Wedding Series: LA Bachelorette Guide
YAY! We’re back with another post in our Wedding Series + a second travel guide to one of our favorite cities in the US: Los Angeles. Planning Lauren’s L.A. bachelorette party basically consumed my life in the weeks leading up to it. I had SO much fun planning the perfect weekend for her + I am so excited to share it with you all!
Planning a bachelorette party, no matter where it is, is no easy task. You’re trying to plan the ultimate weekend for your best friend, while also managing to keep a ton of girls happy + on time everywhere. In case you missed it, we wrote a guide on how to get started planning any bachelorette party HERE. Obviously, the most important thing is that you plan the bachelorette party with the bride in mind - it is her party after all! If your bride is a wine-loving, Real Housewives-obsessed bride, then this is the Bachelorette Guide for you.
Keep reading to see the breakdown of our weekend itinerary in LA + skip to the end if you just need tips + tricks for planning the ultimate Bachelorette Party!
We went to LA over Veteran’s Day Weekend, so enjoyed 3 nights of debauchery in the City of Angels + stunningly beautiful people. (Seriously, what is in the water down there?) It was the perfect destination from Seattle due to the almost guaranteed sunny weather and short + inexpensive flight . We paid just $158 RT on Delta which felt reasonable, especially for a holiday weekend. Here’s what went down:
Friday:
ARRIVAL: We took a 1:30 PM flight out of Seattle to land in LA at 4pm. We waited for a few other bridesmaids to land before heading to Venice Beach to drop our bags off at our Airbnb. Keep in mind, that, as of the time of this article, only Uber XLs can pull right up to the terminal at LAX. By waiting for the other ladies to land, it was easy for the 6 of us to split the cost. Otherwise, you have to take a shuttle to a new “LAX-it” destination to get your Uber or Lyft. If this is the case for you, though, the shuttles came pretty frequently while we were there + it did not seem like the nightmare we had read about.
DINNER + DRINKS: Thankfully, I had some perfect bridesmaids who had arrived at the Airbnb early + were able to set up the decorations. I also ordered food from Amazon Fresh (free with Amazon Prime) + alcohol from BevMo. This was great to avoid a store run, which is always a drag when you’re just ready to get the party started! We kicked off our evening at Sonoma Wine Garden for drinks + apps. The service was good (we got multiple free drinks!) + it was on a rooftop (who doesn’t love that!?) Girls were starting to get hungry, so we opted to eat dinner here instead of moving on to a second spot. We’d highly recommend the steak frites + the Happy Hour deal of 12 oysters + 2 glasses of champs for just $20 (HH is from 5-7pm).
GAME NIGHT: After dinner, we went back to our Airbnb for all the bachelorette games - undeniably one of the best parts of any Bach weekend!! We played 3 different games (see below for ideas) + also shared gifts (again, see below for ideas). Thanks to the alcohol + food we had ordered beforehand, we were all set for the night + had a great time laughing, drinking + celebrating the bride!
Saturday:
BRUNCH: After a somewhat rough + slow start to our first morning, we went to brunch at the Sunny Spot. Sunny Spot has bottomless Bloody Marys + mimosas which made it a great spot to kick off our first full day of bach party fun! There’s also an outdoor seating area which we always love!
MALIBU WINE SAFARI - This activity was actually the entire reason that Lauren picked LA for her big bachelorette weekend + we were so glad that she did! After brunch, we made the trek over to Malibu Wine Safari for a tour! We did the most basic tour offering + even so, it still included 8 wine tastings + a cheese plate - we’d highly recommend! It took 90 minutes, but keep in mind that they don’t actually give you too long to taste the wines (roughly 10-15 minutes for each group of 4 tastings). You literally get to ride around a vineyard in an Indiana Jones style jeep - SO cool! Be prepared to drink up while gushing over Stanley the giraffe + all of his exotic animal friends!
MALIBU FARM: After our wine safari, we decided to head to Malibu Farm since we’d come all the way to Malibu. Malibu Wine + Beer Garden would also be a good option, but was closed at the time of our visit due to smoke. We enjoyed dinner on the pier + frose as the sun set - true perfection! While waiting for our Uber, we randomly stumbled upon Casa Escobar, a Mexican bar/restaurant along the PCH + ran into a Kardashian - a lifelong dream!!! Okay…well it was Brandon Jenner…but still, probably the closest we’ll ever get to one (although Khloe Kardashian did wave at me once…).
NIGHTLIFE: After Malibu, we returned to Venice Beach + changed for our first night out! We started at Elephante, a great bar + restaurant with fireplaces + outdoor seating. Afterward, we did a complete 180 + danced the night away at The Whaler. Honestly, the vibes between Elephante + The Whaler could not be more different. Elephante is great for good drinks + a sophisticated, cool LA vibe. The Whaler is good for beers, basic drinks, + reliving your college days. Literally felt like a frat basement, but we had the best time. Both great, just very different! If you have the energy or patience to wait, we’d recommend hitting The Bungalow - one of our favorite Santa Monica spots - after Elephante.
Sunday:
BRUNCH + BEACH: We packed up our Airbnb, checked our bags at a BagBNB (seriously a game-changer if you ever have long layovers or need a place to store your bags in between accommodations) + headed to Venice Beach. We’d definitely recommend a stroll through the Venice Canals on your way to the beach. We stopped into The Sidewalk Cafe for brunch (The Great White was our first choice, but they don’t take reservations + the line was long). The Sidewalk Cafe was great to accommodate a large group last minute, be on the beach, + get food quickly. It wasn’t anything to write home about, however. The walk along the beach (+ a quick coffee) was just what we needed to perk up after our 2nd night of drinking.
HEAD TO WEHO: After our beach walk, we picked up our bags + headed to WeHo for our third + final night. Our Airbnb canceled on us (for a 2nd time…) + we last minute booked a suite at the Montrose - seriously, could not recommend it enough! An incredible suite, service + free wine from 5-6pm!!
DINNER + DRINKS: Lauren is a huge Real Housewives fan, so naturally being in LA meant that we were going to have to stop by some of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants. Before dinner, we stopped in for drinks at Gracias Madre (order the Quincenera - it’s too cute). SUR, one of the famed spots from Vanderpump Rules, is right around the corner + was our dinner spot for the night. We sat under a tree in an intimate garden behind the restaurant + enjoyed Lisa’s signature drink cocktails + all the yummiest food. Honestly, we’re always hesitant about restaurants that can seem like tourist traps, but this one was incredible!
After SUR, we headed down the street to Pump to continue our RHOBH bar crawl (the most Lauren thing you’ve ever heard). The service was great + we sat around a fireplace enjoying more cocktails + tequila shots. Just around the corner, was TomTom, which unfortunately was closing early so we never made it to - but it’s definitely the most “bar-like” of any of Lisa’s places + will be on our list for next time.
Afterwards, Lauren insisted that we go to Craig’s, a hotspot for celebrities in LA + one of the top dinner spots if you’re ever hoping to make a celeb sighting. Seriously, if you don’t believe us, Kylie Jenner had her 21st birthday dinner there + the Real Housewives of Orange County had dined there the previous evening after wrapping their reunion taping!! Sadly, after a quick drink there, we saw no celebrities.
We ended our night at The Chapel at The Abbey for an incredible final hurrah of the weekend. Seriously, SO. MUCH. FUN. It’s a must + we are still reminiscing on this place. I think Lauren might actually consider retiring here. She loved it so much + I’m not sure that she even noticed any of us were there - in the best way possible.
Monday:
BRUNCH + POOL TIME: We slept in, ate breakfast at our hotel (can it still be considered breakfast if it’s at 1?) + then spent the day lounging by the rooftop pool at the Montrose. Honestly, after three nights of drinking, anything more would have killed us. If your group has the energy though, there are so many fun pool parties in L.A. that we would recommend including The Standard + The Ace.
DINNER: We left the pool + headed to Le Pain Quotidien for a quick bite before heading to LAX. We’d also recommend Urth Caffe, which we die for, but it was far busier. What was fun? Dillon Francis was leaving Le Pain Quotidien as we got there!! (Can you tell we were in this for the celeb sightings?)
DEPARTURE: We took a 6pm flight home to Seattle + landed around 9pm - just in time for us to get to bed + be (reasonably) ready for work the next morning.
Lauren’s look for our Real Housewives Bar Crawl. Her dress is by Majorelle Collection + a size medium for reference. If you love it + want one of your own, it can be found here. We love Revolve for any of our special occassion dresses.
Tips + Tricks:
Like I said, planning a bachelorette party is no easy task + takes a lot of planning. Here are all my best tips + tricks to plan a successful one:
Don’t Overplan - I know, it seems weird considering how much I just said that I planned. I’d obviously recommend planning the bigger things (i.e. I made reservations for Malibu Wine Safari, Sonoma Wine Garden, Sunny Spot, + Sur), but you also have to be willing to go with the flow depending on the mood of the group. I honestly think being a teacher helped me with this, because I always had ideas of what to do or where to go if needed, but was also willing to do whatever the group wanted when it was working. No one wants to be having fun at a bar + then hear the MOH saying “Okay guys, we have to leave right away!”
Timing is Everything - Knowing we were going to be drinking each night, I was very aware of not booking anything too early in the morning. Having 8 girls get ready in 2 bathrooms after a night of drinking meant that the earliest I was going to be making a reservation was 10:30. Knowing that we were going out for a night of drinking meant that dinner reservations weren’t until 8pm.
Track Receipts + Use Splitwise - There were 8 of us total on the bachelorette party which would have been a nightmare to hand in 8 cards everywhere we went. Each girl took turns ordering Ubers + paying for meals, all while keeping track of the receipts (we’d recommend passing the itemized receipt at the end of each meal + listing initials next to each item). Then, we created a Splitwise group + added everything to it! It’ll split everything evenly for you + will also cancel out the need for multiple Venmos. At the end of the trip, I only had to send 1 Venmo to 1 girl - a dream come true!
Side Note: Be sure to check in with the bride to see what she plans on paying for. Lauren paid her own way for everything, including drinks + groceries, which honestly, I think we all appreciated. Bridesmaids typically spend SO much to be in a wedding (I know brides spend money to have bridesmaids as well, don’t get me wrong), but it was nice not to have to worry about also taking a percentage of all of Lauren’s bills. If you’re a bride planning a bachelorette party, I’d highly recommend considering this. It also allows the bridesmaids to decide what they’re comfortable with. They may still buy you a dinner or a round of drinks, but it allows them to work it into their budget + do it because they genuinely want to treat you, not because they feel forced.
Bachelorette Games: We played 3 games on our first night, + I think it was the right amount without being overboard. I also brought prizes of Lauren’s favorite things for the winners (Laneige Lip Mask, Mini Mario Badescu Sprays, + Mini Summer Fridays Masks).
Panty Party - Everyone bring a new pair of panties that reminds them of the bride. They write a sweet note to accompany the panties (don’t sign it!) + the bride guesses who brought each pair.
How Well Does the Bride Know the Groom? - Ask the groom a series of questions + record or write down his answers. Then, ask the bride the same questions to see if she can guess how he answered. Option: Turn it into a drinking game!
How Well Do the Bridesmaids Know the Bride? - Ask the bride a series of questions + record or write down her answers. Then, ask the bridesmaids the same questions to see which bridesmaid knows the bride the best! Option: Turn it into a drinking game!
Gifts: Totally not a necessary component of a bachelorette party, but a nice touch if it’s in your budget! I got each bridesmaid a small makeup bag from Amazon + filled it with some necessities for the weekend (individual makeup remover wipes, Advil, hair ties, Wine Wipes) as well as some fun items (Hanky Panky Underwear - 1 size fits all so takes the guessing game of sizes away, + Clinique Chubby Stick). For “swag” I wanted to get something that was true to Lauren, but wasn’t associated with being a bride/bridesmaid (seriously, who wants to wear that after the bach party?) I opted for “Whoop It Up” hats to fit with our Real Housewives theme of the weekend, + pay homage to Lauren’s idol - Vicki Gunvalson. I also got Lauren a larger makeup bag + then added in some of her favorite things (Dr. Dennis Gross Pads, Laneige Lip Mask, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, pajamas, lingerie, etc.) I also included a note from me + a note from her fiance, Zach! Lauren wrote all of the girls thank you notes, along with a Starbucks gift card + her fave Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask to aid in their recovery from the weekend.
We are now less than 3 months away from The Big Day + still have so much to cover in our Wedding Series - from how to be a good bride/bridesmaid, how to build + allocate your wedding budget + so much more!! Let us know if there is anything specific you want us to cover!! Cheers to anyone planning a bach party of their own! You are going to have the best time!!
