Let’s Host! A Princess Diaries Themed Bachelorette Weekend Getaway
This post contains affiliate links and ads. Affiliate links and ads support my work at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your ongoing support!I have the distinct privilege of serving as my dear cousin’s Matron of Honor for her upcoming wedding. I am so excited to be celebrating her fairytale love story and when it came to planning her bachelorette party, I had to suggest we theme it after her favorite childhood movie, a classic that we often watched together, The Princess Diaries. She was on board from the start and it was so much fun to plan her bachelorette weekend with this classic royal theme.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love a theme and The Princess Diaries is a royally fun one to work with, especially for a birthday or bachelorette party. Of course, there’s the theme of Mia’s coming of age and turning into the princess she was always meant to be, and the sequel follows her engagement and royal wedding. With rumors of a third movie in production, I won’t be surprised if Princess Diaries themed parties are all of a sudden everywhere!
If you want to plan your own Princess Diaries themed party, you’re in luck! Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes are sharing the details of how we incorporated The Princess Diaries into a fun filled, royal weekend in a sophisticated way that elevated the weekend without taking away from the true princess of the weekend - the bride!
Planning the Party
The first step to a successful bachelorette party is finding a date or weekend that works for the majority of the bridal party and any additional friends the bride would like included. Once you have your date set, make sure to talk about the budget, ask about food allergies and if needed, divvy up the tasks and responsibilities for planning the group trip.
If you are planning on a destination trip, it’s important to start these conversations 6-8 months ahead of time. Popular vacation destinations book up fast, so the earlier you can plan, the more options you will have and the easier it will be to work with people’s schedules and budgets.
The Location
Once you have a date, you’ll want to decide on a location (if you haven’t decided on one already!). Having a few locations as possibilities gives flexibility in finding the best fit for the group and budget. You’ll want to take into account travel as well. If guests are flying in to the main airport, make sure there’s someone available to pick them up, carpool with others, or that there is easy access to the final destination of the trip.
Our trip took us to the idyllic beach town of South Haven, Michigan. I travel to South Haven every summer, so I’m familiar with all of the restaurants, beaches and activities in the area. The rest of the group had never been, so they were excited to visit a new place! When I found a condo called Eagles Nest, I knew it was fate. It was the perfect location for a fun yet relaxing beach weekend.
The Invitation
I love a paper invitation, but with so much of the planning done in a group text, sending paper invitations can be redundant. Instead, I opted to create a digital invitation to share with in the group text. I also included the itinerary, additional information like the address and car pool assignments, along with the dress code and dress code inspiration. This made it easy to send all of the necessary information and allowed the group to keep all of the details handy.
The week before the party, I set up a shared photo album and included all of the information there as well for easy access.
To create the invitation, I used this adorable template from GlenmeadowInk on Etsy!
The Itinerary
In my experience, the best bachelorette parties have a mix of scheduled activities and flexibility for downtime. It’s important to remember that yes, the weekend is all about the bride, but it’s also the guests’ vacation, too. It’s a great idea to ask the group if they have any likes or dislikes when it comes to group activities. For example, perhaps the bride loves being active but others on the trip aren’t very adventurous — this might be a great option to schedule a beach yoga class and skip the white water rafting.
For our Princess Diaries Bachelorette Weekend, the itinerary was loose agenda of beach time, shopping and wine tasting, punctuated by dinner reservations. Many restaurants in South Haven do not take reservations, so we had the flexibility of showing up when we were ready and adjusting plans as needed, which worked out perfectly.
The Dress Code
Bachelorette parties love a dress code! I do love the theme dress, but I also wanted to be mindful of each person’s individual style. I also did not want people to feel like they had to purchase costumes, new outfits, or tshirts they would never wear again.
We kept the dress code simple and it worked out really well. The bride wore white, so she stood out, and the rest of the group looked fantastic.
For Friday, we opted for Coastal Chic — think linen dresses, wide legged pants paired with a smart blouse or tank top, dressy sandals or wedges, etc in classic neutrals.
For Saturday, it was Shades of Blue. I loved this look as everyone wore their favorite dress or outfit in a varying shade of blue. We didn’t do any additional coordinating, but we received so many compliments while walking around and wine tasting. It was was cohesive without being obnoxious — just the look we were going for!
Of course, with a Princess Diaries theme, the bride was outfitted with a sash and tiara, and we all sported Mia’s classic 90s oval black sunglasses.
The Decor
Since we were staying in a vacation rental, I kept the decor to a minimum. I used a gauzy blue table runner, a bowl I found in the rental, faux green pears for a touch of Genovia and babies breath to create a simple but stunning table.
The table was the first thing you saw upon walking into the condo, so I chose to arrange everyone’s welcome bags and welcome drinks there as well. That way, each guest was greeted with small gift and a glass of sparkling wine to toast the bride to be.
One of my favorite things to do for bachelorette parties, is to have all of the guests send me their favorite picture they have with the bride — the older, the better! I purchased a set of 6 frames and framed the photos that were sent and then placed the picture frames around the condo. It was so fun to watch the bride notice the photos and each picture tied to a story or memory she shared with the guest. This is such an easy way to personalize the decor and it leaves a gift for the bride!
I used water glasses as vases for a simple arrangement of a huge blue hydrangea and babies breath in each of the bedrooms, as I think every guest room should be fitted with fresh flowers!
When traveling for a party, it’s important to keep the decor to a minimum for ease of travel and cleaning up. With The Princess Diaries theme, I aimed to bring in a hint of Genovia with understated details and a simple blue and white theme.
The Welcome Bags
To thank each guest for coming, I provided simple welcome bags that contained everything the guests might need over the weekend. To go with The Princess Diaries theme, each guest received a pair of Mia’s iconic 90s oval sunglasses, which were also perfect since we were headed to the beach!
I’ve planned several bachelorette parties in varying locations: from South Haven to Traverse City, Michigan all the way to Disney World and Las Vegas and probably a few in between! No matter where the location or what the theme, these simple items are always appreciated. There’s no need to get a fancy bag, a simple small gift bags with a bit of tissue paper, ribbon, and a DIY tag will instantly work to pull in the theme.
My go-to items to include in the welcome bags are items like sunscreen, SPF lip balm, Liquid IV, Advil, makeup wipes, gel eye masks and hair ties or a scrunchy.
Of course, the bride had a few extra goodies in her bag to outfit her for the weekend! Along with Mia’s iconic sunglasses, the bride also received a tiara, long white gloves, old school headphones, a bride to be sash and veil and a sparkly tumbler for the beach! You can shop those items and more in my Amazon Storefront.
The Activities
It was a quick trip so kept the activities to a minimum to allow for plenty of flexibility. And really, when you’re at the beach, you don’t have to plan too much!
After a welcome toast, the group freshened up and then headed to Taste for small plates and martinis. After dinner, we returned to the condo for bachelorette games, gifts and of course, a viewing of The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2, which we played in the background.
One of the bridesmaids put together an adorable Princess Diaries themed scavenger hunt for the bride. The clues took hints from the movie and each one led to a new surprise.
At the end of the scavenger hunt, the bride was brought to our group gift, a half dozen bottles of wine with special tags to celebrate marking milestones as newlyweds.
After the scavenger hunt, we turned the movie on! Each guest was supplied with a house wine, their favorite movie candy, and a few fun games to play. Games like Princess Diaries themed “Never Have I Ever”, “Who Knows the Bride Best?” and a vintage classic, MASH, kept the conversation flowing and allowed all of the bridesmaids to get to know each other better. We stayed up much later than we should have but we had so much fun!
Saturday was our designated beach day! I made sure to bring the bride’s favorite bagels into town for an easy breakfast and after a quick trip to the Farmers Market and a leisurely morning, we headed down to the beach. We stopped for lunch at the concession stand (more of the bride’s favorite food!) and made a spot for ourselves on the beach.
After a few hours and a significant sunburn for myself (and I swear I used the sunscreen I gifted everyone!) we headed back to freshen up. Southwest Michigan is full of cute wineries and right below our condo were a few wine tasting rooms which we thoroughly enjoyed!
From wine tasting it was on to dinner at my favorite dockside grill, Captain Lou’s, before a night capper and a round of the bride’s favorite game, Jenga, at New Holland Distillery.
Sunday morning meant it was time to leave! After we cleaned up, we shopped around town and then began the journey home, stopping on the way for lunch at Latitude 42 Brewery.
It was the perfect weekend of fun and relaxation. The little details made the bride feel so special and with a great group of ladies, it was a lovely summer weekend full of happy memories!
The Memories
Bachelorette Parties are always fun and, of course, quite the milestone for the bride to be! To help preserve the memories, I always recommend starting a shared group album before the trip. In less than 36 hours we had 200+ photos in the album, representing memories and POV from every guest!
To make it extra special, I love to create a Shutterfly photo album for the bride. This is a great gift to give to the bride on her wedding day and it makes it easy for her to look back on this special time.
Planning a Princess Diaries themed Bachelorette Party was so much fun and was the perfect fit for our bride to be! There is so much flexibility with the theme and it’s a fantastic choice for the bride who prefers a classy affair.
I hope you found these tips and ideas helpful. If you’re planning a Princess Diaries themed bachelorette party, I would love to hear how it goes! You might also want to check out my recent post on Group Vacation Etiquette.
Do you have a question about planning a bachelorette parties or the etiquette of Maid of Honor duties? Leave your questions below, you know I love to help!
