My best friend Heather is engaged and her wedding is this summer. This is a moment I have envisioned for a long time. The minute she told me the happy news, my head was already spinning with ideas. I started mentally planning her bridal shower and bachelorette, right down to the customized gift bags.

Naturally, I was excited when in January she asked me to be her Matron of Honor. Even before she asked, we had multiple phone conversations revolving around the wedding. We talked about venue contracts, centerpieces, hiring vendors, and all the little details. My favorite discussions, of course, were about the bachelorette.

Heather let me know right away that she didn’t want a crazy weekend away in Atlantic City. (A popular destination for a lot of Jersey brides) Instead, she asked that we rent a house in a place she spent many summers; Belmar, NJ. Very close to the infamous “Jersey Shore” house in Seaside Heights, this beach town has a lot to offer. Including a favorite hangout of the bride-to-be called Djais that overlooks the beach. This gave me the idea to dub her event a “Bachelorette Beach Bash.”

BUILDING YOUR OWN CUSTOMIZED GIFT BAGS

Cost Effective Measures

A concern for most bachelorette party guests is the overall cost. Asking the everyone to pay for their share of the trip is typical. This usually includes food, drinks, activities, and accommodations. Often, guests pay a little more to make sure the bride doesn’t have to pay for anything.

The guest bag on the other hand is a gift. If you split costs among multiple bridesmaids it is an easier burden to bear. If there is no formal bridal party, or like in my case you’re the only bridesmaid, get creative.

I bought general items to fill the bags from the local Dollar Tree. This helped offset the cost, allowing me to customize a few keepsake items. Instead of getting printed tote bags, I bought 2 for $1 bags and hand lettered them. Using silver and gold markers helped keep with the theme and made for an eye popping look.

Dollar Store Toiletries and Extras

If you are having a bachelorette where people stay overnight, it is nice to include small toiletries. Here are some items to consider adding:

This list is for the essentials. There are other items you can add too like tissues, Q-tips, pens, a small notebook, toothpaste, etc. Think of items that guests might forget that you can have ready for them. It could save them a trip to the store. During Heather’s bachelorette, one guest was happy to have a toothbrush in her bag because she left hers at home.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Keepsakes for the Customized Gift Bags

Whenever you are making gift bags, you want to make sure to include a few keepsake items. For these bags, I reached out to Tara at EverythingDoneToaT for help. Sticking with the beach theme, we decided koozies, sunglasses, and tumblers would make awesome gifts. That way we could customize them and give the guests something they will use again.

Personalized Tumblers

The tumblers were an instant hit. All of the guests wanted to used their cups right away. That was the one item that was truly unique for each guest, as it had their name on it. The bride-to-be loves seashells so that was a personal touch. Her shower was a gold, silver, and black confetti theme so the tumblers were too.

I Do Crew Sunglasses

Although it wasn’t a warm enough day for the beach, it sure was sunny. The house we rented had a nice backyard space with a large table. After popping a (huge) bottle of bubbly, we settled in to play a few rounds of “What Do You Meme?” outside. The perfect opportunity to sport our new sunglasses.

Before we went out as a group for the night, we managed to get a few pictures with our sunglasses. If you have a timer on your camera it is very helpful for getting everyone in one shot. Thankfully my sister knew how to work my new camera for me, ha!

The main festivities for the bachelorette were Saturday. A few guests stayed until Monday, but most had to make their way home on Sunday. Heather and I stayed the rest of the week.

Beach Bash Koozies

Unfortunately we only had one day that week where it didn’t rain and was warm enough to go anywhere near the beach. We took full advantage, going to Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant, NJ. It was a fun way to celebrate just the two of us, and we got to use the koozies!

It was a great conversation starter with those around us. We made friends easily, which was perfect for getting a few pictures together. There was even a gentlemen with a guitar who played for us, and ended up starting a mini karaoke session. What can I say, everyone loves celebrating with the bride-to-be!

The bride-to-be really seemed to love rocking her sunglasses. Many of the guests wore theirs all weekend, so they absolutely were a hit. Personally, my favorite keepsake is the tumbler. I have already used it multiple times since I’ve been home. The beach koozie I like having as a reminder of the fun weekend we had. I’m sure I’ll use it again during football season out here in West Virginia.

Customized Items from EverythingDoneToaT

There are many etsy shops out there to create custom items for you, but I highly recommend EverythingDoneToaT. Not only was I impressed with Tara’s craftsmanship, so were the guests!

Working with Tara was a breeze. After deciding on items, she took everything I was saying about our planned weekend and used that to design the decals. I had proofs the same day. When I asked for a few minor changes, she accommodated me by the next day with a new proof. Tara asked for my timeline and had everything arrive a week before the bachelorette. Everything was better than expected.

I’m happy to say that Tara has offered our readers an exclusive discount until July 31, 2017. Using the code BRIDESMAIDSCONF in the EverythingDoneToaT etsy shop, you will get 15% off your order of $25 or more.

To see more of Tara’s work, you can follow her on the To a T Facebook or @everythingdonetoat on Instagram.

What do you think about the customized items? What other things would you put in the gift bags? Share with us in the comments.