This weekend I had the pleasure of celebrating my friend Evann during her bachelorette party! Evann wanted a relaxed, fun day in New York City surrounded by a small group of her friends. When we started planning the day, Evann had a few requests:

• Minimize time traveling between locations, with a goal of having everything walking within walking distance
• Keep things local since 7 of 8 people invited live locally
• Include some sweat, pampering and, of course, wine.

Luckily, we started planning far in advance which meant reservations were easy and the overcast, rainy day meant that we were able to find space to sit down and enjoy a drink everywhere, even the bars where we didn’t have a reservation.

Here are a few tips for planning a bachelorette in New York City:

• Make reservations early
• Do your best to limit transportation as this can lead to delays and confusion
• Let the bars, restaurants, activity spots know that you are a bachelorette group as they’ll often choose to shower the bride or group with complimentary drinks or other celebratory fun.
• Call in advance to confirm all the reservations and plans 72-48 hours in advance
• Bring at least a little bit of fun décor to make everything feel more festive (Sash for the bride, sunglasses or flair for the attendees, fun props for pictures)

We started our day together at 1pm with a sweaty Soul Cycle class in SoHo. The instructor, Cameron, was exactly the personality to kick off a fun day – hilarious, enthusiastic and fun. His playlist included Backstreet Boys and Soul Cycle surprised our bride with a fun polaroid picture, cupcake and some coconut water to help her stay hydrated throughout the day.  Each of the attendees booked their bike exactly at noon when classes opened so we were able to all ride in the front row together, laughing and smiling throughout the class.  After class, we headed downstairs to the locker room to shower and get glammed for the rest of the fun.

After a ten minute walk we found ourselves at the adorable and perfectly feminine Sweet Lily Spa where we each enjoyed either a manicure or pedicure. Since Evann does her best to include natural beauty in her daily routine, I felt that Sweet Lily would be a great spot since they pride themselves on providing conscious nail care, free of toxins and chemicals. The space felt like an oasis in the middle of chaotic and rainy New York.  The space itself was filled with bouquets, shabby chic décor, overstuffed chairs and an adorable boutique. Since our seven ladies took up each of their 6 spaces, it felt like we had the spa for our own private event. Depending on preference, we each enjoyed either their lavender cream manicure or sweet & simple pedicure which included fresh cut cucumber and a relaxing peppermint sugar scrub.

Once our polish dried, we meandered through the heart of fashion week festivities towards the West Side Highway and City Vineyard. Before Saturday, I had only spent time on City Vineyard’s rooftop but since it was rainy and cool on Saturday, our group decided to move downstairs instead. We were able to snag a large table in the center of the space, providing us views of the river as well as the televisions which were showing the US Open coverage, much to many of the ladies delight. Our waitress was amazing and she immediately brought us a round of bubbly to celebrate. Since we were hungry following the workout, we ordered an assortment of snacks including a cheese board and a few of their flatbreads.

We took advantage of a quick break in the rain to head a few blocks into Tribeca for some lingerie fun and frose shots at a fun new spot, A Summer Day Café.  They greeted us with a round of complimentary frose shots and from there we enjoyed an array of their craft cocktails, including my personal favorite – dark and stormy. Since we had a perfect nook, away from other customers, in their bar, we showered Evann with some fun lingerie while sipping our cocktails.

Once we finished our cocktails, we walked a few blocks to Antique Garage in Tribeca.  As we entered the space we immediately fell in love with the sparkly chandeliers and Victorian era décor.  We had a large, round table towards the back which allowed us to share laughter and food with the entire group versus just seeing the person next to or across from us. I love round tables for fun events like this! The live jazz music was a fun surprise that provided a soundtrack for our dinner. We shared a few of their starters before ordering a main for each of us to personally enjoy. Their large Mediterranean menu had enough options for everyone’s tastes.

Our group was starting to feel the many bottles of wine by the time we finished dinner and decided to make the next stop our last one. We headed to a small, packed bar next door where we each ordered one last drink while we danced to their 80’s and 90’s music.

The bachelorette was such a fun afternoon and night, bringing together our brides favorite things, without dealing with lines, crowds and traffic which are three of her least favorite things.