FOUND: 7 Bachelorette Party Must-Haves

With the traditional wedding month of June heading our way, it seems that there is talk of weddings everywhere I turn. Every day I hear about another friend or acquaintance who is getting set to take the plunge. It's all a bit much for me. Thankfully, where there are weddings, there are bachelorette parties.

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Are you ready for bachelorette party season? Or are you the one in charge of planning the festivities this time around? Don't panic. Stiletto Jungle has your back. I called in the members of the Stiletto Jungle Girl Talk panel-- a group of fun-loving women who've attended their fair share of bachelorette parties-- to weigh in on the best bachelorette goodies and must-haves for a fun night on the town.

"Since I'm the bachelorette party planner extraordinaire-- seriously, I think I'm going to start charging-- I have plenty of ideas," says Pearl, a 28-year-old LA-based music industry coordinator. "My approach to a bachelorette party consists of a bunch of girls going out and having a good time. I don't like stupid, infantile games, I'm not out to embarrass the bride, and I like doing things tailored to whoever is getting married and what they like." I'm with you Pearl! Let's see what we need to make the most memorable night possible.

1. Identify the bride-to-be. "I like the idea of a tiara instead of the veil. The veil is tired, and old, and boring," offers Pearl. "I also like the sash."

Hannah, a 31-year-old executive assistant and freelance writer agrees that the bride must be identified. "The only real must is something to distinguish the bride from the rest of the horde of girls likely to be with her," says Hannah. "Tastefully this can be done with the veil, or a nice sash, or a shirt (top left). If the shirt though, everyone else should make sure NOT to wear the same color as the brides shirt! Un-tastefully, this can be done a whole host of ways, I'm sure anyone reading this can-- and will-- come up with one or two!"

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Good call, Hannah! That brings us to our next must have:

2. Matching shirts for the party-goers. "If I were to throw a bachelorette party I would make sure all the ladies have matching shirts," says Kim, a 23-year-old recent college graduate. "Why you ask? It really helps when you are trying to get into bars, and it helps with the spirit of the ladies that are out."

3. A pre-party toast to the bride. "I'm BIG on a really cute champagne toast with all the girls," says Pearl. "Just be sure to have very fun, decorative champagne glasses and maybe some pink champagne (right). Toast to the bride right before you go out for the night just to make sure she knows it IS all about her."

4. Party favors for the girls. "These are kind of weird, but I bought little pens that when you clicked them there was a guy on there, and he'd go naked, and you clicked again, and he'd be clothed," Pearl offers. "Party favors for the girlies!"

5. The infamous penis straw. "A no-brainer," says Pearl. "No bachelorette party is complete without the glow-in-the-dark penis straws. They can also be stuck in the hair at weird angles when you are too drunk to give a damn!"

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6. A non-cheesy game. "I'm not big on cheesy games during these parties, but I do kind of like this one," admits Pearl. "It's a sticker sheet with little stickers that say 'best eyes' or 'worst pick up line' and you give out your sheet to random boys in the bar or club. Just a fun little thing to do to meet people, and also I guess the goal is to give out the stickers the fastest?? I just think it's fun! A lot of brides do the 'suck for a buck' thing where they stick a bunch of candies on a tee shirt and let a guy grab them or do whatever to them. An idea I had was to label the bride with 'suck for a buck' stickers and then make a bouquet out of Blow-Pops (left), so the bride doesn't have to wear candy on her, or have to wear some ugly t-shirt. The bride can just give out the Blow-Pops as requested and still wear her cute outfit out. I found a little styrofoam bouquet holder that was perfect and stuck Blow-Pops all around it. Just a cute little tip for a game that isn't high maintenance, but will amuse the bride."

"A great Bachelorette party must have fun games!" says Po, a 28-year-old attorney. "The best games are the ones that force every girl out to flirt like crazy-- that's why I'd definitely be into the games 'Girl's Night Out' and '10 Challenges.' In looking at the other [bachelorette party] products, I think I'd just be too uncomfortable with all the penis-looking stuff at a public place like a bar-- which is the kind of place bachelorette parties are often had."

7. Safe, reliable transportation. "The second must have item for the evening is a limo," says Kim. "It is important to have a ride and not feel obliged to stay in one place when it is not that fun, plus it leaves room for spontaneity." Good call, Kim. Plus, providing a limo or other pre-arranged transportation means that every party-goer will get home safely.

Click on any photo or linked text to link directly to where you can purchase that bachelorette party must-have online, or visit the entire selection of bachelorette party goodies available online at Bachelorette.com-- the favorite bachelorette party supplier of the Girl Talk ladies. Use the special Coupon Code "CJ10" (without quotation marks) to score 10% off at Bachelorette.com. Enjoy this post? Subscribe to Stiletto Jungle and get free updates by e-mail or RSS.

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