When the groom heads out with his boy buds to enjoy his "last night as a bachelor," the bride should have a plan to enjoy quality time with her gal pals. This can be a girls' night out on the town, a slumber party (perhaps with a professional masseuse or pedicurist), a spa weekend, a white-water rafting excursion, even a ski trip. And if the bride or her party planners aren't into the whole stripper thing, that's okay: Just as not all bachelor parties involve buxom babes, bachelorette parties aren't just about G-stringed Chippendale types.

So who plans the party? Traditionally, that task falls to the bride's maid or matron of honor and bridesmaids. If they're planning a weekend or day trip, they may decide to skip the surprise element and ask the guest of honor which pre-wedding dates work best. They may also ask for the bride's input on the guest list. This isn't traditionally how things are done, but it's perfectly okay. The party planner is responsible for sending out the invites (a phone call or email is fine, if preferred over a more formal invitation), but usually, everyone pays her own way and kicks in a little extra to cover the bride. The person in charge may collect the funds before, at or after the bash, and it's perfectly acceptable for her to mention the estimated cost on the invitation.

When it comes to invitations to bachelorette bashes, the main rule is that everyone who's invited must also be on the wedding guest list. Other than that, the type of party usually determines who's to be invited. For a traditional night on the town, invitees can include all friends and some family members, whether that means 10, 20, or 40 or more people. For mini-vacation parties, practical considerations tend to keep the guest list limited to close friends and siblings -- it's just too difficult to plan a trip if there are too many people involved. Plus, as the price rises, the number of partiers willing to pay usually drops. We caution honor attendants not to forget the fiance's female relatives when planning a typical night on the town (they need not be invited to more intimate gatherings, unless the bride enjoys a close relationship with them). While they may choose not to attend such an outing for the bride, an invitation should be extended to them anyway.