Oh, the 20's. All of our friends are starting to get hitched, babies are right around the corner (or already here), and we are officially at the point in our lives that people can no longer say that we are too young to know what love is. The 20's are the average ages for marriage, and a lot of our parents were actually younger than we are now when they got married.
With that being said, marriage is a beautiful concept -- people make an oath to stay devoted and faithful to their best friend for the rest of their lives. (Let's not talk about the divorce rate in the USA, OK?) The wedding process is a lot of fun. There are engagement pictures, gift registries, bridal showers and much more! Even for those of us that aren't getting married, we can't help but to get caught up in the wedding magic.
Except, well, when it comes to the bachelor / bachelorette parties. You know what I'm talking about. The stereotypical parties where the guys go off and hang out at the best strip joints and the girls go to bars and see how many men they can talk to by the end of the night. Oh, and drinking -- a lot of excessive drinking. Typically called "the last hoorah" with friends, these parties often lead to inappropriate, juvenile behavior.
Hear me out. If you're in preparation for getting married to the love of your life, why would you want to engage in a party like this? Why would you think it is OK to behave in this manner? Several couples may defend their party plans with, "We trust each other. It's fine." But is it? It's great to trust one another. It truly is. But it's just as important to respect each other. It is completely disrespectful to lust after other people, flirt with other people and especially to touch other people. Whether you're about to get married or not, your love for whom you are with should be substantial enough for you not to participate in these behaviors.
Call me old-fashioned, but I refuse to party hard during my bachelorette party. I'm nowhere close to getting married, but I already know that I'd rather have a classy weekend away with my best girlfriends than a night out that we will most likely forget. A weekend at a bed-and-breakfast with my best friends that includes a wine tasting, a spa day, a trip to the theater and maybe even an amusement park visit sounds a heck of a lot more fun than partying all night with penis-shaped cakes, men that don't care about my best interests and waking up the next morning with the worst hangover I may ever have in my life.
To each their own, right? But if you don't want your future husband / wife to know what you did during your party, you probably shouldn't do it. I hope you have enough love, trust and respect for your future spouse to reconsider the agenda for your "the last hoorah" with your best friends.
If your friends truly care about you, they'll listen to your wishes.
