Another bridesmaid lives here in Raleigh, so we were able to drive up to DC together to join Laural, her family, and her future in-laws for the weekend celebration. With all of us getting in at various times of the afternoon and evening on Friday, and needing to rest up for a busy Saturday, we kept it low key with a relaxing dinner in the Maryland suburbs of DC.
Waking up Saturday morning, it was all hands on deck to prepare for a day of festivities. The bridal shower started around 1pm, so we did have time to enjoy a leisure breakfast before setting up the house for the event and getting ourselves ready. It helped that most of us stayed at Laural's sister's house together, and several family members arrived early to get things in order.
The intimate gathering of about 15 people was perfect, allowing us all to celebrate with the bride and "oh" and "ah" over all the wonderful gifts she received. There were some very sweet moments that brought Laural to tears and few surprises to keep her off-guard. The event was a wonderful reminder of all the love and support that family and friends can bring each other.
The bridesmaids (minus 1) hosting the bridal shower
After the bridal shower, we had just an hour or so to get ready before our driver showed up for the evening bachelorette festivities. The first stop of the night was the Mexican restaurant Bandolero. The restaurant was a bit pricey (small tapas), but the food was very good and very filling. Their guacamole, fish and pork tacos were the highlights of the meal.
At Bandolero with the bride-to-be
I'm glad we decided to go to a lounge after dinner because it gave us places to sit and play some fun bachelorette games before it got crowded. We heard good recommendations about the Eighteenth Street Lounge and the place was pretty awesome. There weren't any signs outside, and the we had to ask to make sure we were in the right place, but the inside was huge and felt like a Victorian-era home. There were 3-4 separate rooms with DJs spinning different music and a patio area. We enjoyed the music in the patio, but had to move out of the area when it filled with people smoking.
Playing bachelorette games in the lounge
The crew at the club
As the evening came to an end, the bride decided she wanted to see some of DC's monuments before going home. Our driver, Sonny, served as our photographer for some of those end-of-the-night pictures!
One final picture in front of the Washington Monument
While we were tempted to stop for some late-night grub (one of the three dietitians recommended it), we decided to go back to Laural's sister's house instead. There we indulged in some of the "healthy" leftovers from the bridal shower. The highlight for me was taking off my high heels and getting into pajamas before our feast!
Overall it was was a very fun, albeit long day. With all of us bridesmaids living all over the east coast and the bride working on her PhD, it was difficult to find a weekend that worked for everyone. I think we all would have loved to take a bachelorette party trip to a beach location, but we'll get to celebrate the wedding at the beach instead. I know it's going to be fabulous and I can't wait to share it on the blog!
What's the best thing you've done or the best place you've gone, for a bachelorette party?
