Bachelorette Parties Are a Nightmare to Plan. This Philly-Area Company Will Do it For You.

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Once you’re settled in, drinking champagne in matching tanks and blasting J. Biebs and T. Swift (that last part just me?), a bachelorette party is always a good time. What’s less fun, however, is finding a rental big enough to hold your crew, planning the logistics of large group activities, and — ugh — figuring out how to split payments. It’s enough to make you almost give up before you start — or enough to bring in a professional bachelorette party planner.

I know what you’re thinking: I’ve heard of a wedding planner, but a bachelorette party planner? That service actually exists? Yes, yes it does. Run by Bryn Athyn’s Allison Odhner, Bach to Basic is an all-inclusive bespoke bachelorette party planning service for destinations all over the North American continent, and it was born out of Odhner’s similar frustrations with bachelorette party planning when she got married in 2016.

“I wanted no part of the bachelorette,” says Odhner, 32. “It was my one chance to have something planned for me, not by me.”

But still, as a former event planner for non-profits and for the high-profile consulting conglomerate BCG, Odhner knew all the work that went into putting on a weekend of programming for a disparate group of women — and didn’t exactly feel fantastic about putting that load on her sister and friends.

Bach to Basic aims to minimize the stress for all involved, while putting on an unforgettable bachelorette party weekend filled with great dinners, fun activities, and, of course, an awesome pad to crash in at the end of each night.

Each Bach to Basic bachelorette party agenda is a completely custom creation. Once a client has their group, date, and destination in mind, they send that info along to Odhner, and Odhner gets to work. First, she’ll recommend accommodations large and plush enough to house the whole group (Odhner has coordinated groups as large as 30), and she’ll also make sure the house is decorated and stocked with swag upon arrival.

Based on group preferences, she’ll arrange for everything from dinners out to activities like yacht charters in Miami, rose tastings in New Orleans, or, for a recent client on a joint bachelor-bachelorette party near Charleston, a private island beachside cookout. Odhner has also incorporated lower-key experiences into bachelorette party weekends, such as a movie and popcorn nights, flower crown workshops, and private workout classes where the instructor comes right to the house.

Odhner creates a private Bach to Basic website for each group with all the necessary details and contact information for the bachelorette party weekend. Rather than paying for each component of the trip individually, each participant sends along a single lump sum to Bach to Basic, and Odhner and her team take care of distributing it to the necessary vendors. Bach to Basic’s service fees — as well as taxes and gratuities for vendors — are included in that lump sum.

“Our planning fees vary by party, as there are many factors, like guest count, location, etc., involved,” explains Odhner. “They are included in the overall cost per person and taken into consideration when planning around a client’s budget.”

Odhner works hard to build and maintain relationships with vendors so that she can secure discounts on services and activities for her clients.

“We find that our planning fees sometimes even out, or save you money throughout the process,” she adds.

Odhner stays “on call” for every bachelorette party weekend she plans in case any issues arise, and her connections run deep in destinations like Miami, Charleston, Savannah, Cabo and Nashville that are already popular for bachelorette parties.

That said, she’s also sending groups to more under-the-radar spots. Some of her favorites:

Scottsdale, Arizona
“It’s much more affordable, has great house rentals with pools, and awesome nightlife.”

Denver, Colorado
“For outdoorsy groups, there’s lots of breweries, hiking, and skiing. Great for bachelor parties.” (Note: Though most of Bach to Basic’s clients are bachelorettes, she is starting to see an uptick in request for bachelor party agendas.)

Chicago, Illinois
“It’s New York without the budget, and has all of the same perks.”

Overall, Bach to Basic is best for bachelorettes and bachelors working with large groups and planning destination weekends. (If you’re thinking of something more local to Philly, we’ve got you covered here and here.) You can learn more about Bach to Basic here.

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