Bachelorette Weekend: bridesmaids, boas & beaches!

I say it almost every post I put on here, but it feels like the wedding is FINALLY sinking in & that things are actually starting to happen!

Last weekend the girls in my Bridal Party arranged to take me on a weekend getaway to relax, hang out, get dolled up & go out one last time as a group before the big I DO! It couldn't have come at a better time and not all of my girls could make it, but I had an absolute BLAST with everyone who could and told them over and over how nice it was to be taken away from the craziness of life for a weekend.

First, let me just say I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing...but I knew wherever we went and whatever we did would be GREAT.  About 11am on Friday I got picked up by 3 of my bridesmaids, was handed an AMAZING funfetti cake that isn't appropriate to post on here and before I knew it we were on our way to a Bachelorette Weekend Celebration!  Don't worry guys, there's nothing TOO crazy I'm going to share with you on here...the weekend was simply the classic girls weekend filled with pool & beach time, girl talk, going out & even movie time.  NO CRAZY..."I left my shoe here and woke up in a stranger's bathroom with Mike Tyson's tiger and a baby in the closet" type of situation here, and NO I did not end up waking up on the rooftop of our hotel, either.  Although the thought of re-creating The Hangover sounds like a lot of fun, my girls know how to show me an exciting, but classy time!

So here's where the story starts...

Half of the girls came to pick me up and the 4 of us are driving, singing funny songs & chatting it up on the way to our destination.  I was so happy to just be with females and have a weekend to relax and spend some much needed quality time with all of them. After a little over 3 hours (we had stopped for lunch at one of my fav spots), I was told to take the dress off of my eyes - and yes I said dress, not blindfold...lol) and saw a HUGE PINK hotel with a HUGE castle like entrance in front of me.   Is this real?  Are we really staying at a great resort...beach side?!? SCORE!!! My girls know me well...it's nice, ON the beach & it's PINK...none other than the Don Cesar Resort! I have never been to a DC before, but I knew pulling up that we had quite the weekend in store for us.

Pulling up to the "Pink Castle"...I'm SO excited!!! :)

YAY! So that's where the surprises began...and they continued when I got to my room - which had apparently been taken over by the "Wild Girls" as the hotel staff called us....

What a great start to a great weekend! When I came into the room I was greeted by my sister (my MOH) and my future sis-in-law, & my bridesmaid HM as a welcoming committee!  I was blown away by how much the girls decorated the room & put into making my weekend so special!  Right away, we celebrated with mimosas and then took a tour of the hotel...I kept thinking how great it was to be here with all of my special girls!

These girls had definitely pulled a fast one on me.  I was so excited to be staying a weekend at such a nice place with the women I love the most by my side.  After we settled in, it was time for the real fun to begin!  The first night we agreed to go ALL OUT, get dolled up & flaunt the fact that this "Barbie Bride" (their words not mine) will officially be off the market in t-minus 51 days!!!

So we got dressed, took some pictures & played some fun games to get the night started.  I have to say, my girls were looking good & I felt very lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful women.  When we got downstairs we found the perfect backdrop to take our group photo complete with baby grand piano and pianist.  When someone asked if I could sit on the piano I didn't think he would let me...but I think the boa spoke for itself & he couldn't say no.

Ready for a fun night out with the girls! <3

After we took some photos we headed out to eat at a place verrrrry similar to one of my favorites in Orlando - here it's called Taverna Opa but in St. Pete they have Acropolis.  I love this place so much not only for the great Greek food...but also because about every 5 minutes the entire staff runs around throwing napkins at you and shouts "OPAAAAAAAA!" So much fun! After appetizer after appetizer & hummus plate after hummus plate we were a full group of girls and headed out to a few local bars to dance the night away.  I'm not lying when I say we simply had a fun girls night out...and stayed pretty under the radar.  I was happy to find another bachelorette though who happened to be wearing all white, just like me.  I found her at the point of the night where I had to check off of my Scavenger Hunt to make a veil out of TP.  Since one of my girls, Ash is getting married in 3 DAYS I told her we could make veils for each other...

I dunno...you might see these veils on our wedding days! lol.

We had such a great night out and not only got to celebrate my Bachelorette Party, but at midnight it was also one of my bridesmaid KDO's birthday!

HAPPY HAPPY Birthday KDO!!! :)

 So you could say between my Bachelorette Weekend, Ash's last weekend as a single lady & KDO's birthday we had A LOT to celebrate!!!! And we were dressed for the occasion, let me tell you...I'm just going to show you 1 picture of my complete "Bachelorette" outfit...so enjoy that...because it's RIDICULOUS.  We also had some very bright light up rings...and proved to be handy when trying to find each other in the crowd! What a FUN NIGHT! :) :) :)

All in good fun...amazing job putting this outfit together ladies! haha.

After a fun night out, it was time to hit the BEACH! I can't tell you how long it had been since I've layed out in the sun, much less actually put my toes in the sand...so you could imagine how excited I was!!!! PLUS another one of my bridesmaids showed up, Meggo!!! What a great surprise!! :) :) :)

LOVED staying here!!!

After a long day in the sun, my girls and I figured out the perfect way to spend the evening...seeing the movie BRIDESMAIDS!!! I have been wanting to see this movie for a while now, and what better time to see it than with your bridesmaids by your side?! Plus, I was excited that my girls were going to wear the shirts I made for them.  They all know me well enough to know I love a great "easy" night at the movies or night in just as much as a fun night out...and it was perfect!

So we grabbed some sushi, enjoyed some Memorial Day martini's & headed over to see the movie!

 

One of my favorite pictures...EVER!!! Look at those 'tudes!

Okay...for the record, BRIDESMAIDS was one of the FUNNIEST movies I have ever seen! People have compared it to the female version of The Hangover, which it very well could be. BUT...guys, don't think it's just for the ladies - I was literally laughing out loud almost the entire movie!!! SO GOOD!!! :) A perfect way to spend a night with my girls.

The next morning was Memorial Day and we spent most of the late morning & afternoon poolside...and it was fabulous. The girls went down early to get us some lounge chairs and we relaxed and enjoyed the last day together laying out and playing some games.  You never know when a good game of "Would You Rather" might come into play, but poolside proved to be a great opportunity.

HB & HM <3

Hanging Poolside with the girls & Leroy...our favorite groupie of the weekend.

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend to get away with my girls.  I am very fortunate to have them by my side not only for the BIG DAY, but for everything leading up to it.  I am very blessed to have such thoughtful, fun, caring & all around true friends...

THANK YOU for such an amazing weekend!

Bridal Shower in 11 days & the WEDDING in 51!

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