Here’s How To Plan A Bachelorette Party On A Budget, According To Experts

When planning a bachelorette party on a budget, time is your friend. Esther Lee, The Knot’s Deputy Editor and Wedding Expert, tells Elite Daily, “Just like all other aspects of wedding planning, plan ahead and give yourself time to book and prepare everything.” This is especially helpful with wedding inflation, which Lee says will impact “supply chain delays, staff shortages and changes, as well as the higher cost of materials and raw goods.”

By giving yourself enough time to plan your bachelorette party, you can work around any delays and give yourself the time to find the best deals like on The Knot Vendor Marketplace.

Emily Forrest, Director of Communications at Zola, tells Elite Daily that one of the biggest mistakes when planning a bachelorette party is not having a budget to begin with, so set one and be transparent about it.

Since you may be working with a variety of financial situations, “it helps to over-communicate with all invitees and ask everyone privately what their own budget is, or if the budget you’re thinking works for them.” Once you have a budget everyone can work with, you can start planning a bachelorette party that everyone can get excited about. Lee also agrees that setting budgets “should be the very first things you attend to, since your budget will dictate many decisions.”

Once you have a budget set, “doing your research (and a lot of it)” is what Lee suggests you do next. She also says, “Look into group rates or splitting things family-style for any potential opportunities to save more.” This is also why planning ahead is so important, because with the time given, you can really research the best deals for flights, hotels, and group activities. Plus, early bird deals can also keep things budget-friendly.

Things can get out of hand if everyone is contributing to the bachelorette party planning, so it’s best to assign a “leader.” This person will be in charge of staying within the budget. Since planning for a large group can be difficult, having one leader can make sure things are more organized, which Lee says will “enhance efficiency and save you time and money in the long run.”

Party favors are an added expense that you can definitely cut for a more budget-friendly bachelorette party. However, your bride may want to keep this tradition going. In this case, Lee says, “Small but fun gestures go a long way.”

A practical party favor may be the best budget-friendly option, and Lee suggests a hangover kit for bach parties or some sort of recovery kit to take home after the festivities. For a sober bach party, Lee also recommends “a cute mocktail mixer.”

There are plenty of bachelorette party destinations on a budget you can choose from, and Lee says, “Lately, we’re big fans of nature-driven bach parties within driving distance or all-inclusives if your group stacks up quite the tab when you go out.” Going the “within driving distance” route may actually be a fun way to have a super unique and creative bachelorette party.

Depending on where you live, Lee suggests California, New England, and Texas, saying, “California’s Tahoe area is one of the many great destinations that somehow flew under the radar,” and “Santa Barbara is a dream destination for the wine connoisseurs in your life.” While the Hamptons or Nantucket can get expensive AF in the summer, Lee suggests trying other hidden gems throughout the East Coast that are more affordable, like Rhode Island’s Newport, Maine, or the Cape. For Texas, Lee says Austin, Dallas, and Houston tend to be slightly more affordable in the peak of summer.

If you’re preparing for the bachelorette party with enough time, Sonali Divilek, Head of Digital Products & Channels at Chase, suggests you start creating a bach party savings as soon as you say “yes” to being in the bridal party. Divilek says, “My favorite phrase for this is ‘set it and forget it,’ which is exactly what you can do when using the Chase Mobile app’s Autosave feature.” Once you know what you need to save, you can set up automatic payments to transfer funds to your savings. This way you have peace of mind knowing you’re building your getaway fund, while focusing on the important details of planning the trip.

You can also manually set up some savings by setting aside a portion of your weekly income. It doesn’t even have to be a huge amount. A few dollars a week that you would have spent on a latte can go a long way.

If you’re not paying as you go, things can really rack up over time. It’s better to slowly pay for things as you book them rather than paying a huge amount all at once. You also don’t want to leave the leader with having to track down everyone for their fair share of the bachelorette party expenses. That’s why Divilek suggests splitting up the costs right away by using an app like Zelle. Splitwise and Venmo are other good options. “You can start splitting immediately after making a purchase so you won’t have to worry about tracking down friends to pay you back,” says Divilek.

Forrest says, “The purpose of a bach party really is just about celebrating the soon-to-be-wed, so it can be as low-key or over-the-top as you want.” If you want to know how to plan a bachelorette party on a budget, you definitely want to keep it low-key. This means cutting all “the extras,” which Forrest defines as “gifts or matching outfits or decor.”

If you still want to wear matching outfits, Forrest recommends giving your invitees a general color scheme to pack for instead of asking them to buy something new that they may never wear again. Instead of a paid photoshoot, you can also “give everyone a disposable camera.”

Looking at bachelorette parties on Insta and TikTok can be great for inspo, but you should never feel pressured by what you see on your feed. Forrest says, “The super extravagant bach parties I see on TikTok are fun to watch, but they're also pricey. There's nothing wrong with going against the trends of big over-the-top bach events and doing something more true to you.”

Forrest suggests looking for all-inclusive deals if possible. Not only do they tend be less expensive, but you also don’t have to deal with any of the logistics. If you can find an affordable cruise or all-inclusive resort stay, that might be a fun and unique bach party idea.

If your bride isn’t attached to the idea of a bachelorette party destination or weekend trip, you might want to consider a day party idea. Forrest says, “A day trip will always be cheaper than something overnight, and you can still make it an all-day affair with brunch, a workout class or spa trip, and dinner or drinks.” One day party idea Forrest loves is a picnic in the park. With a picnic, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on decor and you can also save on food by having it be a potluck where everyone brings their fave dish.

If time isn’t an issue, plan a bachelorette party during the off-peak season. This is when you “will definitely yield cheaper finds,” according to Forrest. Even Disney has an off-peak season where tickets and hotels are typically cheaper if a Disney bachelorette party is your bride’s dream.

Another way to save money is to stay in versus going out. If you do decide to travel for a bachelorette weekend away, Forrest suggests renting a house rather than getting a hotel. By staying at a place like an Airbnb, it makes it “easier to save on food and drinks since you can bring your own and cook meals.” Instead of going out to bars where you’ll spend around $20 a cocktail, Forrest also recommends having a night in. You can watch the bride’s favorite movie, mix up your own specialty drinks, and play games. It not only saves you money, but also makes the whole experience more unique and special for the bride.