Bachelorette parties and drama go together like avocado and toast: They’re a natural fit. Of course, there are many brides-to-be who have managed to have an epic bash sans stress. But with so many different personalities, preferences, and budgets to consider, it’s only natural that a few headaches and hassles often arise throughout the planning process. It’s nearly impossible to please everyone, after all. Which begs the question: Can you call off your bachelorette party last minute? It turns out, you can.
Speaking from experience, I can definitely say that the temptation to cancel is real. As the maid-of-honor for my best friend (and the chillest bride in history) last summer, I began eagerly planning the relaxing spa day she requested to recharge before the wedding. Not all of the bridesmaids were on board with this idea — even though I gently reminded them that it was the bride’s day, not theirs. There was whining about the services I booked. There were complaints about the lack of typical bachelorette raging. There were absurdly long email chains arguing over the post-spa dinner plans. Fortunately, the bachelorette festivities were a success (after I had a stern talk with the sister of the groom), but let’s just say I came dangerously close to scrapping the plans and begging my bestie to join me in a two-person celebration.
Apparently, I’m very far from alone in my frustrations — and some ladies do end up calling off the bachelorette party entirely. Here are their tales of terror.
My sister (MOH) and I have literally been planning a weekend at her cabin near a lake in the mountains near us for almost a year as my bachelorette party, and I have kept all of my bridesmaids in the loop as much as possible the entire time we've planned this. We even had to change the date after one forgot when it was and planned a vacation for the same weekend.
We're 5 weeks out and lo and behold I found out nobody is planning on actually f*cking coming. I'm not even mad, just 100,000 percent disappointed in people I considered my best friends.
Sister and I are bringing our guys and our dogs and going to have an awesome time at her cabin.
I canceled my bachelorette party after most of the girls invited needing to cancel for various reasons.
Most were complaining of the cost even though it was less than $100 per person and I was covering myself. Everyone was excited for it but once I booked it, mostly everyone dropped out. Thankfully I was able to get a refund on the deposit.
My MOH and I got so fed up trying to make everyone happy. We suggested dinner and drinks, and some of the bridesmaids thought that was boring. We suggested we have a spa day, and lots of people said they couldn’t afford it (which I understood, of course, but we could have just gotten manicures and taken advantage of the free steam room/sauna).
No matter what idea I came up with, someone had an issue with it. I finally realized that I was only having a bachelorette party because I felt like I was “supposed to.” I called the whole thing off, and my MOH and I just had a girls’ night in, drinking way too much rose and watching rom-coms. It was perfect.
— Madison, 30
My bridal party was a bizarre mix of ladies from childhood, college, and my family. None of them knew each other well, and none of them really had anything in common (besides friendship with me). I honestly couldn’t come up with any activities that everyone would enjoy, and it was stressing me out. So I told my MOH to cancel the party altogether. I never really got the appeal of the bachelorette, anyway.
— Amanda, 28
The second I caught wind of the fact that my hubby-to-be’s sister had bought a pack of those stupid sashes and tiaras that she was going to force us all to wear, I straight-up canceled the thing. I’m an introvert through and through, and I don’t like drawing attention to myself. So, needless to say, the idea of being *those* ladies at a bar clad in bachelorette swag was my ultimate nightmare.
— Natalia, 27
At their best, bachelorette parties are a total blast. Not only do they offer a chance to bond with all of the other bridesmaids, but also to give the bride-to-be one last absurdity-filled hurrah before she ties the knot. At their worst, they can be pretty brutal — luckily, these bold brides proved that it’s always possible to call the bachelorette off if need be. It’s your party, after all, and you can cancel (and cry) if you want to.
