Bachelorette Party Budget Question

If they are willing and how much could they contribute to the bachelorette party? If they can't contribute financially maybe they can contribute with other things like cooking, activities, etc.

The problem might be your open-ended question, it would be really difficult for me to simply give a single number answer to that question and I’ve been to quite a few bachelorette parties costing between $50-$1000. (Should the number include somewhere to sleep, meals, snacks, activities, decorations, gifts and/or travel?)
Try suggesting options and getting feedback. “How does renting an Airbnb for the weekend for $200 a person plus activities and food for another $200 for the weekend sound? Or would you prefer something less time consuming and expensive such as a day event for $100 pp on a boat ride and dinner?”
Money is a tough subject and this also gives them an ability to blame a small budget on time/preference.

If they didn't answer, I would assume that they cannot contribute financially.

Seeing as how money is tight, depending on where you live, sometimes the best bachelorette parties are camping trips. Renting a cabin for a night or 2 doesn’t usually cost a whole lot and you can basically just have girl time, cook, and go hiking. All relatively inexpensive, yet still very fun and bonding activities. Not sure how well you know the other bridesmaids, but they may also be in the same tight money situation. I feel like the best way to approach that would probably be to tell them that you’re definitely not trying to plan an expensive bachelorette party, but if they are able to chip in at all or at least pay for themselves that would be great but if they can’t then they can’t. If they end up never responding to you at all, then it’s probably best if you just plan something yourself for the bride however you’re certainly not required to.

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I was thinking the same thing. You have already asked and they didn't respond which tells me they might not be able to contribute. They also might not be comfortable discussing their finances in a group. If they don't personally know you that might be another reason they don't want to tell you they can't contribute. Right now a lot of people have been out of jobs so money is tight. I know I would be hesitant to plan any type of shower or event because it could likely end up being cancelled and you might not get your money back.

View Quoted Comment I agree with the camping thing, but I’m trying to do something more like what the bride wants (beach, spa-y type thing, movies at the hotel.. nothing too crazy. The craziest thing she said she wanted to do was paint pottery, and the places I’ve found also offer a paint at home option, so nothing would really need to be cancelled).

I agree with PP that you kind of stabbed yourself in the foot by asking an open ended question. I would first start with getting an idea of what the bride wants to do, and from there try and see what you can do on a reasonable budget.

Where I'm from, bachelorette parties can range from $100-300+ (about $70-250 USD) per person - i.e. mine is costing $300 per person, but we are going away for the weekend so that includes winery tours, accommodation etc.

Also, while usually the maid/matron of honour pays for the bridal shower, everyone attending the bachelorette party should be paying. I.e. if the bride invites 5 others who aren't in the bridal party, they should be paying for themselves as well.

View Quoted Comment I already know everything the bride wants to do. I just don’t know like how nice of a hotel I can look at or what kind of prices I should look at for the other things she wants to do (pottery painting, spa things, etc.)

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I think try not to over complicate things and pick a few things that you think would all go nicely together and be within reasonable budget. Remove the hotel option and you'll save big bucks.

A pottery class followed by dinner out at a nice restaurant would be nice (both I imagine would have set prices for groups), or do breakfast and a spa day etc.

Don't rely on input from the others because at the end of the day no one will agree to the same thing, and everyone's budget differs. I would just proceed to plan something that you think is reasonably priced, and once you have a rough estimate of costs (prior to booking) tell the people who will be invited that it will cost approximately $x per person to attend, and then if they hit back to that, make some slight changes to adjust budget if need be.

The more you consult the others, the more tedious their requests will become.

View Quoted Comment Most of us are in different cities (I’m in TN, one girl is in NYC, everyone else is spread across AL), so planning like a painting class and dinner or breakfast and a spa day would require some sort of accommodations for the majority of us. Plus, the bride is wanting to have it at the beach.


I think I’m going to put together a few options and just see which one (price-wise) is okay with everyone.

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I think that that is the best option! Giving them options with what would be a better price point is so much easier to answer as opposed to what could I afford.

Well that's kind of rude that they haven't even responded. Some of the suggestions above are good ones! If I were you, I'd do a little research myself and find some options you like or would be comfortable with. Seeing as how the girls are from different states, some quite a ways away, they may not be able to go to the bachelorette party or may not be able to afford the flights/travel. I'd start with a, hey ladies it's time to start planning the Bach party! The bride really wants to do x, y and z. I think this place is a great option and I found some things in that area that seem pretty cost efficient. Does this specific weekend work for everyone to attend at this specific location? I found this nice AirBNB we can rent for about $xx each for the 2 nights we're there! And, the pottery classy/spa treatments she'd like to do would b around $xx/each. I'm thinking meals might be around this much, but we can bring some stuff for lunch/snacks and drinks to cut costs a little. So my guess is it'd be around this amount for each of us (this cost covers all the Bride's costs). Let me know what you all think, are ok with those prices and if you have any ideas! We can certainly look for other places to stay and change the plans up a bit. The Bride really deserves a good time and I'd like to make sure she has one. Let me know one way or the other please. Looking forward to hearing from you all

Giving them more specific ideas and costs associated with those ideas will allow the girls to get a better sense of their budget. If someone asked me what my budget was for an event like a Bach party and it was a generic open-ended question I know I would struggle to answer it. Hope this helps!