Summer is wedding season! As those of us who have been bridesmaids or brides already know, weddings are expensive, and the list of expenses goes on and on. If you’re responsible for throwing the bride a bachelorette party, you can reluctantly add another “cha-ching” to your list, OR you can have a fabulous bachelorette party without going into debt. We thought you’d prefer the latter, so we asked some of our girlfriends for their best tips on budget bachelorette parties. 
And if you add a tip of your own, you can enter our giveaway for a great little bachelorette gift at the end of this post. Photo via flickr.
Skip the bar-hopping
This post from MSN Money estimates that a typical bridesmaid spends $75 – $100 on the bachelorette party. That’s just too much for many girlfriends right now. Most of the cost of traditional bachelorette parties comes from spending the night out on the town at pricey restaurants, bars and clubs, drinking expensive drinks, hiring limos, and seeing tacky shows. The obvious way to cut your costs? Host part or all of the evening at home.
There’s no need to drink expensive cocktails out when you can recreate specialty drinks at home for a fraction of the cost! Burst Bar Shots are a great way to offer your guests a delicious shot to get the party started without having to fuss with multiple mixers and alcohols. 
The newest flavors include Sex on the Beach (our favorite), Lemon Drop and Alabama Slammer. Priced at only $10.99 a bottle, they are a great value, and a fun, festive and easy way to start your evening. We brought these to a party last weekend and they were quite a hit!
Our girlfriend Jennifer Luby, home entertaining blogger at Second City Soiree, suggests starting the party with your own ginger martinis (find the recipe at www.domainedecanton.com) and then visiting just one favorite watering hole. Or, she suggests, “skip the bars and hit the late-night fast food stands” if you crave some people-watching. If you must go to the hottest club, Jen suggests going early to avoid the cover charge. ”Also, some clubs have restaurants attached, and if you eat there, they’ll often let you in the club for free.”
Get Cooking
And speaking of dinner, you don’t have to blow out your budget with a spendy restaurant dinner. You can have just as much fun, Jen says, if you potluck at home. “Everyone but the bride brings something; just be sure to have a balance of food types.” Or why not take this thinking a step further and have a more creative type of bachelorette party? We asked our girlfriends at Gracious Bridal to put on their thinking veils for us, (they are in touch with brides-to-be and their wedding parties every day, after all!) and they suggested a cooking party. We think this is a fabulous idea for girlfriends who have had their fill of clubbing. Some of the best girlfriend bonding times come from hands-on activities. Here’s how to do it: 
Have the Maid of Honor pick a couple of her favorite recipes (the bride-to-be needs a break from decision making). You can all pitch in on providing the ingredients. Then, proceed to make a feast together! Show off your culinary skills, have fun with the girls, and of course, enjoy a glass of wine while doing so. Have each bridesmaid walk away with a decorative recipe card (and of course a belly full of fabulous food). Gift the bride-to-be with a Jessie Steele Vintage Apron for all of her future culinary endeavors. Read the rest of this entry »
Party Planning Tips, recipes, video
Speaking of girlfriend getaways (see our contest, above) Loews Miami Beach Hotel has created a tempting offer for girlfriends looking for a weekend full of food, fashion and fun. It certainly sounds like fun, and we wanted to let you know about it. The hotel, which recently completed a $50 million renovation, is inviting ladies to South Beach for the “World’s Largest Girlfriend Getaway.” Headlining the weekend will be two of Miami’s most popular and famous chefs and “girlfriends,” James Beard award winner and TV contributor, Michelle Bernstein, and CIA grad and celebrated chef, Andrea Curto-Randazzo, offering cooking demonstrations, tips, and recipe sharing. The “Girls Only Getaway” package is priced starting at $399 per person, based on double occupancy and is available April 16-18, 2010. The weekend also includes a two-night stay in a deluxe room, daily breakfast, group salsa lesson by Miami Beach’s Salsa Mia, beach yoga and Elemis Spa specials.
