C’est Bachelorette, East and West Coast editions
I never really wanted a traditional bachelorette party–just like I didn’t want a big, fancy, traditional wedding. My biggest issue with the blowout bachelorette parties these days are that it’s just so much money to ask your friends to spend on you (not to mention inviting them to travel to a wedding and maybe even send a gift). And so many of these bachelorette parties are just nuts! I wore enough matching shirts when I was in a sorority, I have no desire to do vodka shots or go clubbing, and I’m certainly not interested in any male strippers–so I got married earlier than most of my friends expected me to, and sort of thought I had gotten out of the whole thing. 
Somehow, though, I ended up with not one but TWO super fun and low-key bachelorette parties–on both the east and west coasts. On the first Saturday morning of April, I was putzing around my apartment when all of my best friends in New York City completely surprised me by showing up with champagne and bagels and kidnapping me (and my pug) to the Hamptons for the weekend. And I flew home to Sacramento last weekend to drink beers and catch up with all of my California-based friends in the glorious sunshine. Overall, I was so blown away by how incredible all of my girlfriends are and how much fun we all had together! Here’s a breakdown of all of our #CestBachelorette-related shenanigans:
The Hamptons: East Coast Edition
David told me that he had some childhood friends in town and that we would meet them for an early brunch on Saturday. I was up and getting ready (but couldn’t decide what to wear) when suddenly, all of my closest friends in New York City burst into my apartment with champagne and bagels (captured on video, of course)! After I hastily packed a bag and the girls convinced me to take Gert (obviously didn’t take too much convincing!), we loaded into an actual mini-bus that my friend Kate was driving (and somehow managed to parallel park on the streets on New York and headed out to the Hamptons. I’ve actually never been to the Hamptons before, so this was a fun thing to check off the living-in-New-York list! We went wine tasting at Wolffer Estate (aka drank all the Summer in a Bottle at the Wine Stand) and drank beers at the Montauk Brewing Company. Once we showed up at our incredible Airbnb, we watched Magic Mike (the perfect bachelorette movie, I must say!), enjoyed homemade pizza, put on sheet masks and went to bed early–and it was pretty much the best. The next morning, the sun came out: perfect weather for a walk on the beach, and brunch and mimosas on the deck at Gurneys. The group was a mix of friends–a few Chico State alums, one of my former NYC roommates who I also went to high school with, and then four of my closest lady bosses from Vimeo–so it was really reassuring to see how everyone got along and had a great time together. The whole weekend made me feel so lucky to have such an incredible support network of smart, funny, beautiful girlfriends in New York City–not to mention one friend who finagled the entire surprise with the support of my husband!
Sacramento: West Coast Edition
When I went to Laguna Beach with a couple of girlfriends last October, I told them that I was totally OK with counting that trip as my bachelorette weekend–and they refused to accept that. Ha! So we started talking about low-key options for a girls weekend in California, and one thing that came up was the Brew Bike in my hometown. I love beer and I love bikes and I love showing off Sacramento, so it seemed like a win-win-win for a spring weekend! We lucked out with 70s-and-sunny spring weather, and we had so much fun. Essentially, you have this giant multi-person bike that you take around the tree-lined streets of Midtown Sacramento to a bunch of different breweries or craft beer bars. Fun fact: Sacramento actually has a ton of options! We started at University of Beer, which has more than 100 beers on tap. Since it was early-ish in the day, my friend asked for a breakfast beer option: and they served us beer that tasted just like French toast! It was surprisingly delicious, although I don’t think I could have had more than one–it was a little sweet. After that, we went to Federalist Public House; it was a bar made out of shipping containers that featured a bocce ball court, excellent pizza and such good vibes. And the last stop on the tour was Biergarten, where we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed these crazy colorful “Starburst” beers. Bonus about day drinking on the brew bike: you actually have to pedal, so it feels like you earn your beer! It was a great crew of high school and college girlfriends, and I loved seeing all of the new cool places that Sacramento has to offer.
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for better “bachelorette” experiences on both coasts! I feel so grateful to have such an awesome group of girlfriends who were up for doing something chill (and beer-focused!) to celebrate my recent nuptials.
Special thanks to Kate and Katelyn for being master organizers of group emails and scheduling, and to Ashley L., Kiran, Julie, Megan, Lindley, Maggie, Emilie, Jocelyn, Aly, Miamah, Amanda, Katelyn, Ashly and Ashley for showing up and being the most fun!
