Earlier this year, my sister and I, along with a group of her closest girlfriends, traveled to the heart of Nashville where I hosted her bachelorette party/weekend. When it comes to pre-wedding celebrations, the Music City is giving Las Vegas a serious run for its money. The ever growing "little big town" is quickly becoming synonymous for its scores of soonleyweds & co. swarming the downtown streets in search of fun. And with an out-of-town celebration on the checklist, I knew Nashville would be the perfect destination to celebrate my little sister's last days in singles-land. I always get a little nervous when I book a house for an event, but I rented a super cute home through HomeAway and couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome. On Friday, we kept things relatively lowkey. After dinner, the girls and I decorated the house and threw a lingerie shower for my sister. 
THEME
When it came to the weekend's overall theme, I really wanted to do something unique. As a precaution, I sent her ten theme options a few weeks earlier, some of which were decoys, and asked which ones she liked and which ones she absolutely wouldn't want. From 80's to western to Barbie, tropical, and nautical, the options were all over the place. After getting the thumbs up on her top 5, the planning began. The theme was Safari and the tagline was "Abby's last walk on the wild side." I immediately went to town ordering decor. From three-foot snakes to inflatable animals, my house was beginning to look more like a zoo rather than a home. Not to mention, the slew of DIY projects. Safari signs made out of old cardboard boxes, personalized safari hats, nearly every flat surface was dominated by some sort of animal-infused art project.
PHOTOBOOTH
A photo booth is always an essential at every party I throw. I actually have several gigantic tubs full of props from all of the photo booths we've done in the past. This one was pretty simple. We just hung a bunch of streamers in two tones and then added a little vine and leaves at the top to give it that jungle vibe.
BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
In the days leading up to the weekend, I stalked the weather app like one of those 24-hour Weather Channel fanatics who sit for hours listening to the atmospheric tumult. The outcome was looking extra bleak. Rain was pretty much a guarantee and while everything I had planned was indoors, I worried the lack of sunshine might put a damper on my sister's special weekend. Thankfully, at the last second, the weather shifted and it ended up snowing -- which, let's face it, is a million times more exciting and insta-worthy than rain puddles. Waking up with snow on the ground our first morning in Nashville was just about as cozy as one can get during a bachelorette weekend.
DANCE CLASS
When it came to planning the day's events, nearly every website recommended the Party Barge or a Pedal Tavern. But since some of the girls, including myself, aren't big drinkers, I wanted to find something a little more creative. After we made breakfast and sipped on mimosas, we headed off to a private dance class that caters to bachelorette parties. We took a coyote bar dance class at Miss Fit Academy, which was basically sexy line dancing. The dance was repetitive enough that everyone at every dance level was able to catch on quickly. All and all, we had a blast and the staff was terrific. I highly recommend it if you're hosting a Nashville bachelorette party! A few weeks later, the girls and I took to the stage at my sister's wedding to do the dance during the reception. In other words, the lessons totally paid off!
LUNCH
For lunch, we went to Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant. We had to wait almost an hour for a table (typical for hot spots in Nashville) and pay $20 to park our cars, which was a bummer, but the ambiance and food were terrific. Well worth the wait.
SURPRISE GUESTS
Okay, so first, let me start off by saying that this next part of the weekend was sooooo totally and completely out of my comfort zone. But come on now, what bachelorette weekend's complete without a little harmless boundary pushing? On Saturday night, based on a little idea given to me by the fabulous Jillian Harris, I decided to hire the Butlers in The Buff. Jilly hired them for a bachelorette party she hosted in Whistler a couple of years ago, (you can check it out here) and the recommendation was just too fun to pass up. The gents weren't a total surprise to my sister since I had to ask if she thought her and her friends would be okay with this. I was actually more nervous to run the idea past my Mom, who LOVED the idea so much, she actually attended the festivities. When the guys arrived, I was terrified it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable for everyone, but thankfully the guys were super nice and a total blast. They came right in and started mixing up crazy drinks for everyone and even made us tacos and quesadillas. I had a lot of fun games planned to keep the night moving along and the guys were game for them all. If you book the butlers, the company will send you a PDF with 100 game ideas, so it's super easy to pick your favorites and put them together.
HONKY TONKS
After the butlers left, we Ubered to Broadway. Our favorite bar was Crazy Town. Not only does the band play country music, but they played a lot of 90's boy band songs too, which had us laughing and dancing all night. Definitely, add this to your list of Honky Tonks to visit when you're on Broadway. (308 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201) We also had to get the bride-to-be on the bar for a little dancing at Coyote Ugly!
All in all, it was a pretty spectacular weekend of celebrating! Nashville definitely didn't disappoint!
xo, Anna