{Are these Hayley Paige emojis not the cutest?! You must download for the bachelorette group text. 😉 }

Hey, girl, hey! Long time, no chat. Okay, not really. BUT I was having phone issues all day yesterday and couldn’t send myself these images to do this blog post. SO, it feels like we haven’t chatted in forever. Truthfully, I’m just being dramatic. But you know me and phone issues. Can’t ever avoid them.

Today, I’m so excited to share some photos from the bachelorette party I threw one of my best friends, Taylor, a few weekends ago. I’ve been a bridesmaid in a handful of weddings, and generally, we always end up doing bachelorette parties in Dallas! When you’ve got bridesmaids all over, Dallas is an easy central point for east and west coast gals. Because this isn’t necessarily “known” as a bachelorette destination, I thought I’d share my favorite spots for you. Even if you aren’t planning a bachelorette party, these are great spots for a fun girls’ weekend!

Plan

I planned this bachelorette party with one of our sorority sisters, Chelsea. We had a great time doing it and it’s always such a breeze when you are friends with your co-host. However, you may be planning this on your own or with a stranger so you can never be *too* careful of the details! I always say overcommunicate and that way everyone’s expectations are met. 🙂

• If you can, start planning about 3 months out! Meet the bride for coffee and get a feel for her other bridesmaids. This is ALL about the bride, but honestly, what bride doesn’t want her girls to have fun, too?! If the bridal party is going to have 6 out of 10 pregnant girls, maybe Napa wine tasting won’t be the most enjoyable. {Sidenote, if you are worried about that, I was pregnant at bachelorette parties and went to their wine tastings and was fine. MORE CRACKERS FOR MOI! ha.} But just get a feel for what the girls are like and what they enjoy so you can make that coincide with the bride’s wishes. We chose Dallas for proximity, girls’ work schedules, and the fact that it’s a fun spot for girl time.
• Around 3 months out, set your date, book your hotel, and agree on the budget. At this point, Chelsea and I made a weekly to-do list to check in via e-mail. We each had tasks we were able to cross off and this way we weren’t forgetting to respond to texts. #Guilty
• Select a theme! If you’re stuck on a theme, go to a stationery shop and browse invitations. I promise that will spark some ideas. We ended up finding an invite that felt very Palm Beach Barbie and everyone has always joked Taylor {the bride} had Barbie ponytails. Chelsea and I knew we had to run with that. As we started to think of Barbie movie and book titles, we thought we’d throw a verb in. Taylor is marrying a pilot, so we went with a #BarbieMarriesAPilotTheme.
• Send invitations and start a thread of communication. I’m all for paper invites, so try to order yours around 2.5 months out. You’ll get caught up addressing and mailing, so it will give you enough time to pop them in the mail around 6 weeks out. Also, start a group text or e-mail thread with other girls for details. With your paper invites, try to insert an itinerary. This helps girls know what to wear so no one is stressing the day before they leave. But don’t forget to make your reservations before you print the itinerary. You can also insert a “Details” enclosure card with prices, etc. If you’re combing a lingerie or personal shower with the bachelorette party, don’t forget to insert her sizes.
• Confirm reservations and activities. If you’re planning a spa day or anything else that will require reservations, it doesn’t hurt to confirm that and your hotel about a month out.
• Stock up on decor. Check Etsy, Amazon, and local boutiques for great bachelorette party decor that fits your theme.
• Order sweets. We ordered cookies from here and cupcakes from here about a month out, so girls could have something sweet to munch on in the hotel.
• Make your shopping list. Three weeks out, confirm your shopping list for cocktails, snacks, water bottles, etc. Also, don’t forget to bring feminine products for girls too! No one wants to make a CVS run in the middle of all the fun. I also brought a big bag of shampoo and beauty samples so that girls could use that if they forgot.
• Confirm, confirm, confirm. Two weeks out confirm hotel, reservations, and activities. Check in with the bridal party and also check on transportation. Will you use cabs, ubers, lyft? Will you use your uber account to pay? Talk to your hotel about transportation options as well. The hotel we stayed at will drive you anywhere at any time in a 5-mile radius which was perfect for us.
• Remind the girls. A few days before, send out a group text with reminders of anything they may need. If you are hosting a lingerie shower like we did, remind them to bring their gifts. Get them excited!

Invitation Source: she was a gem to work with!

Dine

I do have a few Dallas city guides on my blog, so I hope this isn’t too repetitive. But I just think these spots are perfect for bachelorette parties!

Brunch

For brunch, I feel like you’ve got to live your best Gossip Girl life. Here are my favorite brunch spots in Dallas to do so.

1. Bistro 31
2. Mercat Bistro
3. City Hall Bistro

Lunch

If you do a big brunch, you’ll probably skip lunch. However, with little sleep, you don’t want to skip snacks!

1. Bird Bakery: A smaller bachelorette party could eat here, or stop by for their coffees and decadent cupcakes.
2. Flower Child: If you want delicious lemonades and a healthy lunch, stop by this spot. If you’re shopping all afternoon, this will be easily accessible.
3. Mi Cocina: You can’t come to Dallas without Mi Cocina’s queso and a Mambo Taxi. This is a great spot for happy hour.

Dinner

1. Sixty Vines
2. Jose on Lovers
3. Dolce Riviera
4. Javier’s

Cocktails

These are fancier spots to grab a cocktail if a bride doesn’t like a traditional bar scene. 

1. The Statler
2. Lounge 31
3. French Room Bar
4. Bowen House
5. Tipsy Alchemist

Stay

We chose to stay at Hotel Zaza in one of their bungalows. It was a little townhouse with multiple rooms and beds. It was nice to have a kitchen and multiple bathrooms, while the girls could all get ready together. For those wanting exact Bungalow, we stayed in Bungalow 8. Another great thing about Zaza is their pool during the summer. Be sure to book a table so you can have a place to put your things. 🙂 While you get ready, have the mobile app Cherry come to your hotel to do everyone’s nails.

However, if you aren’t staying in the summer or want to skip the pool, here are a few of my favorite things to do in Dallas for a girls’ weekend:

• Pedicures at Bellacures or Manicures at Posh Nail Salon
• Highland Park Village in the fall or spring is a dream! Get coffees at Royal Blue Grocery and window shop all your favorite designers.
• If you are coming with a girlfriend, grab an uber to Plano, and get a facial here at Renée Rouleau.
• Tea at the Adolphus

Details

Invitations | Cupcakes | Cookies | Bride’s Sash | Ring Pinatas {in store} | Headbands {in store} | Barbie Pouches {sold out} | Bride Socks | Barbie Bracelets | Confetti | My Outfit Set, Skirt {this post} | My Shoes | Pink & White Outfit {Zara}, Similar, Similar | Romper {old}

Anything else not mentioned is either via Dear Hannah, Hale House, or Amazon. So sorry I don’t have every item linked- Chelsea brought decor too so I just don’t have details on it all. 

Have you done Dallas for a girls’ weekend?! Thank you so much for reading!