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You guys – Kelly is getting married! So of course I had to plan a bachelorette celebration. Here is my guide of how to plan a bachelorette party!

How to Plan a Bachelorette Party:

Picking the Location:

The location will determine the vibe of the party. There is a big difference between Nashville, Miami, and a small town. The location will have a huge impact on the types of activities and most likely the cost.

Everyone else attending Kelly’s bachelorette party lives in New York City and their priority was to find a relaxing getaway in the country – with one requirement: a pool.

After scouring Airbnb and VRBO and familiarizing myself with all of the rental options in the Tri-State area, we zeroed in on a gorgeous home in the tiny town of Roxbury, CT. The Hamptons were in play for a bit, but we worried that traffic getting there and back would be severe.

We rented a large farmhouse with barn from this company which has lots of big homes with pools to choose from. The specific home we rented was Sentry Hill.

Roxbury is in Litchfield County, and it is right next to Washington – the town that was the inspiration for the fictional town of Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. (That’s Marty’s the inspiration for Luke’s Diner).

Planning Fun Games:

I have been to bachelorette parties where there were too many games. Often the issue is that the game is only being played by the bride, and everyone else is just watching. I came up with a fun game that everyone can play. I printed out photos of my favorite celebrity couples and then we split the group up into two teams and they had to arrange the photos in order of who has been married the longest.

One of Kelly’s friends brought a whole deck of bachelorette party games! The Wedding Emoji Pictionary was surprisingly hard.

How We Spent Our Time:

When we weren’t playing games, we were drinking champagne and lounging at the pool! It was the ideal way to hang out and relax.

Buying Goodies for Gift Bags:

Instead of getting everyone a bunch of small things, I wanted to focus on gifting one really nice thing: pajamas from Plum Pretty Sugar.

Plum Pretty Sugar is known for their robes and pajamas with gorgeous floral prints. They sell both robes and pajamas in sets for bridal parties and you have the option to mix and match prints. I also added coloring books, lavender spray, and face masks. Kelly also gave everyone Turkish Towels which were perfect for the pool.

Food and Drinks:

Brunch – I cooked up a brunch of make your own avocado toasts with scrambled eggs, fresh tomatoes and bacon each morning. It is my go-to breakfast for a crowd because it is easy to prepare and everyone seems to love it.

Dinner – One of the nights we dined at the restaurant at the Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT. It is a beautiful five-star hotel with a fantastic restaurant, and the property was the inspiration for the Independence Inn on Gilmore Girls. We had cocktails in the bar and then we had dinner in the dining room overlooking the gardens.

If the weather wasn’t so humid we probably would have eaten out on the terrace.

Kelly got to have her favorite food at dinner: french fries. I honestly had no idea that was her favorite food until that day.

Other Necessities:

Decorations – One of Kelly’s friends found super cute decorations on Amazon and themed cups!

Bride Gear – We skipped the (often tacky) bride tribe outfits and instead I just got Kelly a “Bride” bathing suit.

Pool Floats – Can you have a bachelorette party without pool floats? No. I purchased a trio of pool floats. You will want to shop at Target because they sell the engagement ring pool float, plus unicorns and flamingos. Pool floats are heavy, so if you can I recommend shipping them to someone who is driving to the party. And add an air pump to your cart too, these floats are massive and take a while to pump up even with an electric pump!

Playlists – I have this silly tradition of making themed playlists for road trips. I started with a playlist of Icelandic bands for a drive around the Golden Circle. It continued with a playlist of Irish singer songwriters for the trip Kelly and I took to Ireland. Then in France I put together a fun list of French bands to listen to as we cruised through fields of lavender. And… it turns out that lots of musicians have Connecticut ties. We listened a lot of John Mayer.

Pedialyte – Of course I brought my favorite hangover cure. I packed enough of the powdered version for everyone.

I had so much fun spending time with my sister and her friends and it made me even more excited for the wedding next month!

Have you planned a bachelorette party? Share your tips in the comments!