bachelorette fabulousity

ok, mavens, here it is.  the bachelorette party recap. 

me with cocktail #1

as you might know, this past weekend was my bachelorette party.  my sister, hannah, my bridesmaids, cate & erin, had been planning for months.  so, needless to say, hurricane irene through them a bit of a curve ball.  true to form, the ladies pulled off an abbreviated weekend without a hitch, moving saturday night’s plans to friday night, while still trying to incorporate some of friday’s planned festivities.  i was kept in the dark from the beginning, so i was completely unaware of  what was changing – i was just along for the ride.  and i have to say, well done, ladies.  you’re the best!

erin, me, cate, han

we gathered at my parents’ house friday to pack the car for the whirlwind weekend.  i could not believe how many bags they were bringing!  han found these awesome reusable bags at marshall’s in fun, girly prints to pack all the food, refreshments, party supplies and presents(!) in.

as we rocked out to a fun mix in the car, we wracked our brains for bachelorette-party-themed adjectives, verbs and nouns to complete the adult madlibs that cate had brought.  (erin, quick, give me a an adjective!)

one of our rooms at the doubletree

when we got into philly, the bell hop filled two carts with all our stuff (there were 4 of us, staying for one night).  we met up with my 4^th bridesmaid, val (craig’s sister), who flew down from boston just for the night!  when we got to the rooms – adjoining rooms with a door – we set up camp.  one room got a food buffet on the vanity, the other got the bar.

cate in the window

bar in the room

we were assigned funny party names – mine was sexy cougar, due to the fact that i’m a year older than craig – to indicate whose drink was whose.  with pink solo cups adorned with pink straws in hand, we sipped our first cocktail (recipe below) of the night as we waited for the remaining guests to arrive. 

food & decorations

i opened a round of gifts (i didn’t know you got so many presents – but it was very exciting!)  han got me a white fitted track suit with “mrs.  marone, established 2011” on the back, which was totally awesome.  i’m going o wear it to my after-party.  and she also made these gorgeous necklaces for me and all the bridesmaids – she’s the  best!  i also received a lot of off-the-charts hot lingerie, and being a girl who generally sleeps in sweat pants and a t-shirt, i’m not sure if these items were for me or craig.

view of the bellevue from our hotel (we're getting married there!)

after  a champagne toast and a lot of spicy white bean dip, surprise guest #1 arrived.  ashley, one of my college roommates and fellow a cappella girl.  she came down from nyc to celebrate with me.  the next to arrive was ashlee #2, a dear friend from college who’s become like family to me and han.  next came sara, a now philly girl who went to college with us and can drink any guy under the table.  watch out!  and last, but certainly not least, was my other college roommate, marissa, who braved the weather for a girls’ night on the town.  (thanks, ladies!)

truffle popcorn basket

we changed into our party clothes and headed out to dinner.  we had reservations at square 1682, which is the restaurant at the new palomar hotel in philadelphia.  we sat at a long table, back-to-back with another bachelorette party – small world! 

bread plates at square 1682

we were greeted with baskets of truffle oil popcorn on our table.  omg.  delish!  i’m a sucker for anything with truffle mushrooms, so i thoroughly enjoyed our pre-dinner snack.  we ordered a few bottles of wine and some appetizers for the table, all of which were completely amazing. 

our apps
baked goat cheese with saffron and roasted tomatoes served with toast points
tuna tostadas with avocado lime cream
crispy cauliflower with a spicy ginger sauce
lemon scented hummus with herb garlic naan bread

my mushroom tart.  divine!

for dinner, the orders were split almost evenly, with 3 of us getting the wild mushroom tart with truffle sauce and petite vegetables and 4 getting the amish chicken with polenta, taleggio cheese with chayote-pineapple salsa.  only two strayed, with erin getting the smoked duck with scrambled duck egg, lobster and potato rosemary galette (my 2nd choice after the mushroom tart) and cate ordering the wild striped bass with potato confit, sage gnocchi and anch chili romesco.  (are you drooling yet?!)  luckily, my foodie friends don’t mind sharing, so i was able to try a bit of everything.  and let me tell you, the food was truly phenomenal.  though we had no room for dessert, they sweetly sent over a complimentary (scrumptious) miniature apple tart.

sara & ashlee

while enjoying our decadent dinner, i was given a few more gifts to open.  a black and pink feather boa, a glitzy tiara and a hot pink sash.  there was no doubt who the guest of honor was in our group…

my crown at the lounge

after dinner, we headed back out into the night for a refreshing walk to prim lounge.  a very cool lounge/bar with fabulous atmosphere and great dj.  hannah, my awesome sister, got everyone wrist bands which entitled us to open bar for the evening.  fabulous idea, right?!  we ordered a round of drinks and were able to grab a few tables, which was great.  they brought over an ice bucket with champagne and glasses and more toasting ensued. but it didn’t take long for the beat to get us.  the mix was up tempo and fun, and we danced and sang to our hearts’ delight.

me dancing

after i don’t know how long and with 20 aching feet longing to get out of high heels, we walked back (slowly) to the hotel.  upon entering the doubletree, we were accosted by a female softball team who  was evidently collecting pictures of random people wearing a fanny pack.  of course i was all too happy to oblige, and thus a fanny pack was momentarily added to my outrageous ensemble for a brief pics.

erin & ashlee

back to the room and into the custom t-shirts han made especially for the occasion, we partied into the wee hours of the morning playing “never have i ever”.  fun times!

when sleep finally got the better of us, it was 3:30am.  and we only had a few sweet hours of sleep to enjoy before arising for a 9:30am breakfast so we could make our 11am check-out before philly was to be put on “lock down” because of irene.

communal table at le pain quotidien

for breakfast we wandered over to le pain quotidien – a bakery/café with a parisian feel, fresh baked bread and mouthwatering meals.  before we walked through the door, i knew what i was hoping for.  a comforting slice of french-style quiche.  of course, they did not disappoint.  i selected the “vegetarian quiche” filled with spinach, mushrooms and lots of gooey swiss cheese baked in a flaky, homemade crust.  yum!  alongside my quiche, i was pleased to find a lightly dressed mixed green salad which complemented it perfectly.  to cap things off, a small pot of earl grey did the trick. 

apricot jam & noisella (i.e. nutella)

for the others, omelettes were the choice of the morning – asparagus & goat cheese, smoked  salmon & scallion and chicken chorizo & cheddar, to name a few.

marissa, han, me and ashley at breakfast

cate, erin & ashlee at le pain

we reminisced about the night before and talked about the wedding…which is just 2 months away!  after breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to check out and bid adieu.  since han’s master plan for an entire weekend of bachelorette fun was shortened, she is already scheming about a night out so the friends who couldn’t make it because of the last minute switch might be able to join us.  though we had to cut our weekend short, it lacked nothing when it came to fun times, laughs and drinks! 

our table

thank you, girls, for a wonderfully fabulous bachelorette celebration!  love you all!

cocktail #1

1-2 shots pinnacle whipped cream vodka over ice

topped with:
½ raspberry seltzer
½ ginger ale
squeeze of fresh lime

cheers!