How to Save Money on a Bachelorette

Being a bridesmaid is an expensive undertaking — dress, hair, shoes, make-up, travel to and from the wedding … the costs can add up quickly! Add in a destination bachelorette and the costs can spiral over $1,000. As much as a girl loves her best friend, it can be a heavy burden. So how to plan a Champagne bachelorette on a cava budget? Here are some of our top tips based on the dozens of bachelorettes we’ve planned:

• Before anything, decide where to splurge and where to save. A group of foodies? Plan to splash out on dinners, but save on accommodation. Everyone is dying to go to surf camp? Then plan to pay for that, but save by cooking meals.
• Choose locations thoughtfully, and price out flights before deciding on a destination. Destinations that have a lot in common (Savannah and New Orleans, for example) can vary drastically in price depending on where your group is traveling from, and any flights are a major budgetary limit. In general, travel between hubs or airports that have budget airline options are going to be much more cost effective. Or consider somewhere within driving distance — and tack on a fun road-trip component. (Annapolis for a Philly group, Newport or the Hamptons for New Yorkers, Savannah for Floridians and so on.)
• Pool resources and take advantage of all the free things. Someone’s favorite aunt has a vacation house that’s not being used? Or one of the group lives near a hot destination? Your favorite frequent traveler has thousands of hotel points? Staying with friends or taking advantage of other free housing options can drastically cut down on the costs of a weekend.
• Do it yourself. As much fun as a pedal pub crawl or biking wine tour can be, actually paying for a guide can quickly bust budgets. If the group is strapped for cash, divide and conquer planning responsibilities, such as cooking dinners, creating gift bags and developing free or near-free activities for the group to enjoy.

Planning a destination bachelorette is never going to be completely free, but with some careful planning, it can be something that won’t bust anyone’s budgets!