Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties Travel to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City Most Frequently; Participate in Spa Days, Sporting Events, Dinners Out and More, According to the WeddingWire 2019 Bachelor & Bachelorette Study

Largest Study of Its Kind Reveals While 1-in-10 Couples Combine Celebrations With Their Partner, Men Spend More Than Women on Attending a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party

New York, NY—September 9, 2019—WeddingWire, a leader in the global wedding planning industry, today released findings from its 2019 Bachelor & Bachelorette Study, highlighting the average length and cost, the most popular activities, and the top destinations of prenuptial festivities. While the occasional bachelor or bachelorette party is hosted for 5+ days (2%) and may take place in international destinations (females are 4% more likely to leave the US) inclusive of the Caribbean, Mexico and even Asia, most events last 2-3 days and take place in the US (92%). 

The average cost to attend a bachelorette party is $708, while bachelor party attendees spend $1,044 on average. This cost includes transportation, accommodations, personalized swag, gifts, group activities and more. Men pay a bit more for prewedding celebrations, on average, for a number of reasons; one of which is their average guest count is lower at 8 attendees vs 10 attendees for a bachelorette party. Costs vary between around $100 to over $5,000, based on the length, destination, number of guests and transportation method. In fact, nearly 40 percent of bachelorette party goers spend $200 or less (along with 19 percent of bachelor party attendees). 

“As we’re seeing with today’s weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties are becoming more and more personalized to infuse the to-be-weds’ personalities into their prenuptial celebrations,” said Jeffra Trumpower, Senior Creative Director, WeddingWire. “While the standard Las Vegas bachelor and bachelorette parties are still popular (and for good reason!), we’re seeing unique new destinations pop up on the scene, like Dallas, Houston and Tampa, and more and more partygoers personalizing the experience with custom décor and attire.”

2019 Bachelor & Bachelorette Party Trends

To-Be-Weds Extend Invites to Non-Wedding Party Members

It’s common for both men and women to include a wide variety of guests in the prewedding festivities. Most bachelor and bachelorette parties extend the invite to more than just the wedding party (60% for bachelor parties and 61% for bachelorettes), with bachelor parties being more likely to include those not invited to the wedding (12% vs 8% of bachelorettes). 

Most guests who attend prenuptial festivities are involved in the party planning (nearly 9-in-10 for both bachelor and bachelorette partygoers), which can include date and destination selection, activity planning and more. While group activities vary slightly between bachelor and bachelorette parties, 10 percent of to-be-weds have joint celebrations with their partner. 

Core Activities Are Similar, But Women Customize Décor and Attire More

There’s no shortage of alcohol-related celebrations for bachelor and bachelorette parties, and while the most popular activities are the same for both men and women (going out for food and drinks, clubbing and dancing, and barhopping) other activities vary significantly. Women are nearly 20 percent more likely to spend their bachelorette party at a spa (25% vs 8%) or a nail salon getting manicures and pedicures (22% vs 3%) than men, while men prefer sporting events (12% vs 3%), casinos (22% vs 14%) and golf (8% vs 1%). 

Two-thirds of bachelor and bachelorette parties include gifts of some kind, which also vary significantly between bachelor and bachelorette parties. Brides-to-be are more likely to receive lingerie, sex toys or other gag gifts, as well as money or gift cards; and grooms-to-be are more likely to receive alcohol, home items like outdoor gear, or clothes. Bachelorette parties are more likely to incorporate specific attire and décor into their events. More than 1-in-3 bachelorettes (compared to 1-in-4 bachelor parties) create custom gear specifically for the event like hats, T-shirts, tanks or koozies. Partygoers can create and purchase custom gear online via the WeddingWire Shop (weddingwireshop.com), which offers a wide selection of affordable products and makes buying things in bulk easy. Additionally, half of brides-to-be wore something special on their bachelorette party (32% more common than grooms-to-be). 

Spring and Summer Celebrations Take the Cake

The majority of bachelor and bachelorette parties take place in the spring and summer seasons in preparation for the more popular times to wed (summer and fall). The most popular months for bachelor parties include April (15%), May (16%) and June (14%), with men being 4% more likely to celebrate in June than women. The most popular months for bachelorette parties are also April (18%), May (14%) and June (10%), with 6 percent more bachelor party attendees noting their party took place in the summer than women, who prefer spring shindigs. 

Over 60 percent of bachelor parties celebrate for 2+ days, with 1-in-3 celebrating for 3+ days. Bachelorette parties trend slightly shorter, being 5% more likely than bachelor parties to only be 1 day, with 56% celebrating for 2+ days and 1-in-3 for 3+ days. 

It’s a Party in the USA…9 Out of 10 Times

While women are slightly more likely to travel internationally than men (10% vs 6% for bachelor parties), most to-be-weds are celebrating domestically for their prenuptial parties (90% for bachelorettes and 94% for bachelor parties). The global jet-setters are most likely to visit the Caribbean (3% for bachelorette parties and 1% for bachelor parties), Mexico (1% for both bachelorette and bachelor parties), Hawaii (2% for both bachelorette and bachelor parties), Asia (1% for both bachelorette and bachelor parties), and Alaska (1% for both bachelorette and bachelor parties). 

Men are nearly 2 times more likely to go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party than women, yet it’s still the most popular destination for both men and women. Men are more likely to fly to bachelor parties (22% vs 17%), while women are more likely to take their personal car (48% vs 42%). Wherever the destination, males and females are 2.5 times more likely to book a hotel or resort over a rental house for accommodations (44% of men and women prefer hotels and resorts vs. 17% for a rental house).

Top Bachelor Party Destinations 

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Miami, FL
3. New York, NY
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. Chicago, IL
6. Tampa, FL
7. Houston, TX
8. New Orleans, LA
9. Orlando, FL
10. Atlantic City, NJ

Top Bachelorette Party Destinations

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. New York, NY
4. Miami, FL
5. Nashville, TN
6. Dallas, TX
7. Orlando, FL
8. New Orleans, LA
9. Philadelphia, PA
10. Atlanta, GA

Methodology
The WeddingWire 2019 Bachelor & Bachelorette Study is based on data collected from more than 1,000 respondents who attended a bachelor or bachelorette party in the last 24 months. Respondents represent couples from all over the country with various ethnicities, income levels, races, ages, sexual orientations and gender identities. To provide the most statistically significant and detailed view of results collected, WeddingWire analyzed respondents with equal identifiers to gender of the bachelor or bachelorette party attended, which represented 95% of total respondents.

About WeddingWire
WeddingWire, Inc. is a trusted global online marketplace, connecting consumers with local wedding professionals and a suite of comprehensive tools that make wedding planning easier. Operating within a $250 billion industry, WeddingWire helps 16 million users every month find the right team of wedding professionals to personalize and pull off their special day. Consumers around the world are able to read more than 5 million vendor reviews and search, compare and book from a directory of over 500,000 vendors local to them. Founded in 2007, the WeddingWire portfolio serves couples and wedding professionals across 15 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The company is headquartered in Washington, DC with international headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. Visit WeddingWire online at WeddingWire.com and follow on social media at Facebook.com/WeddingWire and @WeddingWire on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.