The week of bachelorette recaps continue! Today I'm really excited to share what I gave the girls as gifts. I wanted to give them something they would truly love and I think I did a pretty good job!! Check out all the details below...
Before we hop into details, let me give a little background on the gift bag in general. I've been on a few bachelorette trips and have loved each of them but always end up with "bride tribe" or "bachelorette" themed gifts that I never wear again. I feel bad because someone spent money on them but I didn't use them. Then I feel horrible donating them because they meant something special at one point.
I may be the only one with this kind of thought process but it's not fun to go through! So when I was putting together gift ideas I wanted each item to be something useful, repeatedly wearable, and was otherwise unrelated to me, my bachelorette or my wedding. If I'm spending money, I want it to be on item they will use time and time again.
I also wanted to get them a good gift set. I know the trip wasn't the cheapest one we could have picked so I wanted to share my gratitude for each of them with this bag. Something to say thank you, I love you, and I appreciate you being here. I didn't really have a budget for the gifts but I generally knew what I wanted to include.
I wanted the items to represent me in some way. These are a few of my most used and favorite things. I thought if I love and use them so much, they could as well! I also wanted them to be beach/vacation related so they didn't have to pack extra items. Everything would be well used during the trip and they could use the rest during the summer.
And with that, let's get into each item:
Monogram Bag: I have to say these were the biggest hit of the trip -- second being the hats, third being the sunglasses. Everyone LOVED them and it was so unbelievably cute to have matching personalized straw bags. All of this was a surprise, so I asked the girls their favorite color from the options the bag came in (there were lots of options) and tried not to double up. I'm SO sad and kicking myself for not getting a picture of all the bags together, but there are some cute videos on my "bach" highlight on IG.
It was great to give the girls beach bags because they ended up using them the whole trip. The bags were big enough to hold everything we needed for the day, including a towel. We all talked about how much we loved the long straps that let us hang the bag on our shoulders without any issue. The straps are super durable, comfortable, and thick too. One popped off at the end of the trip but it was super easy to thread it back through and tie a knot.
Make sure you're following along on Instagram! The shop reached out and wants to do a giveaway!
Lilly x S'well Water Bottle c/o: Lilly was SO kind to us for this trip and gifted us large S'well bottles (and other items, coming tomorrow!) for the bags. I LOVE S'well bottles and use them daily around the city, for travel, workouts and especially at the beach. They are perfect for keeping your drinks cold when you want them to be. We didn't use them as much during the weekend since it was an all-inclusive resort, but I have a strong feeling these will be loved going forward!
Straw Fan: Out of everything this would be the one *extra* item that wasn't really needed but I thought was super cute. I loved the look of the fans and thought it would be cute if we got hot or just needed a nice fan down lol. It came in a large pack of 12 so it definitely helped me pull the trigger
Black Heart Sunglasses: I LOVE these sunglasses since they look identical to the Yves Saint Laurent ones but are only $13! I have them in white, black and pink and thought there would be no cuter sunglasses (at this price) for Mexico then these! I gave everyone a black pair and I sported white all weekend.
Bow Travel Hat: (in color ribbed natural) One of my all time favorite hats is this one from Eric Javits. It's perfect for the beach, pool, and even more so for travel. It's foldable without risking damage, you can wear it with your hair up or down (think about all the times you wanted to wear a hat but your top knot got in the way!) AND you can wear it laying against the chair. The issue is I can't buy everyone my hat lol. So when I found a similar one on Amazon (with a TON of color options) and a cute bow, I knew I had to get them. They were a HUGE hit and easily the No. 2 most worn/used item this trip.
Rent the Runway Unlimited and Clutch c/o: Rent the Runway was so, so generous in offering all the girls on the trip a free month of RTR Unlimited. If you know me, you know I'm unlimited's No. 1 fan and even brought three rented items for the weekend. One of the girls used it for the trip and had the cutest stuff. Most of the rest are saving it for my wedding weekend! Remember you can get 40% off TWO MONTHS unlimited with the code RTRKRISTA.
Sun Bum Zinc Oxide SPF 50: I burn very easily and swear by this Sun Bum Zinc Oxide for preventing that. Its so good! It's good for you and it smells delicious!
Sun Bum Sunblock SPF 30: This was for the girls who wanted to get some color on the trip and didn't want to block out all the sun.
Invisibobble Hair Ties: These are the only hair ties I use and thought it would make for a good gift. We're always looking for hair ties and you never seem to have them when you need them. Each box comes with a set of three and I got each girl a specific hair tie color to match their hair.
Palmers Coco Butter Chapstick: If you haven't used this, you're missing out. It's huge (so it makes it harder to lose imo) and it's amazing. It's great for chapped lips and it smells sooooo good. It also lasts forever and it helps that it comes in a set of three!
Mini Klorane Dry Shampoo: I. love. dry. shampoo. I was between Klorane, DryBar and Living Proof -- which are all amazing -- but decided to go with Klorane. It's great (obviously) but mainly because its scent is the least powerful. We had four girls per room, so I that might be the best way to go.