Packing for a Bachelorette Weekend
I was in Boston last weekend for a bachelorette party for one of my college roommates. (Side note: is it just me, or is EVERYONE getting engaged this year? 32/33 seems to be the fateful age in my peer group!) The weekend events included dinner with a small group on Friday night, the bridal shower midday on Saturday, the bachelorette festivities Saturday night, and possible Sunday brunch (which we ended up skipping in favor of pajamas and room service!). The weather was clear, not too warm, and not too cold – easy to pack for!
Here’s how I did it.
I’m not usually a big makeup girl. I have fun wearing it for special events, but nine times out of ten, if you see me on a normal day, I’m wearing moisturizer, sunscreen, and lip balm. However, this weekend was party time, and I knew there would be photos, so I brought enough for both day and evening looks.
I have my toiletries down to a science, which involves pilfering freebies from hotels and stocking up with travel sizes of products I love, especially when they’re available as 100 point gifts with purchase at Sephora. I usually rely on the hotel for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion since my hair and skin are not especially fussy.
The makeup and toiletries might look like a lot, but the liquids fit in a quart size Ziploc bag, and the rest in my Longchamp makeup bag.
I packed a dress and heels for each of the two major events, then added a pair of white jeans to coordinate with a couple of different tops and sweaters for the other activities. Plus, of course, pajamas, a few pieces of jewelry, a small purse for evening, and appropriate undergarments.
To keep my options open while staying comfy, I planned to wear skinny jeans with a sweater and flat sandals on the plane. At the last second, I saw a cooler weather forecast, stashed the sandals in my bag, wore my navy Tieks instead, and added my quilted Burberry jacket (this one is a similar style).
In theory, I could have gotten away with one pair of heels, but given that both heel-wearing occasions were on the same day, I wanted to give my feet as much of a break as possible by switching it up. These particular shoes were also strategic choices: the pink pumps are Manolo BBs, which are shockingly comfortable for such a high heel, and the black ones aren’t quite as high as they look due to a the platform. My strategy paid off: there were no blisters!
You may not believe it, but everything described above fits in my Longchamp weekender! Shoes and purse go on the bottom, then folded clothes and the more delicate items in a roll to prevent creasing, and toiletries go on top for easy access through security.
I’ll use my everyday tote as a purse during the daytime. You can see what I carry regularly in this post – I just added my laptop, chargers, and a book.
I’m getting pretty good at weekend trips. The overpacking bug tends to bite me when trips start lengthening to 4+ days, however! I’m hoping that by chronicling my packing here, I’ll keep myself honest and learn to take only what I really need. If you have any great packing tips, leave them in the comments!
LMW
