MY BACHELORETTE PARTY IN CHARLESTON

I’m excited to share more about my bachelorette party in Charleston this past weekend! I really didn’t share much on social media as 1) I wanted to be totally present with all my girlfriends and 2) there were definitely moments that weren’t totally “on brand,” ya know? 😉 But a few of you messaged me on Instagram and Snapchat asking if I’d share the Charleston bachelorette party itinerary that my sister/maid of honor Reilly put together for the weekend, so here you go!

Lilly Pulitzer eyelet dress c/o  //  Cult Gaia ark bag (more colors here)  //  Soludos espadrilles (more colors here)

The first thing Reilly and I did was find a house to rent for the weekend. We wound up finding this house on Home Away and it was perfect for ten girls (and would comfortably sleep up to twelve in beds). We didn’t do any cooking at the house but there was plenty of space to hang out in the living room and more importantly it was super centrally located so everything we wanted to do was no more than a 20 minute walk or a $9 Uber XL away (seriously, how is Uber so cheap in Charleston?!).

Everyone arrived at different times on Friday afternoon / evening so our plan was to take it easy that night and order in takeout from 167 Raw, a seafood spot that also has a food truck on Nantucket. Unfortunately they were too busy to offer takeout that night so it was Pearlz Oyster Bar to the rescue. We ordered lobster rolls and fish tacos for the group and made a stop at the liquor store to pick up a bunch of rosé for the weekend. My friend Carver DJed for the evening and Reilly had collaborated with Will on a fiancé trivia video. If you’re a bridesmaid or maid of honor planning a bachelorette party, this is such a fun and thoughtful activity to put together! Basically she filmed Will answering a question (where our first date was, what our first concert was, what qualities he admires most about me, which ones I admire most about him, etc.) and then paused the video while I guessed how he’d answered. If I was right, the group had to take a sip of their drinks; if our answers were different, I had to take a sip of mine!

My cousin / bridesmaid Sarah took a red eye flight from San Diego and arrived on Saturday morning (total Herculean effort on her part!) so we had the whole group together for brunch at Le Farfalle (though it’s technically lunch since they only serve their brunch menu on Sundays, just a heads up!). My friend Shelly had eaten there a couple weeks prior and said the decor was so Design Darling we couldn’t skip it and she was so right. Think bistro chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows, and navy lacquered booths… A new Charleston favorite for sure! It turned out that our server also has a house on Nantucket and works summers at the venue where we’re having our wedding reception in September! Such a small world. It was the perfect spot to kick off our day — the whipped ricotta appetizer and Palermo spritz cocktails are not to be missed.

After brunch, we headed to what was easily the highlight of our trip. I know this activity might not be for everyone, but as someone who once forced twenty family members to take a self-defense krav maga class the day after Christmas, I thought a pole dancing lesson seemed like the perfect way for everyone in the group to become fast friends and have a good laugh doing it. You guys, if you’re willing to feel slightly embarrassed and extremely ridiculous, a private lesson at Pole Party is seriously the perfect Charleston bachelorette party activity. It might require a couple rounds of cocktails to get through the class, but let’s just say we were on the floor laughing for two hours straight and left the class more like ten best friends than a disparate group of family members, high school / college friends, and blog friends. Everyone (including the six-months-pregnant Amy!) was such a great sport and I know we’ll be telling stories and rewatching videos from this afternoon for literally years to come.

We then walked back to the house to change out of workout clothes and get ready for dinner. (I wound up wearing this bow top and failed to take a single picture, oops!) We had planned on doing pre-dinner cocktails at the Gin Joint but opted out in favor of chips and queso at the house to unwind from our pole dancing adventure. Amy had suggested dinner at Edmund’s Oast and they were awesome at accommodating a large group at one of their hightop tables. Everyone had rave reviews for the French fries, roasted chicken, and the fish and chips. Reilly and I had actually happened to sit next to the head chef on our flight down to Charleston so we had plenty of recommendations on what to order!

After dinner, we all gulped down a cup of coffee (a pre-cocktails tradition my friend Ali and I have had since our cruise last year!) and headed to the rooftop at Stars. I hadn’t been to Stars since a press trip to Charleston almost three years ago but the views and the atmosphere were just as fun as I remembered! There were plenty of other bachelor and bachelorette groups at the bar and by the end of the evening there was even a bride and groom who’d just gotten married that night. Just as we were about to leave and head to Republic (a spot my cousin Emily had recommended), an epic dance party broke out on the first floor of Stars and we spent the rest of the night tearing up the dance floor and marveling at Carver’s knowledge of every song lyric ever.

On Sunday morning, some of the group had to leave early so Ali, Amy, my cousin Chelsea, Reilly and I headed to brunch at Butcher & Bee. The avocado toast and cauliflower were fantastic, but the real highlight was a gift box that Reilly presented to me when we sat down. Unbeknownst to me, she’d asked each of the girls on the trip to write me a little love letter prior to the start of the trip and the gesture just blew me away. Everyone took the assignment in their own direction — Chelsea and Reilly wrote the most beautiful handwritten notes, Amy and Emily made slideshows with some serious #tbt photos from our single days in New York, Carver’s letter featured photos dating all the way back to my sixteenth birthday party, Ali shared the lessons she’s learned in her first two years of marriage, and Amy, Sarah, and Shelly all wrote tear-jerking letters bringing back all kinds of fond memories. I was so moved by all their efforts — I love each of them so dearly and to read them articulate their favorite things about our various friendships brought tears to my eyes nine times over. Again if you’re planning a bachelorette party for someone you love and you want to knock the bride’s socks off, I found this an unbelievably touching gift and one I will treasure truly forever.

Whew! I hope that answers any questions you have about my bachelorette party in Charleston. I knew it was going to be a fun-filled weekend to have my best girlfriends all in one place but I had no idea that it would go so much deeper than making funny new memories together. Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming feeling of being so loved and so lucky to have these girls in my life and standing by my side as Will and I enter this next chapter of our lives. Ali, Amy, Amy, Carver, Chelsea, Emily, Reilly, Sarah, and Shelly: thank you one million times over for making this a weekend I will never forget. See you all for part deux on Nantucket in September!

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