This is it, the big night when you treat the bride-to-be to her last night out as a single girl and it has to be special.  However, special does not necessarily mean expensive or that it has to be a big night on the town or in Las Vegas.  No, special means spending it with the people who mean a lot to the bride and having a fun and meaningful time.  This you can do on a thin budget and in your own home and it is easier than you might think.

First you need to invite the ladies who are attending the bachelorette party.  Of course, the bridal party should already know about it and indeed they should be helping you to plan the party.  After all, this is a big job to take on all by yourself.  Anyone else who is going to be invited should receive a lovely invitation stating the details of the party.  You can get these relatively inexpensively at a party supply store or discount store, but an even more inexpensive way to obtain invitations is to make them yourself.  You can have the rest of the bridal party help you and spend an afternoon with some fancy paper, some fancy ribbon, and some wine and snacks.  These invitations will also be more personal.

So you know who is coming and you need to get the party ready to go.  This means some planning on your part.  How about the games.  After all, you have to keep a group of women busy for the evening.   Now women like to drink wine and chat, but games are nice too.  You will have to gauge what games to play based on the guests that are going to be there.  If it's just the girls you can get a bit naughty, but it the groom's mother and bride's mother are going to be there, or even worse, their grandmothers, then you might need to keep things a little low key.  You can never go wrong with a good scavenger hunt, something that is easy to plan in your own home where you can hide clues throughout the house and yard.  If you get a little naughty, then you can play pin the willy on the man, which is much like pin the tail on the donkey, but instead you are pinning on the – well, you can use your imagination.  Truth or dare is another game that is fun and exciting.  A good drinking game is called “Something I've Never Done.”  Each guest takes a turn telling the others something she has never done.  She could say she has never been sky diving or bungee jumping.  Any other guests who have done that thing must drink a shot or take a drink of their drink of choice.  The main thing is to come up with two or three games that you can spread out through the evening between periods of socialization and eating.

Speaking of eating, what about the food.  You can spend a little money and have the party catered or hire a personal chef to come for the evening.  However, a good way to keep things even more personal as well as less expensive and easier for you is to hold a potluck.  This way everyone gets to bring something they like and share it with the other guests.  Another option is to cook dinner there, have a barbecue, or something of that sort.  You'll have to gauge on the guests that are coming, the bride's wishes, and the feel you are going for with the party.

Finally, on the night of the bachelorette party you will have to decorate, which you can have fun doing since you are having the party in your own home.  Get streamers, balloons, and bachelorette party decorations from your local party store or discount store.  You can also get some personalized bachelorette party t-shirts and maybe some naughty party favors for the guests, include willy whistles, a blowup willy, and more.  Again, your choice in party décor and favors will depend on the guests attending the party.

In the end, you will probably have a lot more fun planning a bachelorette party in your own home than if you were to hold it anywhere else and it will hold a lot of meaning for the bride.  And it doesn't actually have to be in your home.  You can rent a cottage, a yacht, a ski chalet, or go camping.  The idea is that you are holding something intimate and personal in a private setting.  This way you don't have to worry about age limitations or keeping numbers down and you can all have a fabulous evening.  You can even turn it into a weekend event if you wish.  So get planning and have fun!