How to split the cost of a bachelorette party
The house, the dinner, the sashes, and the bride, who shouldn’t see a bill. Here’s how to split a bachelorette party so her share is covered and the maid of honor gets paid back.
Does the bride pay?
Usually not: it’s her weekend, and the group covers her share. She often pays for her own flight or drive, and some brides would rather pay their own way entirely. Whatever you decide, say it in the group chat before anyone books.
Covering the bride means splitting each expense between some people: everyone but her. In the card above, Hannah is the bride and isn’t in any of it. Ava skipped the wine tasting, so she’s left out of that one too. Olivia booked the Airbnb, so at the end everyone pays her. Change what the Airbnb cost and watch who pays whom.
What a bachelorette party costs
- Where you stay. Usually the biggest cost, booked by the maid of honor with a deposit months ahead.
- The plans. A spa day, a class, a boat, a show: whatever the bride would love.
- Food and drink. The big dinner, brunch, the grocery run.
- The extras. Decorations, sashes, matching shirts, a gift from the group.
- Getting around. Rides, a rental car, gas. Flights are usually each person’s own.
How to do it without a spreadsheet
- Start a bachelorette potluck and drop the link in the group chat. Everyone taps it and picks their name: no app to download, no account.
- Add the deposit the day it’s paid, and the decorations the day they’re bought.
- Everyone adds what they pay as they go. For anything you’re covering for the bride, untick her and it’s split between the rest.
- At the end, it shows the fewest payments to square everyone up. Pay each other however you like, and mark it settled.
A few things to agree on before you book
- What the group covers for the bride, and what she pays for herself.
- A rough cost per person, so everyone knows what they’re saying yes to.
- Whether someone who comes for one night pays for one night. Usually yes; the Airbnb calculator works it out.
Planning the other one too? Splitting a bachelor party works the same way, with the groom left out.
Questions
Does the bride pay for her bachelorette party?
Usually not. The group covers her share of the stay, the meals and the plans, and she often pays her own travel. Some brides would rather pay their own way, and that’s fine too. Agree on it before anyone books, so it isn’t a conversation she has to start.
How do you split the bride’s share between everyone else?
Leave her out of each expense you’re covering. In Potluck, add the expense, tap how it’s split and untick the bride: it’s split equally between everyone else, to the cent.
The maid of honor booked everything. How does she get paid back?
She adds each thing she paid for, and so does everyone else. At the end Potluck shows the fewest payments to square up, usually one from each person to her, instead of a dozen small ones.
Who pays for the decorations and the gifts?
Whoever buys them adds them, split between everyone chipping in, with the bride left out. A gift from the group works the same way.
What if someone skips an activity or comes for one night?
Leave them out of what they skipped. For the place, split it by nights: one share for each night a person stayed. The Airbnb by nights calculator works it out.
How do we keep it affordable for everyone?
Share a rough cost per person before anyone commits, and say what it covers. Then everyone can choose what they join, and nobody is asked to explain why.
Does everyone need to download an app?
No. They tap the link in the group chat, pick their name and add what they paid. Nobody makes an account.
Is it free?
Yes, with no limit on how many expenses you add, so a weekend of brunches, rides and tickets doesn’t hit a cap.