Bachelorette Party Checklist: A 5-Step Countdown

Print your decorations or buy them ready-made?

Part of every checklist is the shopping list, and much of it can be printed instead of ordered. Compare printing and buying ready-made before Step 3, when the supplies get ordered.

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	Print it yourselfThe Bachelorette Decor Bundle · $12	Buy it ready-madeReady-made decor on Amazon
What you get	Printed paper decor in one fillable PDF: the Bride to Be banner, the Bride to Be sign and the Decor Pack (signs, photo props, cupcake toppers, drink flags, favor tags).	Physical pieces, as each listing describes them: a latex balloon garland kit, metallic foil fringe curtains, a 12 in hanging mirror ball, a glitter cake topper, glitter table confetti.
Cost	$12 once for the PDF. The paper and ink are yours.	Check the price on each listing; Amazon shows the price and the delivery cost before you order.
Her name	Type her name once; it fills every piece that carries it.	Generic wording such as Bride to Be, no name.
Your time	Print, cut and put up. The start-here guide in the PDF shows each step.	Nothing to make: unpack, inflate or hang.
Last minute	Ready tonight if you have a printer, paper and scissors. The download link comes by email right after you pay.	Depends on the delivery date Amazon gives for your address.
Look	Flat paper in the pink and berry design, on the paper you choose. Cardstock stands up better than copy paper.	Shine and volume that paper cannot give: foil, balloons, a mirror ball. Colors vary by listing, so check them against your party colors.
After the party	Keep a sign as a keepsake and recycle the rest.	Balloons deflate. A mirror ball and the foil curtains can go up again.

Print it if you want her name on it, the party is in a day or two, or you want one look across the room.

Buy it ready-made if you want shine and volume for the photo wall, or you have no printer.

Many groups mix both: print what carries her name, buy what paper cannot do. We have not tested the Amazon items; what the table says about them comes from their listings.

Ready-made on Amazon

• Balloon garland kitA latex balloon garland kit to hang with the Bride to Be banner on the party wall.Check the price on Amazon: Balloon garland kit (opens in a new tab)
• Foil fringe curtainMetallic foil fringe curtains as a photo backdrop behind the decor pack’s photo booth sign and props.Check the price on Amazon: Foil fringe curtain (opens in a new tab)
• Mirror disco ballA 12 in hanging mirror ball for a disco theme, next to the disco ball prop in the decor pack.Check the price on Amazon: Mirror disco ball (opens in a new tab)
• Bride to Be cake topperA light pink glitter cake topper to go with the decor pack’s cupcake toppers.Check the price on Amazon: Bride to Be cake topper (opens in a new tab)
• Bride to Be table confettiGlitter confetti to scatter on the drinks table around the bar menu sign and drink flags.Check the price on Amazon: Bride to Be table confetti (opens in a new tab)

Step 1: Start your bachelorette party checklist with the bride

Start with one conversation. Ask the bride what kind of weekend she wants, who she wants there, and what she does not want at all. Then set the basics: dates, a rough place, the guest list and a top budget per person.

Timing is the first thing to settle. The Emily Post checklist lists the bachelorette party among the pre-wedding parties of the final weeks before the wedding. It gives no exact number of days. As a rule of thumb, pick a weekend that leaves room before the wedding week, so nobody is tired or traveling right before the ceremony, and start planning months ahead of that weekend.

The maid of honor usually leads, but Emily Post lists hosting a bachelorette as an optional job for bridesmaids, not a rule. So settle at the start who the organiser is. One person holds the list, and everyone else takes named jobs.

Step 2: Collect shares before you book

Money is where plans stall. People say yes to a weekend and then balk at the number. So send every guest a per-person estimate before you pay for anything, with a pay-by date for a deposit.

If you ask guests to send money through an app, take a minute to set it up safely. The FTC says that sending money through a payment app is like sending cash and very hard to get back. Tell the group one place to send money, to one named person, and keep a running list of who has paid.

Send invitations right after the estimate is agreed, and before you book. Send a reminder to anyone who has not replied or paid when the deposit date passes, and one more the week of the party. One short message with the amount, the person to pay and the date is enough.

Write the money rules in the invitation, too. Say what is covered, what it costs per person, who to pay and by when. A printable invitation and details card holds all of that in one place, and the Weekend Planning Bundle puts it next to the planner pages where you track each payment.

What to book first depends on what is hardest to replace. A rule of thumb: book the place to stay first, since the dates and the guest count hang on it, then the activities that need a reservation, then travel for anyone who is flying or driving far. How far ahead is not fixed. It depends on the season, the size of the group and each venue's own booking and cancellation rules, so check those before you pay and keep deposits small until the group has paid.

Step 3: Order supplies and print the paper

A few weeks out, the details turn into things you can hold. Plan the plans first: where and when, what to bring or wear, what each person pays. Then order what you need and print the paper.

Write down what the weekend needs and give each item an owner.

• Decor: a banner, a sign, and a balloon garland to hang them over if you want one.
• Paper: cardstock for invitations and cards, plain paper for the itinerary and games.
• Tools: a paper trimmer or scissors for cards with crop marks.
• Extras: pens for the games and a small box to carry it all.

Print one test page first. Printers and paper behave differently, and it is much better to find a washed-out color or a cut-off edge now than the night before you leave. Print the invitations early, since they go out first. Decor is easiest to place now, and small favors are optional extras for the shared box. Print the itinerary and any games once the plan is final.

Look at the bachelorette party decorations article for what to hang, and at bachelorette party ideas if the group still needs a plan for the evenings.

Step 4: Confirm everything in the week of the party

The week before, you stop planning and start checking. Confirm every booking, the arrival times and who is bringing what. Send the group a short message with the plan for the first day.

Pack the shared supplies in one box. Everyone's own clothes and gear go on a separate list, and the bachelorette packing list covers that so this checklist stays about tasks.

Step 5: Run the day, then settle up

On the day, the organiser only needs to keep the first hour moving. Hand out the itinerary, point to the box, and let the bride enjoy it. Pick one person to keep an eye on the clock and one to keep the photos.

Settling up comes right after. For a fair split, divide shared costs such as the stay and group activities evenly among the guests who attend, and let each person cover her own extras. The bride's share is the one cost to decide before booking: either the group splits it or she pays it, and either way it goes in the estimate. Do it within days, while everyone remembers what was spent. Add up what was paid, compare it with what came in, and send each person what she owes or is owed. Then close the payment list.

A bachelorette goes well when everyone knows what it costs before they say yes.

If you want the whole countdown in one printable file, the Weekend Planning Bundle has an invitation, itinerary, planner and bridesmaid cards. It is not the right pick if you plan to do everything in a shared app and never print, or if you need to track more than 12 payers on one tracker. In that case print another copy.

The five phases at a glance