Our Bachelor/Bachelorette Weekend

Mr. C and I did something slightly unconventional--we recently celebrated our joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas. I thought it would be a a lot fun if some of my bridesmaids and his groomsmen could meet and mingle during an awesome Vegas adventure. Not many of our entourage were able to make it (my bridesmaids live all over the country and two just had their first babies) -- but it was an amazing time nonetheless. This might not be the most typical way to celebrate, but I highly recommend it!

In the end we had two of Mr. C's groomsmen (one being my older brother) and two of my bridesmaids plus the husband of my matron of honor. It was a fun, laid back group and we tried our best not to get into too much trouble (wish I could say the same for my brother and the other groomsmen!)

After getting a little too much sun by the pool.

In order to save money we ended up staying at Excalibur. It's certainly not the nicest or classiest hotel, but it served our needs of a place to crash. Plus it was dirt cheap and their pool is actually really nice, and that's where I ended up spending most of our afternoons anyway. The one big disadvantage is that Excalibur is located way down at the end of the strip. In the past, I have also stayed at Treasure Island and Aria, which have much better locations in the middle of the strip and closer to Caesar's Palace and the Venetian. I think a lot of new visitors to Las Vegas don't understand how much walking and stair-climbing you will do as you explore the strip and its many outrageous hotels and attractions. This was actually my fifth time to Vegas, so I had a pretty good idea of what to do and where to go. But don't wear ridiculous heels unless you pack yourself some flats to wear on the walk (or take a taxi or the tram).

Better recognize!

K, my matron of honor and very dear friend, went above and beyond by making all the party members goodies bags and booking us reservations at the restaurant inside of the Paris hotel. Being with large groups in any location can sometimes feel like herding cats, so I appreciate her patience! For dinner we sat out on the patio and had a great view of the Bellagio fountain show which goes off every 15 minutes in the evening. It was such a lovely time to sit outside in the beautiful weather with such great friends. I will honestly never forget that feeling of love and fun.

Feeling fab with Mr. C!  This was just before our amazing dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris hotel.

With my stepsister, bridesmaid J. 

We didn't party at any of the major clubs, but we did end up getting bottle service at the lounge at the top of Mandalay Bay. There was plenty of drinking and dancing and it was nice to be a smaller more low-key area than packed into a crowded, loud nightclub. Wow, that makes me sound old -- but I am 30 and I do like to get my beauty sleep!

With K, my matron of honor and friend since the age of five!

K and me when we were in elementary school. Believe it or not, I'm actually three months older than her!

Mr. C with groomsmen and coworker M.

One of our major splurges was eating at what is apparently the number one buffet in Vegas: Bacchanal  located in Caesar's Palace. It was $55 but totally worth it for the sheer indulgence of the experience. I started off with all the seafood I could grab: crab legs and warm butter, mussels, oysters, shrimp cocktails. I moved on to the Asian section and scarfed down gyoza and lo mein noodles next to a slice of pizza, because why not? It's not like I have a wedding dress to fit into. . . wait a minute. I rounded it off with some mini burger sliders, corn on the cob, and a basket of fried mystery. 

The desserts were insanely decadent! Little mini parfaits, gelato, macarons, made-to-order fruit crepes, cheesecake, candy. It was off the chain. The worst part is that we were so exhausted from staying up late several days in a row (plus the jet lag from being on Eastern Standard Time) that all we needed was a large, satisfying meal to set in a permanent food coma. We made the wise choice to walk the mile and  a half back to Excalibur instead of coping out and taking a taxi. It was a good decision but it also meant we were too tired to rally the troops for another night on the town. Our trip to Vegas ended in the fizzle of losing some money on the penny slots and passing out in the hotel room.

Posing with Mr. C outside of Caesar's Palace.

You know, the best part of our bachelor/bachelorette weekend was spending so much time with the amazing people in my life. I don't get to see my matron of honor very often. She lives in Baltimore and the last time I saw her was two years ago at her own wedding. My stepsister recently moved from LA to New York City and I only see her a few times a year as well. My brother lives in Atlanta and I am always surprised how muc time can pass between our visits, considering we only live an hour and a half apart. Usually my vacations are taken up with visiting our families who are scattered across the US (in California, Illinois, and Michigan) and not taking the time to meet up with friends. This was a really fun excuse to meet up in a fun place. I will not soon forget all the amazing memories we made that weekend.

Mr. C, my brother (and groomsmen) and my stepsister playing the penny slots (our favorite pastime in Vegas!)

Did you have a bachelorette party? Where did you go and what did you do?