair and nails can be a lot of fun. Book a room at a great hotel with great air conditioning, order room service and stay up all night. If you need something a little more raunchy, you can use this as an opportunity to host a ‘sexy party’. Whether it is lingerie or adult toys, you are guaranteed 50 shades of fun when the ‘big guns’ come out!!!

Ladies, it’s going to be a long, hot summer so start planning your bachelorette party, now!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

Bachelors and Bachelorettes Gone “Not So WILD”!

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I’ve heard that Bachelor parties can get wild. I also know that  Bachelorette parties can be very tame compared to their male counterparts. I also know that the movies that represent this rite of passage are less than accurate.  From “Very Bad Things” to “The Hangover”, I laugh at so many parts that I usually have to watch again and again to see what I missed but, I laughed knowing they were just movies…. written to be absurd, ridiculous and hilarious. There was a brief scene in “The Bridesmaids” that eluded to some level of debauchery but it never came close to killing a hooker or pulling your own tooth.

Three things you need to remember about Bachelor/ Bachelorette Parties:

-The night before your wedding is the absolute worst time for this party. You do not want to be hungover or even tired on your wedding day. It will show in the pictures.

-This event is not the time to be engaging in questionable activities with the opposite sex. If you haven’t sown enough wild oats before you got engaged, there is a problem.

– Booking a Limo is the absolute best way to move everyone from one place to another. Drunk drving is bad enough to be illegal – Oh wait… it is. The bonus is that a lot of Limo companies offer packages.

If your best man or maid of honor doesn’t have any restraint or has issues with crossing the line between good and bad taste, there is hope. The new trend in Bachelor/ Bachelorette Parties is  getaways. Whether it is local or low-key, skydiving, white-water rafting, golfing or taking in a spa package – you can have a great time with no regrets. Sure, you might not have an iconic story of a night of wild abandonment but, spending the entire weekend relaxing and re-connecting with your dearest friends is a lot more exciting than it sounds… and you can put the pictures on Facebook.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties – The time of your life!

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With the recent release of the Hangover II and The Bridesmaids, I can’t help but find myself comparing the differences between a bachelor ad bachelorette party.

The Bachelor Party  is consistently portrayed as  a raucous last-call, the last night of freedom and debauchery before you settle down with one woman for the rest of your life. The ‘Bro Code’ is often evoked and seldom are the stories suitable for sharing at family gatherings. Or are they? My best guess is that the stories are greatly exaggerated and most men wind up falling short of the movie depiction of the bachelor party events. In theory, the most popular bachelor party destination is Las Vegas. Maybe it is the “.. what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” adage. Maybe it is the image of poker chips, strippers and the lure of the high roller suite, champagne and Petron flowing from the water faucet. And the streets are lined with gold.

Basically the  "Vegas Bachelor Party" is a group of men getting on a plane (possibly even  separately) and spending the weekend drinking, gambling and  supposedly partaking of that proverbial last call. Maybe they are just drinking and gambling. Maybe they are just hanging out and having male bonding time. Maybe ( in my husband’s case) they are enjoying those legendary buffets of steak and seafood. I’ve never been to a bachelor party so I don’t know for sure but, I would venture a guess that a weekend in Vegas for a man about to be married does not include a trip to the Liberace museum.  However, from my understanding the Vegas party is greatly exaggerated in movies and stories so if my  boyfriend or fiance or husband were headed sin city for a Bachelor Party, I would spend little or no time at all worrying about it . 

There are other types of bachelor parties for those less inclined or able  to spend that kind of money on a destination event, or aren’t interested in those types of activities. Sporting events, an evening of fine cigars and brandy, a weekend camping trip, a golf getaway or even a trip to the racetrack sitting in the box seats.  The key is to find what the groom likes best and just go with it, chances are the conversation and company will be enough to keep the night going and you won’t need tattoos, monkeys or hookers!

Bachelorette Parties, by comparison, are usually planned detail for detail including what kind of tiny veil the bride will wear on top of her head to signify she is about to tie the knot. The focus here is on the planning. Oddly enough,one of the most popular bachelorette party rituals is heading to downtown Chicago for a late show at the Baton ( a long standing staple in the female impersonation circuit). The bride and bridesmaids generally have no interest in poker playing or heavy steak dinners followed by cigars. It is usually a fancy dinner followed by club-hopping with the girls, funny necklaces  portraying the male genitalia and possibly a visit from a ‘special’ police officer. Tip: If you see a cop carrying a boom box, get ready for a lap dance. Seemingly tame by comparison, the bachelorette party can still serve up a night of fond memories.  A relaxing weekend retreat at a luxurious spa might be in order, perhaps taking in a spectacular show followed by a night of girl-talk in a gorgeous hotel suite overlooking the city. For a more personal touch, host  a catered "pajama party’. You can even ‘raunch it up’  with ‘gadget demonstrations’  if  it suits the bride. Again, the point here is to find something the bride would enjoy and make this night memorable.

If you have the honor of planning a bachelor or bachelorette party keep these  things in mind:

  Be respectful of the budget.Maybe a $2000 weekend wouldn’t put a dent in your bank account but, even a $200 weekend would adversely affect one of the other attendees. Have a candid conversation about this in private with anyone you feel might have a problem. If you can pool yor resources, even better.

The guest of honor never pays.Techincally the bride or groom should be able to leave their wallet at home. This is their event planned and paid for by the members of the bridal party. Asking the honoree to pay is simply tacky.

Dont drink and drive. This is a great time to use a limo service. Ladies – how about that big pink stretch limo you saw at the Bridal Expo? You would look great sitting in it.. tell everyone to wear pink to match and have some fun with it! Guys – how about a party bus or a massive stretch Hummer ?

At Bridal Expo, we have   companies to handle all of your bachelor and bachelorette party needs from pink feather boas to a tuxedo t-shirt. For more information. click on www.bridalshowexpo.comand visit our wedding directory links under the title bachelor/bachelorette parties. Or even better, call 847-428-3320 to get tickets to a show in your area so you can see for yourself why Bridal Expo is the resource for all your wedding related needs.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Bridesmaids – The Movie!

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From the moment I saw the first trailer or heard the first tidbit of information, I knew I HAD to see “Bridesmaids”.  So when my BFFs called and whisked me away to the movie Friday night, wild horses could not have kept me away!
Let me first explain I am not a movie critic and I have no credentials as such. But, I am a woman and I have female friends, I have been both a bridesmaid and a bride and have lived inside the wedding business for almost 30 years, those are my credentials!

As an unqualified movie critic, I suggest that every woman should be required to see this movie. It examines female relationships so hilariously that you cannot imagine you are laughing about something so inappropriate. More importantly, in this movie you will find one or all of the women who are bridesmaids in your circle of friends; the blushing bride, the innocent one, the real mom, the perfect one, the wild card and the maid of dishonor. You will also  find that one or all of you has had similar feelings or circumstances ( maybe not as highly exaggerated as the on-screen version) as the women in this movie.  You will also be surprised at how sympathetic you are to the plight of the bride and each of the onscreen maids.

Basically the bride’s life is coming together just as the  life of her maid of honor seems to be falling apart. As a result, we are forced to take a comedic and raunchy look at how ridiculous some of  the typical bridesmaid rituals really can get.  we watch and laugh as  Annie ( maid of honor) constantly breaks down and nearly ruins every detail of every event with her hilarious hi-jinks and total ineptitude.  She is spectacular.

Annie is that  little voice in our head; every fear personified, every insecurity magnified. She is the funny, un-hinged, insecure girl with a heart of gold who just keeps getting kicked around. Her actions and re-actions to every situation are priceless.

The  movie allows us to admit that the wedding and  bridesmaid gowns are hideous even though they are ultra-expensive.  It allows us to admit that the over-the-top shower invitations ( including a live butterfly) are pretentious and the favors given out by the hostess have simply gone way too far.  It allows us to laugh when life throws a big banana cream pie in our face and eventually realize the only important thing is to hold on to the relationships you have spent a lifetime building.

Rarely do I say this ( and anyone who has seen the movie will probably agree) Bridesmaids II will almost certainly be as good as if not better than the first. Mostly because there are so many other aspects of the wedding that have yet to be examined under a humorous microscope but also because I really fell in love with these women – first as my own friends and then again on screen last Friday.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago