14 Non-Basic Bachelorette Ideas & Invites to Match

So you’ve been tasked with planning the big bachelorette party for your sweet friend. Among all the bachelorette party themes out there, it can be hard to plan something that hasn’t been done a million times. You got this, maid of honor — especially because we’re here to help you with party planning! These bachelorette ideas are anything but basic and will give the bride a much-needed break from wedding planning to have unforgettable fun with her wedding party.

14 Unique Bachelorette Party Ideas 

It’s time to party! Each of these bachelorette ideas is either a full-out themed extravaganza or a standalone party activity you can build around. Let’s get to it.

1. Themed Bachelorette Around Her Fave Show/Movie

Design: Claudia Owen

Matching Invite: I’ll Be There For You Invitation

This is your chance to show how well you know the bride-to-be: Give her a themed bachelorette that she will uniquely appreciate! Think of her favorite movie, rom-com, or TV show and theme things out from there. She’ll think it’s the best bachelorette party ever from the moment she walks in the room. Here are some ideas:

• Parent Trap: Go to Camp Walden with some Oreos and peanut butter and posters of Leo DiCaprio on the walls. Do a wine tasting with vinos from Napa Valley, or make fake labels from Parker Knoll winery. Have everyone dress up as their favorite character on a night out — Meredith with her hiking gear, Chessy in her oversized denim shirt, or the twins in their signature camp uniforms.
• Friends: Set up your own Central Perk with lattes, flavored syrups, and plenty of pastries. Drape a couch with a swath of orange velvet fabric to imitate the iconic couch, put an ornate yellow frame like Monica’s on the door, and play a game where you match the best quotes from the show to the character. Make cupcake toppers with a screen grab of Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel in their big wedding dresses on the couch drinking beers (from “The One with All the Wedding Dresses”). No better theme than “Friends” for a group of best friends!
• Grey’s Anatomy: Time to scrub in for girls’ night! Have everyone dress up in scrubs and stethoscopes, and make a karaoke-worthy playlist that includes “How to Save a Life” by The Fray and “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. Make sure to dance it out, Meredith-and-Cristina-style. Set a Seattle scene with rain sounds and a cutout of the Space Needle taped in the window. Use foil balloons to spell out “You’re my person” to celebrate both your friendships and your girl finding the love of her life. Play a game of Operation before piling in one room for a sleepover.

2. BYO Snack Board

Design: frau brandt

Matching Invitation: Watercolored Wine Tasting Invitation

Instead of making the maid of honor provide everything, this bachelorette idea gets everyone contributing. For a bring your own snack board party, prompt everyone with a theme and have them build a small grazing platter around it. They should bring it fully assembled to share. Here are some examples:

• Favorite TV show board: Build themed boards around your favorite show. Include foods that the characters eat or give each snack punny titles that tie into the show — you can even watch the first episode from each one as the night goes on.
• Home state board: Prompt everyone to bring a board representing the most iconic snacks from their area, and have each person explain what’s behind each food on their board.
• Sauces and dips: Everyone’s boards should center around the best-of-the-best dips first, with the crunchy snack pairings as the supporting characters.
• Rainbow boards: Assign everyone a color and make a monochrome board celebrating your color — they’ll look so cute all lined up next to each other!

3. PowerPoint Party

What’s something you could talk passionately about for 30 minutes with no research required? That idea spawned the viral concept of a PowerPoint party. We think it would make for the most hilarious and entertaining bachelorette party. 

Prompt everyone well ahead of time to put together a PowerPoint presentation about a topic they care about — it should be fun and silly, nothing serious! Think fave conspiracy theories, an unpopular opinion, your “hear me out” celebrity crushes, a niche part of history you have thoughts on, or a cheeky explanation of what you actually do for work. Have a Q&A for each presenter and encourage audience interaction — maybe even have the bride-to-be pick her favorite at the end.

Assign a time limit and make sure you have an HDMI cord, screen mirroring, or Apple AirPlay set up to present on a TV screen. The drinks should be flowing, and the snacks should be easily within reach.

4. Themed Brunch

While most bachelorette parties leave the girls bleary-eyed the next morning, this low-key bach idea takes place when everyone is full of energy — mid-morning! Celebrate the bride in the light of day by putting together an adorable themed brunch. She’s about to be waffle-y wedded, after all! Theme it around her favorite breakfast food (eggs benny flights for everyone?), her favorite fruit (strawberries on everything!), or her favorite brunch cocktail (bloody “marries”?).

5. Food Tour

Book a local guide to show you a unique food or drink experience in the area where you’re hosting the bachelorette party. From oyster shucking lessons to a dumpling-making class to a beekeeping and honey-tasting foray, we’ve found that Airbnb Experiences seems to have all the ingredients to make one unique bach party. You could also try some in-depth Googling like “unique food tours in [city]” to find experts near you — keeping the bride’s favorite foods in mind.

6. Unconventional Art Class

Design: Lisa Travis

Matching Invite: Paint Night Invitation

Paint and sip nights are the best, but what about rug tufting, glass blowing, figure drawing, or sewing? Pick a class where you get a takeaway, like a pottery class that focuses on making a matcha set or a crochet class where you make a macrame plant hanger. Everyone will enjoy learning a more unique skill while having something to do with their hands as they chat.

7. Axe Throwing

Jump in a party bus and go do some axe throwing! This super-unique bachelorette party is best paired with brewery hopping afterward so your bridal party has their wits about them for throwing sharp objects. If the bride’s partner is having a bachelor party, you could combine forces at this stop and have an unconventional night out to remember.

8. Off-the-Beaten Path Weekend Destination

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Matching Invite: Better In Boots Invitation

Most brides are eager for getaway for their bachelorette weekend. There’s nothing wrong with classics like Nashville, New Orleans, or Palm Springs, but what about lesser-visited destinations like:

• Seattle, Washington — Take in waterfront views and get cozy in the gloomy yet magical heart of the Pacific Northwest.
• San Luis Obispo, California — Stay at the famously gaudy Madonna Inn, where the pink, frilly vibes go perfectly with bridal sashes.
• Bend, Oregon — Sample IPAs from microbreweries, go floating down refreshing rivers, and embrace the outdoors in the low-key town of Bend.
• Mackinac Island, Michigan — Pile into a horse-drawn carriage on this car-free island and wake up to beautiful lake views every morning.
• A national park — Take some picturesque hikes in the best possible setting by picking a national park near you.
• Newport, Rhode Island — Enjoy quaint East Coast beaches, craggy cliffs, boat rides, Gilded Age mansions, and seafood galore.
• Washington, D.C. — History nerds will be in their happy place in D.C., and your Venmos will be happy with the many free museum entries city-wide.
• The Florida Keys — When you’re thinking Miami but don’t want to club, head to the Keys for a tropical island paradise with picturesque snorkeling and delicious Cuban food.

Once you pick your spot, we can help you put together an itinerary and get your plans on (digital) paper.

9. Cooking Class

Teach the bridesmaids some new culinary skills by heading to a cooking class. This activity is tailor-made for groups and gets everyone on their feet and creating. The best part is that you get to eat your masterpiece for dinner at the end of the class! Check out Sur La Table to find the best class for your group.

10. Board Game Tournament

Design: Paper Raven Co.

Matching Invite: Diecut Dice Invitation

Set up your getaway house with a board game tournament for the bride-to-be. Bust out Wingspan, Catch Phrase, Scattergories, Azul, Catan, Bananagrams — anything the bride is always begging everyone to play. Set up a few stations with games and plenty of snacks and have prizes for the winners. To end the night, everyone can compete against each other in a fun bachelorette party game like deep-cut trivia about the bride that only her besties would know.

11. Escape Room

No need for a weekend playing drinking games in Las Vegas when you can get all your thrills from an escape room! Gather the gals and head to an escape room to work on your teamwork and communication skills. There’s nothing more satisfying than racing to beat the clock and finally solving those last clues. This bachelorette idea will give everyone something fun and silly to debrief when you head to dinner after.

12. Camping or Hiking

Design: Tennie & Co

Matching Invite: Lace Up Your Boots Invitation

It’s time to dress up — in hiking gear! Outdoorsy brides will relish the chance to be outdoors with their favorite friends on a camping bachelorette. Do a long hike if you only have everyone for a day, and go car camping if you have a weekend.

13. Paintball

Non-traditional brides will be thrilled at the idea of shooting each other with exploding paint instead of sitting around at a bar. A lot of paintball sites have other sports that you can do together as well, like rock walls or laser tag. Make sure to schedule this one well before the wedding so that bruises have time to heal. After a grueling match, fill the rest of your evening with pampering and wellness with a spa day.

14. Drag Brunch 

Design: Signature Greenvelope

Matching Invite: Yas Queen! Invitation

Yas queen, it’s time to get your girl married! Drag brunch is becoming more and more popular for bachelorette parties, but it’s still a less conventional way to celebrate, especially if you’re in a smaller town. Wake up from your Bride’s Last Boogie disco slumber party, and start your day off with fabulousness and sparkles by looking up your local drag brunch. Support the dolls while celebrating your queen!

Get the Plans Rolling

Want to do even more brainstorming? We’ve got you covered with a whole other blog post with even more bachelorette ideas! If you’ve got bridal shower planning to do or have been given some wedding day tasks, check out our Stationers blog for all things party and wedding planning.