A Weekend in the Woods: Camp Themed Bachelorette Party

Trust me, you don't need to head to Vegas to have an amazing time with gal pals for a bachelorette party. Here in the Midwest, summer lake time is a way of life, and this camp themed bachelorette party was a blast!

To start planning your weekend in the woods, first you'll need to find a venue. I was lucky enough to be able to offer up my in-laws beautiful cabin in Northern Wisconsin, but sites like airbnb and VRBO are great places to find cabin rentals. State parks often have affordable options as well.

Once you've got your venue, it's all about the theme! Last summer, we had a blast celebrating another friend's bachelorette with a Sippin' and Dippin' retro theme, so this time around, I thought it would be fun to return to the days of summer camp. I mean, who doesn't love a little glamping?

With a theme in mind, I turned to the fabulously talented Alison of Just Add Confetti to design invitations and suite of party printables to coordinate. The invitations had a fun rustic vibe and if you were more organized than I was, you could also include a camp packing list.

When taking a party on the road, it's important to be strategic with the amount of things you need to pack. Printables are a great way to get a lot of fun themed personalization for a party that doesn't take a lot of car space. Using the bride's name, Cece, and Alison's talents, the logo for Camp Cece was born! I printed the poster in a 20x30 size from Costco for under $10 and clipped it to a piece of foam board from Dollar Tree. It looked great over the fireplace paired with a printable banner that I jazzed up by tying on some fabric scraps.

Tips for Taking a Party on the Road

Choose a location that contributes to the vibe you are going for-- the cabin did a lot of decorating for me.
Party Printables are a great way to add themed details that won't take up too much car space.
Utilize table or counter space that can be a focal point to add decor.
Assemble goody bags or other favors before you arrive to minimize time needed to put anything together when you arrive.

If you can, check out the space via photos and plan what spaces you might use to add some party touches. The cabin already played into the camp vibe, so I focused on using the fireplace, the dining area, living room coffee table, and kitchen island as places to add some fun details.

Campers were welcomed with a little vignette I created using my Heidi Swapp lightbox, a fun campfire pillow, and camp merit badges that I'll explain more about below! The pillow was a Target dollar spot find, but there are various plush campfire options online.

What would a good camp be without a little care package?! Anyone else remember going to camp and waiting for Mom & Dad to send a little package or at least a letter? When I saw Lolo B Shop's adorable canvas bags, I had her custom make some with the "Lake Hair, Don't Care" saying! I displayed the bags on the living room coffee table with a cute sign, a garage sale lantern I found for $2, and a loon that was already up at the cabin! The guests were excited to get them upon their arrival!

The bags were filled with a bottles of water, trail mix, some Advil, and a scrunchie with a cute tag from Just Add Confetti. All of these were assembled before we made the trek up North to avoid needing to do any of this upon arrival! Side note-- scrunchies are making a come back and you can pick up 3-packs at Dollar Tree in a variety of colors!

The bags were designed with the idea of pinning these fun merit badges to them, but the ladies took to just wearing them on their outfits, too! Campers earned a champagne badge, lake safety badge, hiking badge, and campfire badge!

Here's some of the group earning that lake safety badge! I think the diamond ring pool float is the best life perserver you can have at one of these events! It was also important to keep the bride hydrated (safety, first!), so I personalized a white water bottle using my Cricut. If you don't have one, you can also use stickers from your local craft store!

To create the badges, I used Just Add Confetti's printable circles and cut them out using a 1 1/2 inch circle punch. I then used Mod Podge to secure them to craft wood circles. Once dry, add on self-adhesive bar pins. I also glued an example of each badge onto a printable to display.

Last, but not least, the table can make a great place for high impact when you are on the road. Packing a tablecloth or runner is easy, and in this case, I used a large, plaid blanket scarf. To create a centerpiece, I used a metal basket I had around the house and added in some wood from the cabin's stash, a sprig of faux floral and a pennant I made using my Cricut and iron-on vinyl.

The "Camp Rules" were also on full display. You can pick up clipboards at your local Dollar Tree!

While you are at Dollar Tree, pick up some disposable plates (I used gold) and plastic silverware that looks just like camp utensils! Add a napkin and tie the silverware together with fabric scraps to make a simple, but cute table setting.

To finish off the table, I used some wood platters and added s'more kits. These are easily re-created with clear party bags and a little tag from Just Add Confetti.