Written by Maressa Brown on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
In the often stressful, sometimes colorful lead-up to a wedding day, there comes a time when the bride gets her Big Night Out (or often, weekend) -- AKA her bachelorette party. Yes, it may be filled with cheesy gags like neon-colored penises and unflattering faux veils, erotic baked goods, and male strippers. It may involve a goofy trip to a lingerie store and one too many girly-ified cocktails. And yes, sometimes, attendees -- bridesmaids and other close friends -- end up having to fork over some dough to enjoy this cheesy, silly, goofy time with the bride, all the while thinking, "OMG, how ridiculously silly and nonsensical is this?!"
Pfft, after all, it's not like a bachelorette is actually celebrating the bride's last night of singlehood. She's probably been living with her fiance for at least a couple years now. Who does she think she's fooling? Why is she entitled to "go wild" several weeks before her wedding?
Maybe because if anyone deserves to, it's the bride!
Brides-to-be tend to be Ground Zero for all complaints, all ideas both helpful and completely insane, and all decisions. No one's asking the groom-to-be why the registry isn't updating properly or to play middleman in a parental war over who pays for what. The buck stops at the bride-to-be, and while that may be empowering at times, it can also be extremely stressful. And draining. And soul-sucking when what's coming at the bride often includes a plethora of nightmarish, irritating scenarios.
That said, a bachelorette party may be filled with stale stereotypes and icky penis lollipops. But it can also be an opportunity for a bride to decompress and bond with her female BFFs. It can be a chance for the bridesmaids to bond with one another.
But above all, it can and should be filled with good dirty, carefree fun for the bride. Because of course, it's usually not about her "last night as a single, virginal woman." It's about how after months of seriously emotional wedding planning, she needs deserves to spend a weekend unwinding and doing the silliest, most lighthearted things she and her closest friends can dream up.
That's why I'm spending this coming weekend with my oldest friends, eating at our fave restaurants, relaxing at a spa, browsing around boutiques, and yes, laughing 'til we cringe or cry or both at a male revue one night. Light-up penis necklaces or not, as long as our time together is the perfect mix of ridiculous and rejuvenating, I know it will be a genuinely good time for all involved.
What did/will you do for your bachelorette? Do you agree a bride deserves one?
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