EVERY Detail You Need to Throw an Unforgettable Bachelorette Party in Scottsdale, Arizona

Lifestyle

June 15, 2023

scottsdale-bachelorette-party-guided-atv-tour

Hey there bestie/MOH/travel agent/day-of executive assistant!!!

Planning a bachelorette party in Scottsdale for a group of 10 girls can seem like a daunting task once the initial excitement wears off. I’m here to help you get back to that enjoyable planning phase by spilling ALL THE TEA of planning this trip.

Questioning my credentials?

I have planned dozens of well-researched, fully-itinerized (just made that up) trips with friends and family in the past and when I got asked to be my bestie’s MOH, I knew I would thrive in this role! My MOH counterpart (because two are better than one) and I worked together to ideate, plan, decorate, shop, and execute this amazing weekend.

Wondering if Scottsdale is THE PLACE for your party?

With the vibrant nightlife, stunning desert landscape, and an array of adventurous activities, Scottsdale offers plenty of options to make your weekend unforgettable. The group can start the day with a hike in Camelback Mountain or go on a hot air balloon ride over the Sonoran Desert. In the afternoon, you can unwind at one of the luxurious spas or take a dip in the pool to beat the heat. As the sun sets, the party can kick off in the Old Town Scottsdale, known for its trendy bars and restaurants. With so much to explore and indulge in, Scottsdale is undoubtedly a dream destination for a bachelorette party.

Once you’ve realized that Scottsdale IS THE PLACE! …

I’m a list making machine so I’m going to bless you with the following “to do” checklist for planning this party (download the free PDF below) then I’ll break down each action item with more information so that you can customize your trip to your bride and the group!

Talk to the bride about her desired level of involvement in planning – if she wants to be surprised, ask her for her non-negotiables and preferences
Choose a desired method of transportation and sleeping accommodations
Decide on a theme/color scheme/vibe to run with
Choose activities that you want to do as a group
Find a few large-party-friendly restaurants to choose from
Curate the perfect itinerary/invitation
Execute flawlessly

Okay, now let’s dive in

1. BRIDE-TO-BE

Your bride-to-be knows there’s going to be a party, but how much does she want to know? Is she a “surprises are my favorite” or “surprises are my nightmare” type of girl?

In my opinion, even if she wants to be in-the-know, you should find a way to sneak in something special to surprise her with or go above and beyond in some way to make her feel extra loved and celebrated!

2. ACCOMMODATIONS & LOGISTICS

This is the section I like to call the ‘“easy to forget about” stuff.

Not sure which Airbnb location will be the best for your group? This is definitely case-by-case, but our group stayed in Tempe, walking distance from Dutch Bros (#clutchbros), and decided to rent two cars with a corporate code to get around. We were worried about not being in “Scottsdale proper,” but we only noticed it as an issue the one night we went out on the town when it took a little longer to get there and back. Otherwise, we really enjoyed being in a smaller neighborhood, able to walk to grab coffee in the mornings, and nearby to the grocery store.

When you’re looking at Airbnbs, they often consider king-sized beds to fit 2-3 people, so consider whether or not you want your bride sharing a bed. Think about how many people will be sharing each bathroom, bedroom, and living spaces.

Where will you put the balloon arch/photo backdrop in the house?

3. THEME

Our bride-to-be was sending us all kinds of cute theme ideas and described her desired vibe to be classy, think champagne, but also party, throw in some disco balls, and relevant Scottsdale, somehow we landed on cowboy boots there.

This came together as what we call the “Champagne Cowgirl” theme

Here’s how we executed…

the bar…*we got a mix of Prosecco and Rosé but replaced the labels for a cheap and unique decor enhancement*

the gift bag line up…*we stuck with Rosé and rose golds, matching the* *itinerary* *but added little cowboy hats and had bandanas in the bags*

vibe check!*we threw in cowboy hats and disco balls to make this champagne party come to life!* *you can get this template as part of the* *Champagne Cowgirl Bach Party Bundle* *on Etsy!*

Regardless of the theme your bride will thrive in, the key is to nail down a color scheme (ex. rose gold, gold, and white) then choose a few accent pieces to sprinkle into the decor/gifts (ex. cowboy hats, disco balls, champagne bottles) that will all work together to create the perfect theme for your bride-to-be!!!

4. ACTIVITIES

There are SO many activities to consider in Scottsdale! We chose a guided ATV Tour with Arizona Outdoor Fun. The Centipede tour from 4-6pm was perfect for us to see the sunset at the end of the tour, and get back to the Airbnb just in time for dinner and games at the house.

The next morning, we chose to do a hike – Camelback Mountain via Cholla Trail. I’ll be honest, we didn’t do a lot of research and failed to realize that there would be boulder scrambling to reach the top. Half of our group went to the top to see the panoramic views, but the rest of the group enjoyed views and a little cactus photo session to pass the time that we were gone.

If this isn’t really the vibe you’re going for, there are a ton of other options for bonding with your group. Here are some more ideas…

Peddle pub through Old Town
Workout class/yoga by the pool
Spa day
Make your own wine
Festivals
Day trips
Pink jeep
Food tour
Bike tour

Check out Experience Scottsdale for more

5. DINING OUT

Let’s start with a handful of things to think about when looking for restaurants to dine at…

Large party accommodation
Reservations
Allergy-free options (don’t forget to ask your party about allergies!)
Wide variety menu
Split checks / included gratuity
Paying for the bride (check out the SplitWise app)

As you know, Scottsdale has become a very popular spot for bachelorette parties, which means that you need to make reservations for all of your dining out meals. My suggestion is to do one brunch and one dinner out to experience variety without breaking the bank!

Brunch

We chose to do brunch at Olive + Ivy without realizing that they actually don’t do brunch on Friday’s. Their food was fantastic, we loved the atmosphere, and they accommodated well with allergies, but everyone was looking forward to brunch and didn’t get it.

Dinner

For our nice dinner out, we made a reservation at Toca Madera. I didn’t know just HOW nice Toca was, but just WOW. Our party of 9 spent almost $1,500 and I wouldn’t describe our group as frivolous or “big spenders” so this was a little shocking, but not a huge deal… just be prepared! The atmosphere was very cool, clearly upscale, including fire dancers and champagne bottles with sparklers. Also, remember that the expectation is likely that you’re paying for the bride’s food and drinks too.

Here’s a list of highly recommended dining options in Scottsdale…

Toca Madera
Francine
Diego Pops
STK
Mastro’s City Hall
Maple and Ash
The Montauk
SumoMaya Mexican Asian Kitchen
Ocean 44
AZ88
The Mission
Barrio Queen
Nobu

6. ITINERARY

If you don’t already have a free Canva account, go ahead and create one, because it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get through this party without one!

If you’re really crafty and enjoy the creative journey of curating a custom itinerary for your group, more power to you! But if you want to skip the hassle, head over to my Etsy store and grab a customizable template to work with!

customizable-bachelorette-party-itinerary-template-bundle

When I’m planning a trip anywhere, I like to follow this simple formula for each day

breakfast/coffee
morning activity or break
lunch
afternoon activity or break
dinner
nighttime activity

Vacations are really just about eating good food and planning fun activities to fill the time between meals (if you want to combine meals – brunch – make sure you have coffee/small bites in the morning during “getting ready” time and snacks around the house for those in between times).

When planning your activities and outings, keep these things in mind:

getting ready
- how many times will you have to redo your hair and makeup each day? plan activities accordingly to minimize getting ready time per day
hangovers
- plan your “big night out” on the last night so you can all leave hungover instead of potentially ruining one of your days there
responsibilities
- who is going to cook or setup meals at the airbnb? how long will it take to cook and clean?
- plan to assign responsibilities to different people throughout the weekend, but never the bride!
weather
- outdoor temperature (will you be miserable hiking at 1pm in July? probably)
transportation
- how long will it take for an uber to arrive and get you to your destination without being late?
- how will you get everyone there and back? have you included this in your budget?
down time
- don’t try to fill every minute of the day, or your party will be exhausting

This was our final itinerary

As you can see, there are meals and activities laid out with plenty of time between each. Keep this part simple and add important details to another page of the itinerary!

get the template

You’ll notice in our plans we included a game night, panty party, pool party, and a night out that I haven’t covered yet, so I’ll dive into those now…

Game Night

For the first evening when everyone was arriving, we made dinner super easy by throwing frozen pizzas in the oven and playing games on the couch.

unique bachelorette bingo game templates

Get-to-know-you games are a great way to kick off the weekend.

Snag this 15-card Bachelorette Bingo Set in the Champagne Cowgirl Template Bundle!

Panty Party (or alternative evening activity)

We thought it would be fun to celebrate our bride with some new lingerie, so we made sure to tell all the guests to bring one pair of new panties in her size, put them each in matching plain white gift bags, and had her unwrap them one by one guessing who gave her each pair.

We also made a sign (included in the itinerary template bundle) and handed out re-labeled prosecco mini bottles to make it feel like its own little party.

Notice our outfits…*we bought these* *super soft fuzzy eye masks* *on amazon and put them in everyone’s gift bagswe explained the theme and told everyone to bring “cute pj’s” and they absolutely understood the assignment!*

Pool Party

Notice that the ~ relaxing ~ afternoon at the pool is situated between an active morning activity and a fancy evening activity. You can hang out and enjoy a drink in a flamingo floatie, or blast the music and have a dance party on the lawn. Either way, everyone is able to enjoy this time how they need. There is plenty of time for everyone to shower after the hike and get ready in their own time for dinner and nightlife!

Night Out

You already read about dinner at Toca Madera, but we went clubbing after too. We took 2 ubers to the clubs from dinner and then walked between clubs. You can reserve a section with bottle service, but it gets pretty pricey, so we opted for just hanging out on the dance floor and grabbing drinks from the bar. You can also make friends and join their section, if you catch my drift 🙂

Some of the clubs in the area are:

Casa Amigos
El Hefe
Bottled Blonde
Cake
Riot House
Whiskey Row

Head to DiscoTech to read more about the Scottsdale nightclub scene.

All of them had decent lines when we went and we just chose the ones that seemed to be moving the fastest. To us, all the clubs were the same, but we agreed Riot House had the best music and vibes! Bottled Blonde was surprisingly the worst, if you don’t have a section, you’ll likely get pushed around by security until you’re pushed out of the club… not fun.

peep the QR code sticker!*these stickers come in three different colors in the* *Champagne Cowgirl Canva Template Bundle*

7. EXECUTE FLAWLESSLY

So you’ve planned an unforgettable weekend, but now it’s time you prepare to execute so that you are also able to enjoy the party and not feel frantic or stressed about it going well. This all comes with pre-party preparation…

make the theme and color scheme of your weekend clear to everyone on the invitations and include a ‘packing guide’ to let everyone know what they need to wear each day
make all dining/clubbing reservations ahead of time
research activities enough to feel comfortable leading the group
map out transportation to each place and give yourself a 15-20 minute buffer for uber cancellations, wrong turns, parking hassles, etc.
if you are planning on setting up the decor yourself, assume that it will take 6+ hours (those dang balloons), maybe ask someone else to help you, but definitely expect to arrive 8-12 hours before the rest of your party
- do you need to get a hotel room?
- can you ask for early check-in to the airbnb?
when making your packing/shopping list, don’t forget the little (but important) things
- balloon glue dots
- balloon string (fishing wire is the best)
- command hooks/tacks
- tape, scissors, ziplocks, etc.
- easels for signs