Roughly a month ago now, I traveled to Santa Barbara, CA for my Bachelorette party. After moving away from Santa Barbara a few years ago, it was really nice to return! The theme was Amanda’s Last Disco. Think 70s, retro, groovy, and disco vibes.
We spent a total of three days by the beach, and stayed in the coziest mission-style Airbnb.
Of course, a good amount of preparation went into planning my perfect Bachelorette party! I used an app called The BACH, which enabled me to use features like chat message with my gals, sending out polls, creating an expense sheet, and setting-up an itinerary for our trip. Speaking of itineraries, these are the activities we planned for the trip:
Day One
I flew into LAX from SLC Airport. I arrived around noon in LA, picked up a rental car from Enterprise, grabbed my Maid of Honor on the way, and drove to Santa Barbara, about two hours north. When we arrived in Santa Barbara, we met up with a few other gals in the bach party at a winery. We also checked into our Airbnb, grabbed dinner at The Boathouse, and watched the Barbie movie.
Deep Sea tasting room
Deep Sea Tasting Room is located on the Santa Barbara Stearns Wharf Harbor adjacent to a fish and chips shop, and behind a gift and candy store. At Deep Sea, there is a selection of handcrafted wines, whether you want to purchase by the glass or tasting. I tend to prefer a tasting when I visit a winery, and so, I went with a nice white/rose flight. Additionally, one can enjoy views of the harbor and ocean, whether you sit in or outside on the balcony.
Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach
A trip to Santa Barbara is not complete without a trip to Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach. I used to love taking Comet to the beach and grabbing a mimosa at Boathouse in the morning. Nonetheless, both breakfast and dinner are superb, and I figured the ladies might enjoy dinner with a sunset view over the ocean. Safe to say, no one was disappointed! We even did a fun lil Barbie video as the sun was setting.
Barbie Movie
Of course, because the Barbie movie had just come out, we decided after dinner we would hit the movie theater for a little nightcap. The Barbie movie was everything – it made me laugh, cry, smile, and dance. I can’t wait for the movie to come out so I can make my fiancé watch it with me!
Day Two
Once day two arrived, so did the rest of my bachelorette party! This being our whole first day together, we gathered for a brunch picnic, dipped in the pool, and boogied the night out on the town.
Picnic at Mission Rose Garden
To start the day off right, we enjoyed brunch in the Rose Garden at Old Mission Santa Barbara. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the flowers were in full bloom. Everyone contributed an item or two – I used a sign-up sheet so people knew what to bring. We had a beautiful charcuterie spread, morning mimosas and Santa Barbara wine, and a delicious cake!
Pool Partyyy!
It is not a Bachelorette without a pool or beach party though, am I right?! My former manager and friend Tracee hosted and organized a pool party complete with Barbie pool floaties, pink coupe glasses, flowers, bomb music, and a flatbread variety. A pool party was a great way to soak up some sun, but also chill and recharge a bit before partying later at night.
Boogie at the Last Disco
To cap the night off, the ladies and I went to Sandbar for THE BEST margaritas in town and dinner, as well as Wildcat Lounge to dance the night away. Love my dancing QUEENS! As Katy Perry says in “this is how we do,” “Straight stuntin’ ya, we do it like that.”
Day Three
For our final full-day in Santa Barbara, we enjoyed a bagel breakfast at the Airbnb, then went out to State Street to celebrate Fiesta. After a few hours at Fiesta, we walked over to The Funk Zone for wine tasting, grabbed dinner at Shalhoob’s, and ended the night with a slumber party.
Fiesta
In Santa Barbara, every summer, the town celebrates an event called Old Spanish Days – Fiesta. The event commemorates Santa Barbara history, culture, traditions, and heritage. Fiesta comes complete with a parade, dancing, arts, eggs with confetti, and amazing food. I didn’t originally plan to come to Santa Barbara during Fiesta weekend, but it turned out to be a happy coincidence.
Funk Zone
After Fiesta, we walked over from State Street to the Funk Zone for wine tasting. We hit Corks n’ Crowns first, my favorite winery in the Funk Zone. We then walked to Fox Wine Co. We did a lot of drinking the night before, so we decided to take it easy with the flights. After wine hopping, we ate at Shalhoob’s. I figured it would be easier getting us a spot on the patio for dinner than trying to make a reservation for a big group at one of the restaurants. Plus, Shalhoob’s has amazing food – loveee the sliders always!
Slumber Party
To finish off the Bachelorette party, we threw a slumber party at the Airbnb. We had champagne and played games. The first game we played was an ice-breaker for the girls to better know each other. I handed each girl a postcard and everyone wrote down a risqué fact/story about themselves, and each person took a turn guessing whose secret it was. If the guesser was wrong, they took a sip of their drink, and if they guessed right, the exposed individual took a sip of theirs. The last game we played was one I brought on Amazon, called Lulu & You Bachelorette Dash. The purpose of the game was to take turns guessing who was most likely to ___, guess if the bride would rather __ or __, take a gamble on who knows the bride the best, play never have I ever, engage in truth or dare, and pull a wild card to essential get a player to answer a challenge. Needless to say, the slumber party was a fabulous way to end the weekend before people flew or drove home the next morning.
When in doubt, disco it out! Also, you can’t go wrong selecting Santa Barbara for your Bach party. Evan went north to the San Francisco Bay Area for his, but I still think I had the better event (totally unbiased opinion) 😛
