Bachelorette Party: Vino Before Vows

Planning a bachelorette party during a pandemic is no easy feat.

Several months ago (pre-covid), my sister decided on a wine-themed bachelorette weekend in Northern Michigan. As the MOH (and someone who has experience planning events for a living), I was in charge of bringing the party to life.

Getting together my sister’s closest friends and family to drink wine in Traverse City should have been a piece of cake…until COVID-19 made its way to lovely Northern Michigan. When you’re dealing with a global pandemic, there’s more to coordinate than matching tanks and ‘how well do you know the bride’ games.

Despite a few changes to the plans (and a few less RSVPs), the bachelorette party was a weekend to remember full of love, laughs, and vino.

Now let’s get to the fun part.

Bachelorette Weekend Details

• Hotel = Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
• Dinner = Aerie Restaurant & Lounge
• Lunch = FireFly
• Wine Tour = Traverse City Beer and Wine Tours
• Winery Stop #1 = Rove Estate
• Winery Stop #2 = Bowers Harbor Vineyards
• Winery Stop #3 = Bonobo Winery
• Tank Tops = Brilliant Bridal Shop
• Masks = Joy & Chaos

Friday

We kicked off the weekend with a relaxing day at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. It was the first time some of us had been around other human beings since the start of coronavirus. Our day consisted of bridal party games, gifts for the bride-to-be, a delicious meal at Aerie and a few somersaults in the lobby.

Saturday

On Saturday, we headed downtown for lunch at FireFly and a stroll through the city. Next up was the weekend’s signature event…the wine tour. We were escorted via limo bus to some of Traverse City’s best vineyards and wineries.

Rove Estate

Our first winery of the day was Rove Estate located at the highest point in Leelanau County. We enjoyed wine flights, beautiful views overlooking the vineyards and an Instagram-worthy photo backdrop.

Bowers Harbor

Next stop on our tour was Bowers Harbor located on the Old Mission Peninsula. We sipped wine while sitting right in between the vines. Other highlights included live music and a special ‘Erica’ wine (named after the owner’s wife).

Bonobo

We rounded out our day of wine with a visit to Bonobo, a crowd-favorite spot with an amazing deck perfect for enjoying wine and charcuterie.

A Few Tips for Planning a Bachelorette Party During Quarantine

• Be flexible – it’s important to have a few backup plans in place in case your original venue or activities are affected by social distancing rules
• Narrow down your guest list and don’t get upset if people have to drop out
• Move the party outdoors if possible
• Maintain reasonable social distancing
• Wear masks, but find cute ones to match your theme
• Focus on the normal aspects of our new normal
• Most importantly, have fun!

xoxo,

The Reagles