Flannel Fling Before the Ring: bows, bubbly & buffalo plaid.

A cozy bachelorette weekend in the woods, complete with s'mores and a lumberjack plaid party.

The snowy month of March has come to a close so I thought I'd share a fun winter bash I helped put together while you still might appreciate a little snow! We put on the best bachelorette party every this winter for our dear friend Olivia – now an official WIFEY! The theme? Think Lumberjack meets Glam; a casual weekend getaway at the cabin with a handful of close girlfriends, complete with copious amounts of buffalo plaid and bubbly - what could be better?!

We knew that the bride wanted a relaxing, laid back celebration (with a few fun surprises of course...), and we wanted to plan something DIFFERENT. Being that a handful of the girls were from the Brainerd Lakes Area and other small towns, it only made sense that we should throw the bash in the "Northwoods" and everyone fully embraced that theme throughout the weekend! I'm talking flannel shirts, plaid wrapping paper, flannel pajamas, the whole kit and caboodle.

What does one need to plan an epic Buffalo Plaid Bash?

The list could go on and on - go as crazy as you wish! But if your budget can swing it, here are some fun themed ideas.

Invitations

Naturally, if I attend or put on a party, you best believe I am designing invitations! If you have the time, always send a printed invite, in your theme of course - it gets everyone prepped and excited about the party and gives everyone the chance to contribute ideas to the theme! These invites started with the flannel, then I added a touch of sparkly gold in the custom envelopes to make it feel a little fancy; who doesn't like a little gold?! If you custom design, moo.com is a great, high quality option for online printing - plus you can purchase envelopes to fit the postcards too. Easy peasy, yes please.

Themed wearables

Designing or creating custom themed wearables for your party such as t-shirts, pin on buttons, hats, etc. is a great way to send your guests home with a tasteful souvenir from the party that they actually might use again AND keeps everyone on theme on the day of. Let's be honest...there is nothing worse than being forced into wearing a gaudy party favor around, all to make you stand out like a sore thumb or have "bride tribe" stamped across your face – at least not for those of us over the age of 25 ;). The t-shirts were a big hit at the party and we were easily able to layer under our flannel button downs for a themed but casual look.

Fun AND functional party favors

There IS a way to stay on theme and still create party favors that people will enjoy - Customized pieces like t-shirts, cups, hats, etc. are something that can be used throughout the weekend but used again! Consider a few items that might not be directly theme related to keep your guests REALLY happy and not go overboard with that plaid...

Never forget to dress your bride! Obviously you want to make her stand out a bit, but there are various ways to do so depending on which route you want to take - and depending on her personality. I loved this hand knitted Bride Stocking Cap from Etsy!

Decor + Self Serve Stations

Make a stunning first impression on your guests by decking out your space with themed decor. Banners, stir sticks, ribbon, favor packaging, signs, food labels to name a few. If you plan on having a more laid back party and "downtime" is on your agenda, self-serve stations are fun way to keep your theme going and a great way to keep everyone entertained at their own pace.

S'mores Bar

These are fairly easy to make yourself, I used a planter box, 4 sternos propped up by foam and filled in the gaps with polished stones. I also recommend buying some sort of paper (I used a large roll of craft paper) or something to lay underneath the setup (Sterno gel stains! And marshmallows and chocolate are not fun to clean - plus the paper ties it all together!). Take your s'mores from classic to gourmet; I bought these organic marshmallows from North Mallow Company in 3 flavors - yum! Try using filled chocolate squares and graham cookies in place of Hershey's and Honeycomb and no one will be able to step away from those babies. Happy toasting!

Mimosa/Bloody Mary/Hot Chocolate

Having a DIY/self-serve drink station is so nice for mornings when you're prepping breakfast. Themed stir sticks, customized or re-usable cups, straws and fun labels/signs (get creative) come in handy! We even got a jalepeno beer chaser from our favorite local brewery, Jack Pine for our bloody bar.

We did a bloody bar, mimosa bar and hot chocolate station - and S'mores flavored cupcakes to top it all off!!

Photobooth

DIY photobooths are easy and a fun way to capture your memories from the weekend! Buy or make some photo props and set yourself up a station on an iPad - there are even apps out there that let you customize the borders. Selfie sticks are allowed too ;).

Lastly, if you venture out during your weekend and have the option to go with the theme, by all means! My favorite stop of the night was Big Axe Brewery in Nisswa, perfect for our laid-back, lumberjack themed crew. We had a blast planning and partying with this great group of ladies!