The bachelorette party—nearly Shakespearean in its implied drama and delight—has grown so profoundly popular as to seem a mandated prerequisite to marriage itself (did you even wed if you didn’t fly to Miami beforehand to inhale espresso martinis with your nearest and dearest?!). For those of you who fall into the everybody’s-getting-married age bracket, the bachelorette party is indisputably at the heart and soul of your annual travel plans—affairs you budget the time and money to attend, alongside all the inevitable weddings.
Now, there is something sincerely euphoric (and downright fun) about ushering in a new phase of life in a new location with your closest friends. In the best of ways, it’s both juvenile and grown-up—a return to the youthful rapport of girlhood, as well as a totem of ceremonial passage into a certain genre of adulthood. But with the rise of destination weddings, wildly expensive wedding block hotels, sometimes egregious attire demands, gifts, and pre-matrimonial events, asking your inner circle to drain their annual travel budgets and their PTO reserves for your wedding and a voyage beforehand can feel a bit…much.
According to Allison Cullman, VP of brand marketing at Zola, the average bachelorette party spend per head in 2024 was $624 (out of 1,500 brides polled). “More than 100 couples said their guests spent under $175 each [on bachelor or bachelorette parties], while another 100+ couples reported guest spending between $1,000 and $2,000,” says Cullman.
The upshot, however, is that folks are indeed seeking out simpler options. “In 2024, our data showed that 10% of bach parties took place in the same location where most attendees lived, while 38% were local enough for an easy drive,” says Cullman. “Another 44% took place in a domestic destination within the US that required a flight for many, and 8% were full-on international getaways.”
While yes, that means 52% of 2024’s brides required that their closest pals purchase a plane ticket to attend their bachelorette parties, the other near-half opted to stay close to home. And given the numbers, it’s no wonder that more and more women are dialing it back to a good ol’ night out in their own cities.
Hear us out: A hometown bachelorette can still be every bit the unforgettable raucous soiree you’re picturing—just in different environs. Or rather, more familiar ones. Think of it as a welcome opportunity for a touch of local tourism: Perhaps a hotel sleepover, dinner at a spot that feels too splurgy otherwise, a beach day, a novelty afternoon at Dave & Busters. “I got married in Brooklyn, and most of my friends live in New York, so it felt only right to keep the bachelorette festivities local,” says Hannah Staab, a Brooklyn-based wine writer who got married at Bushwick’s Roberta’s Pizza last year. “Our schedules are already so complicated…and it seemed like it just made more sense to unite everyone for one single glorious day than a week-long thing.”
As Staab explains it, the event began in her apartment with a bagel-and-lox spread and Champagne (she and her sister had decorated the place the night before with all the obligatory accoutrements, including giant balloons and a comically large print-out of her fiancés head). Next, they headed to Parcelle, a Lower Manhattan wine bar, for a private Italian wine tasting, followed by dinner and a rented room at nearby bar La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, where a handful more friends joined the original seven. “I just love the bars and restaurants in New York—it felt like a unique opportunity to go all in with a big group at my favorite places,” says Staab.
