What to Pack for Your Bachelorette Trip: 17 Essentials for the Bride

You’re heading out with your girls to celebrate your remaining moments of single life, so you want to make it memorable. One way to make it memorable is to forget to pack the essentials and beg/borrow/steal everything you need for a weekend. Another way to make it memorable is to pack efficiently and have everything covered ahead of time. The choice is yours, though, really. Below, we offer our expert trip planning tips along with the essentials to bring.

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What to Do for Your Bachelorette Trip

Head to Nashville

Hey, everyone else is doing it. Doesn’t have to be Nashville, of course. It can be Vegas, Scottsdale or even Newport (if you’re looking to embrace your inner coastal grandmother). Wherever you go, it’s sure to be memorable, so pick your favorite spot and take to the skies.

Ideally, you wouldn’t bring your engagement ring with you. Can you bring your engagement ring? Yes, of course, but you do run the risk of it getting damaged. If you insist on bringing your engagement ring, fair enough. You love it, and you don’t want to take it off, and we respect that. Just make sure to take it off for activities like boating or pool hopping.

Go on a Road Trip

Don’t want to choose between Nashville, LA and Vegas? See all of them! That’s actually one heck of a road trip, so maybe pick closer cities. If you’ve got the time and the money for gas, though — hey, go for it. Road trips are an awesome idea if you’re doing a bachelorette weekend or longer. You’ll make some great memories and see some unique and off-the-beaten-path sights.

Staycation

Who says you have to go somewhere else to party? Who says you have to leave the comfort of your own home in general? Have your bridesmaids grab all the essentials and meet you at your place. It’s your party anyway. Let the party come to you!

Winery Tour

This is another classic. If you see yourself as someone who’d love slowly driving through vineyards in an open-top Jeep Wrangler with a wine glass in hand, this choice is a no-brainer. You’d be surprised just how many wineries there are besides Napa and Sonoma. If open-top Jeep Wranglers are in your future, we really recommend wearing a travel engagement ring and keeping the real thing safe at home.

Game Night

Just because it’s a bachelorette party doesn’t mean it has to be wild. Granted, we don’t know what kind of board games you like to play or just how competitive you are at them, so maybe board game night for you is an absolute brawl. Point being, there are plenty of options that are a little slower speed than a night out on the town if that’s not your thing.

How to Pack for a Bachelorette Trip

Less Is More

Even if you’re doing a whole week, you don’t need nearly as much stuff as you might be planning on packing. There are two main reasons behind this.

Reason one: You just won’t wear nor use everything you bring. When you overpack, there’s a guarantee that not all of it leaves the suitcase. If you don’t mind that, fine, but it just seems unnecessary.

Reason two: Having too much stuff is stressful, and it also takes extra time overall. You’ll likely be going out and doing things the whole time, so why add an extra 40 minutes of prep time by looking through the 15 outfits you brought? Cut that list down significantly, and you’ll be fine.

Make Everything Multifunctional

Bring your favorite couple of pieces of everyday jewelry and a few outfits you can mix and match together. That’s really all you need to have a solid bachelorette weekend. If all your pieces can serve multiple functions — i.e., be dressed up or down — you’ll spend less time getting ready and more time having fun.

Check the Weather and the Itinerary

This is sort of based on the point about multi-functionality. If you’re certain about the weather forecast and what you’re going to do while you’re at the bachelorette party, you’ll have a much easier time picking out pieces that serve multiple functions, and you’ll be able to pack much lighter and more simply. If what you’ll be doing is a surprise, at least get some basic information about what you should wear and just do your best.