One of my absolute favorite parts of living in Atlanta was Christmas. The neighborhoods filled with light shows. A night with friends caravanning through Callaway Gardens. The cold weather (*cries in Floridian). It’s the best. So when I was tasked with planning the ultimate Christmasy Bachelorette Weekend In Atlanta, you know I was excited!
If you’ve read my Nashville Bachelorette Guide, you’ll know we’re all about a low key adventure. Think less partying and more connecting & spending time with friends. A mini escape that lets you celebrate with some of your favorite people but doesn’t have you paying for it for days after. So many fun activities. So much Christmas festiveness. Let’s talk planning friends!
How To Plan A Christmasy Bachelorette In Atlanta
But first a few bachelorette planning tips:
Do Start Planning Ahead
Start planning at least 6 months ahead knowing you’re going to want to book your housing first. This gives everyone time to save if needed, clear schedules, etc. If your group is a bit flaky (meaning you really aren’t sure everyone is going to show up and don’t want to be financially on the hook covering the housing cost for 4 people who cancel last minute), I’d suggest opting for hotels with cancelation options over Airbnbs.Â
Don’t Assume Everyone Can Afford To Pay The Same
As a part of the over 30 crowd, bachelorette trips are a lot different now than they were in my 20s. To make sure everyone was on the same page and comfortable with the costs, I did a daily breakdown of where I felt we would spend money not including any shopping we might happen upon.Â
For example, our trip looked something like this:
Friday – Arrive; Dinner @ the house; game night & movies in
Saturday – Breakfast or a snack @ the house; Tea Party 11am, SCAD Fashion Museum, Shopping, Lunch or Snack Out; Callaway Garden’s Christmas Lights, dinner to go or after
Sunday – Breakfast at the house or out as a group; drive home
From there, I added the daily cost of things including tickets, estimated prices for meals based on where we would be and let the group give feedback with their comfort of the estimated cost. A breakdown of $$$ lets everyone get a clear picture of where the money is going and makes sure everyone is on the same page. It also means less of a chance someone bails last minute because they didn’t know exactly how much to save.
Our end guide was the result of someone speaking up and saying they didn’t feel financially comfortable. I’ve seen many friends feel disappointed due to people cancelling last minute because of financial reasons. The more people who can show up for your bride in the best spirit, the better.
Consider When Your Planning
With schedules and a December wedding, we opted for the weekend after Thanksgiving for our Christmasy Bachelorette Weekend In Atlanta Adventure. But this also meant we were mindful of how busy certain things might be like shopping areas, the light show and traffic. It’s always worth double checking to see if there’s anything major happening when you’re looking to go.
Where To Stay For Your Christmasy Bachelorette Weekend In Atlanta
Our group was a party of 6 and I ended up finding the cutest Airbnb. Honestly, I would absolutely stay there again. It was close to Midtown, had space for 8 guests and was perfect for a Friday night watching Christmas movies and while playing card games (more on that in a second).
It was also college budget friendly which is incredible. With 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a driveway that allowed our 2 car group lots of space for parking, it was perfect for our weekend away.Â
There’s a small but open concept kitchen that let everyone flow for meal time. The backyard had some cute decorative lights along with a fire pit. And everything was space out enough that if you needed a minute alone before the rest of the group woke up, you could quietly find it.
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What To Do For Your Christmasy Bachelorette Weekend In Atlanta
Our Itinerary
Friday (our low key evening)
With it being a holiday weekend and the group traveling from all over, this was really a night of just connecting. We did pizza, BYOB (bring your own beverage), watched Vanessa Hudgens in yet another Christmas movie and play Truth or Drink – the game that got everyone talking.
I really feel like this was the key to our Friday night success because we created the space for deep, meaningful conversation. This is also a great way to break the ice and make the wedding day more smooth as people will already feel comfortable with one another. Of course, we chose to adapt the game for ourselves because we really were more about answering questions than getting drunk. The questions range from dirty to slightly uncomfortable to things you would never ask without alcohol. But it’s was a major hit and would make for a great game night.
Saturday (ALL Things Christmas)
High Tea In Atlanta – If you’ve bopped around on the blog a bit, you might have seen that I’ve previously done a high tea post. However, with Covid restrictions, we had to get a bit more creative. Luckily, this meant I was introduced to Just Add Honey and they were incredible!
I did need to book in advance as well as a pay a deposit. We had the option of doing this at our airbnb but opted to get the full experience. Their seating is mainly outside and next to the beltline. But we were easily able to accommodate food allergies & sensitivities. I often find that when places do this the experience isn’t quite up to the hype. But they were incredible. We throughly enjoyed our adventure here and I would absolutely go again!
SCAD Fashion Museum – Now I recently did a blog post on this as it’s one of my favorite things to do in Atlanta. It was also perfect because we had a decent car ride ahead for our evening adventure and it was Black Friday weekend. This gave us a reason to walk a bit while taking in the creativity energy of another great designer. The exhibit here rotates so it’s always worth checking. But it’s incredibly budget friendly and was a nice escape for a few hours.
Shopping At Atlantic Station –Â There’s always something to discover here but with all of the local small businesses out, it made for even more fun. You have all the options from Bath & Body Works to restaurants, bigger department stores and more. A great way to get in some shopping if you’re in the Midtown area.
Christmas Lights At Callaway Gardens –Â To be honest, I’m surprised I have yet to do a blog post on this as it’s one of my most favorite Christmas traditions. But South of Atlanta you can find one of the best holiday light adventures. It takes about 90 minutes to get there from downtown Atlanta. Buying tickets ahead of time is a must as there is typically only 2 time slots per evening.
I’d also suggest making sure to build in time to walk through Christmas village, take photos with your friends in the lights or snap a pic with Santa inside after you shop. There’s also loads of your favorite fair treats.Â
The light show takes around 1.5 hours (always worth double checking as they like to add things so this can change). And you can book tickets to either do the trolley or your own car (I much prefer the latter). But it’s a full experience from start to finish pair with all the Christmas lights, music and some of the most jaw dropping light moments. Cannot recommend it enough!
Sunday (Travel Day – Pt 2)
Breakfast Before The Road –Â Truthfully, I don’t remember where we ended up eating. Atlanta’s brunch options are plentiful. But a few of my favorites are Revolution Doughnuts – they do incredible vegan options. Cultivate Food & Coffee – a go to for my local friends and I to catch up whenever I’m in town. Cafe Intermezzo – I will never skip an opportunity to go here. West Egg Cafe – such a great menu with tons of classic options & flexibility for my gluten and dairy free friends!
Bonus Things
Aka the stuff we didn’t have time for on our short weekend journey but is worth checking out
Igloos At Ponce City Market –Â I’ve yet to go here but have heard wonderful things. Plus, who doesn’t want to snag drinks with your girls in a rooftop igloo. Super festive and makes for the perfect photo!
Lights At The Botanical Gardens –Â The summer version of this is incredible so I can only imagine how festive the holiday version is. The past few years, they’ve required you to book a time ahead to accommodate Covid regulations so definitely look into this ahead of time.
Christmas Lights Map –Â This takes a bit of research but the internet seems to make it easier every year. There’s loads of neighborhoods tucked around with the elaborate light shows that use their own radio stations. If you’re looking to just be festive but stay in your PJs, highly recommend.Â
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And there we have it friends! What an adventure filled with all the laughs, good food, holiday joy – everything a Christmasy Bachelorette In Atlanta needs. If you’re planning one, I’d love to know. Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter for more Christmasy & Atlanta adventures. As well as I’ll be doing a bit of Blogmas (daily posts in Dec) and Vlogmas (daily mini vlogs in Dec) so make sure you’re following along on your favorite socials for that (Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube). Until next time. Xoxo, Savvy