Your bestie or your sister (or in my case, it’s the same person) has asked you to be a maid/matron of honor or bridesmaid. You’re laughing. You’re crying tears of joy.
You’re overcome with major excitement and love. And your mind is immediately flooded with thoughts of dresses, bridal showers, floral arrangements and the right-of-passage-of all-20-and-30-somethings bachelorette party.
However, there’s one huge problem.
It’s all fun and exciting to think about it at first and then reality sets in. There’s so many options, what type of bash do you throw?
And then it hits you. You, your bride-to-be and all of your friends have already been to handfuls of weddings over the last few years.
And on top of that, you’re approaching that late 20s to mid-30s range and the thought of going to a bar literally repulses you now.
But you can’t let your bestie down.
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Enter the Combined Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
If you’re anything like me, your social circle is more about quality over quantity. You’re hovering on either side of 30 and a lot of your friends are other couples. Your bar star days are over.
Subsequently, you’d rather spend quality time with people who are like you and your spouse.
Combined bachelor/bachelorette parties are a perfect way to throw a banger of a send off most appropriately for this audience.
Why You Should Consider Combining Your Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties
The best types of combined parties are usually a destination weekend getaway. They’re not usually affordable when you and the girls are 21.
But let’s face it, the average age of marriage is late twenties nowadays and that means a little more disposable income.
So in reality, this idea isn’t that far-fetched. And there are so many good reasons why you should travel with friends!
Attending a joint bachelor bachelorette party is just another great reason to get together as friends.
Joint Bachelor Bachelorette Party Ideas
Idea #1. A Winter Mountain Getaway
You get a group of 12 together for a 3 day weekend to ski or snowboard in the mountains.
Everyone carpools and a convoy of 3 vehicles hit the highway Thursday after work.
You arrive at your massive log cabin that you found on Airbnb. Like this mountain cabin in the woods we stayed at in Fernie, British Columbia.
Next, you quickly unload the cars and crack a cold one. An evening of socializing or hanging out in the hot tub ensues.
The next day, some head out to shred the mountain, others go for a hike and some hit the spa.
Either way, everyone gathers back at the house for some apres-ski festivities and other fun.
P.S. Fernie is a great place to host a combined party, whether it’s winter or summer. It’s an adorable laid-back mountain town only a 2 hour drive from Calgary with lots of outdoor activities, downtown shopping and fun restaurants and pubs.
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Idea #2. A Combined Bachelor/Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas
Or you arrange a destination party, like heading to Las Vegas for a few days. Rent a house off the strip (Uber and Lyft can get you there in no time).
It’ll be cheaper and you have your own pool and kitchen to keep costs down.
Remember, you can now order groceries online when you land at the airport, and have your food and booze delivered to your door as soon as you get checked in.
You can all hang out by your own private pool and BBQ, head to the strip when you want.
Check out my 4 day itinerary with ideas for what to do as a group in Las Vegas. There are so many things to keep everyone busy that you’ll barely have to do any planning!
I recently planned a combined bachelor/bachelorette party for my sister and brother-in-law. Since they both had close family and friends who lived several hours away, they decided to hit Las Vegas since most people would be traveling anyway.
We planned days where the girls and boys did things separately.
This way, we were able to throw a mini bachelorette party in Vegas, where it was just us gals for a few hours. The girls spent some time shopping, getting pampered at the spa and then sipped on mimosas and wine with a view.
At the same time, the boys did car stuff and went to the gun range.
But we also spent time together, like going out for nice dinners, spending time at Fremont Street, getting crazy on the Strip, and hitting some cool attractions like the High Roller observation wheel.
I highly recommend buying the open bar tickets for the High Roller – it was tons of fun!
If you’re planning to rent a house, we found lots of great options on Airbnb. For 10 people it worked out to be under $200USD per person for a 4 night stay which we thought was pretty reasonable.
We stayed at this house and had our own pool, hot tub, a massive backyard and a huge kitchen. It was off-strip, but only 10 minutes from the Strip or Fremont Street. Added bonus – a 5 minute walk to Hash House A Go Go for hungover breakfast!!
VRBO also has lots of great vacation homes to rent that are perfect for a group getaway.
Idea #3. Your Combined Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Can Be Low Key
If you’re all staying in the same house for a few days, create your own version of Big Brother! Set up a diary room and host challenges!
Film it and then post-vacation, put it all together for memories of one of your greatest weekends ever.
There are other ways to host a combined bachelor/bachelorette party without committing to a 3 or 4 day vacation. You can plan a backyard party with beer-olympics.
Or modify your typical bachelorette games to be played by the whole group. Think about it, those girly games could actually be way more fun with the boys involved!
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Final Thoughts and Reasons Why You Should Consider Throwing A Combined Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
It’s a great way to allow people to really get to know each other before the wedding. Everyone usually has a few different groups of friends. Get them all together to introduce them and create potentially life long friendships that started with making great memories.
They can be more inclusive. Some folks are a little more socially shy or anxious in certain scenarios. Allowing them to travel and be in the comfort of their spouse helps ease some stress.
For example, heading to a destination where there are multiple things to do won’t pigeon hole people into one type of activity.
It opens up more options. It can be way more fun because you’re mixing more people together. This doubles your options for games and activities.
For example, you can create games for the couple to do together. I’ve seen lots of inspiration on Pinterest like playing ‘dirty Jeopardy’!
It’s an opportunity to get great photos, videos and stories to share at the wedding (assuming they’re appropriate for Grandma).
Don’t forget your party supplies! Amazon has tons of kits with everything you need for about 20 bucks. This kit makes me laugh!
Have you planned a combined stag or participated in one? I’d love to hear your stories or other suggestions below!
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