just the gals {a bachlorette weekend}

the sitch:
sister's much-anticipated bachelorette bash weekend.
new braunfels, texas.
at a pretty fantastic house on the guadalupe river.

the gals:
20 of them.
ranging from future mother-in-law to elementary school besties.

the rules:
non-existent.

scene 1 --
the bachelorette, maid of honor, mother of the bride and aunt -- southbound 35 on a beautifully sunny friday morning.

upon arrival in new braunfels, the group surveys the property, and finds themselves quite pleased (read: EXCITED) with where they'll be spending the next few days.

after a full tour and a quick lunch, the pool awaits!

and the main room of the house gets a bachelorette makeover - la la la lauren style. everyone gets their own purple tumbler. fabric pennant banners are hung. chalk signs are drawn. now the weekend of celebration can officially begin.

scene 2 --

8pm. all gals are gathered on the patio. the grill is fired up, burgers all around. 

bartender shauni takes over, mixing up drinks so tasty, even the mother of the bride couldn't resist. 

oh! and there was a big weekend kick-off surprise in the form of a new louis!

scene 3 --
10pm-ish? about time to really get this party started. music blasts. kelly expertly teaches the girls how to dougie. which launches a full fledged bachelorette style dance party...moved outdoors to allow for more...elaborate dance moves? like...posing?

scene 4 --
another perfect 90 degree, blue sky, sunshiney day. girls are possibly a bit bleary-eyed from the previous evening's dance party. nothing some sunglasses can't cure. 

it's time for rafting the guadalupe river. 18 girls pile into a bus, hop out at the river, load their coolers / koozies / selves into 5 big rafts, each grab a paddle, and they're off!

scene 5 --

girls gather after a dinner of mom's famous chicken enchiladas for a bachelorette lingerie shower. again, la la la lauren style. a dessert buffet of delicious treats homemade by the bridesmaids. a delightful pink champagne punch, and just a few surprises.

surprise #1 -- a special video visit from the groom, keith! who answered some "bridesmaid approved" questions. and made everyone giggle with his "playin' it safe babe" responses. 

the bachelorette cried a lil, bridesmaid calli cried a lot, the mothers of these two managed to hold it all together. 

surprise #2 -- a special custom made bachelorette featherband from the lovely (and incredibly talented) mrs. kathryn beck. who lovingly fashioned this pretty little accessory with very little guidance from the maid of honor other than..."something sparkly and bachelorettey!!" 

she's a gem. check out all her designs at her katbeckdesigns etsy shop. big fan.

scene 6 --
post-lingerie festivities, on to a night out at gruene hall, the oldest dancehall in texas. 21 lovely ladies all rockin' their cowboy boots and bachelorette party beads and definitely ready to dance the night away.

drinks in hand, the gals took over the dance hall. dale watson - the cowboy singin' on stage - took an immediate interest in such a big group of pretty girls. he made sure the bachelorette was whisked off her feet the moment she walked in the door. 

she waltzed with a nice old man...

she two-stepped with this handsome bachelor while her ladies danced with his bachelor party boys.

there was a pretty intense rendition of cotton-eye joe that had the whole dance hall on their feet. 

and there was bachelor #2, who also happens to be tying the knot on november 19th.

 

 

 

 she was a very giggly, very happy bachelorette. 

until she thought she had lost a button on her new bachelorette party dress. then she was sad.

but those sad faces didn't last long. 

a few minutes later she realized that the buttons on her new party dress were all the same distance apart. so she couldn't be missing a button. then she was happy bachelorette again.

this whole button misunderstanding could have been a result of the gruene hall sangria. or the wine. definitely not the beer. she doesn't drink that. even in cowboy boots.

21 pretty girls + cowboy boots + live country music + gruene hall = bachelorette party night success!!

scene 7 -- 
post-gruene hall dancin' back at the house, there was some make-shift photo booth fun. easily one of the most entertaining activities of the weekend. never underestimate the power of some dress up clothes, props and chalk board paint.

the bachelorette even coined her own weekend catch phrase. believe it derived from a jersey shore reference to the phrase "let's be honest"...transitioned to "lezzzbehonest"...and eventually to...

and then the dance parties were over. the boots were tired. the treats were gone. 

a few more hours by the pool soaking up the texas sunshine the following day. then the girls loaded up their cars, hugged and laughed and said they couldn't wait for more fun at the wedding. 

the bachelorette packed up her lingerie. the maid of honor wondered how she was leaving with more supplies than she came with. the mother of the bride was glad she is good at tetris and could make everything fit in the SUV.

they all waved goodbye to the cutest little house on the river, called to thank the owners for a lovely weekend at their lovely river home and vowed to organize a family event there in the near future.


end scene.

 

happy happy bachelorette bash weekend to sister and bride-to-be leslee! 

let the countdown to mrs. marcom begin! 

love youuuuu!