When a bride chooses you as her maid of honor for her upcoming wedding, remember that it is traditionally your responsibility as the maid of honor to plan and carry out the bachelorette party. Start planning early and give yourself enough time to make all the necessary preparations to plan an exciting and safe night of drinks and dancing. Here are some tips to help you plan a successful, safe, and fun bachelorette party.

Start the Planning Early

Send "Save the Date" Invites

As you begin to make preparations for the upcoming bachelorette party, make sure you allow enough time for everyone involved in the party to be notified, so get a list of guests the bride wants to invite to the party. Then send out "save the date" invitations approximately two months before the event. This is to notify all the invitees the date the event is coming up, so they can leave the date open and not schedule any other events on that day. Then, details of the event can be sent out to attendees in a formal invitation one month before the event.

Look for Discounts

Next, beginning plans early allows you to get any available discounts when you book hotels, flights, or any other tickets you will need as part of the party. For example, it is recommended to book a hotel room at least 40 days in advance to get the best rate. Then, if you are responsible for arranging flights for any out of town party attendees, you can get the best rates by checking for flights at least 25 days in advance of the event.

Ensure a Safe Party

Rent a Party Bus

When you are making preparations for a party that will include alcohol, do what you can in planning to help everyone stay safe. Rent a party bus to pick everyone up at the beginning of the night, transport everyone to all the planned locations during the bachlorette party, and return everyone safely back to an ending location. This ensures that everyone will be able to drink alcohol, but not have to drive the entire night. And party buses allow you to bring your own alcohol on board, and will usually provide a club-type atmosphere with music and lights to entertain your guests while traveling to the next party location. Renting a party bus from a company like A&A Limousine & Bus Services also ensures someone won't have to forego drinking for the night to be the group's designated driver. 

Begin With a Meal

It is a good idea to begin the night at a restaurant where everyone can enjoy a relaxing meal and take in some sustenance for the upcoming night. A meal can also help slow the effects of alcohol on everyone in your group, preventing an early end to the night for anyone. When everyone in your party has a stomach full of food, the alcohol everyone drinks will be absorbed more slowly, as it has to get through a layer of food. 

End at a Hotel

Plan to end the night with the party bus dropping you off at a hotel where you have booked rooms to accommodate everyone in the group. This will prevent anyone from having to drive anywhere, and allows you to extend the party at the hotel's bar or restaurant for a bit longer. Everyone's safety in the party should be a high priority for you. A DUI at the end of the night for someone in your group will go on their record as a misdemeanor. If a party attendee's drunk driving results in an injury, it can go on their record as a felony. So, instead of dealing with jail time in the morning, you can all attend a brunch to end the party's festivities. 

Use these tips to help make your bachelorette party a fun success.