My friend Crystal is marrying the love of her life in less than a month, and you know what that means!!! We got to kidnap her for a weekend of fun. New Orleans, Louisiana was the destination and I had the pleasure of being the activities coordinator for the group, a title I took great pride in since it’s my 2nd home & holds a special place in my heart. The mission, a fun weekend for 12 women, was no easy feat but was accomplished with rave reviews. So if you’re headed to NOLA for a weekend with the girls (bachelorette or not) and need a few ideas, here’s what we did. You could even hit these spots with the HusBae too.
LODGING : We used AirBnB for accommodations. As you could imagine, a house for 12 women needed to have not only enough beds, but also enough bathrooms & mirrors. Here’s a glimpse of one of the bedrooms.
We made survival kits for everyone that included a few essentials just in case things got a little bachelorette-y in NOLA. The bags also included custom drink coozies and T-shirts (by Deidre).
FIRST STOP | Daiquiri Shop!
These are plentiful in NOLA and a must when you enter the city ready to party. Perfect for pregaming and a cool treat to beat the heat of the Big Easy! Cheers!
NIGHT ONE
OCEANA FOR DINNER | Oceana is a French Quarter staple and rightfully so. The menu boasts some awesome seafood dishes and amazing sides. Be sure to get there early though or you’ll be stuck in a line down the street. Check out the menu and get ready to activate your taste buds. I really wanted the Redfish Oceana but wasn’t that hungry, so I grabbed their famous crab cakes & a salad. Nom nom.
TWERK CLASS | Yes, you read that correctly. Twerk class. Alexa play City Girls. Ha! I thought this would be super fun and it was. Our instructor, who said she’s been twerking since 14…insert shocked face emoji, gave us a few pointers and taught us a couple of routines. The playlist included Cardi, Megan THEE Stallion, and that good ole NOLA bounce. I made a few hilarious IG stories that night, including one that said how hard twerking was for me and these knees. However, I was determined to pick up a few new tricks and I did. Most of the ladies in the group are married and let’s just say Crystal wasn’t going to be the only one with newlywed behavior after this class. We used Marissa Joseph (MoeJoe) for the class and she was awesome with communicating and setting things up. Checkout her website HERE. The class was 1.5 hours and we chose the package that came with 3 gallons of daiquiris. Added bonus: she had her own studio. We brought heels but kicked them off half way through the class. We had a blast!
BOURBON STREET | Of course it’s only right that we ended the night With a stroll down the famous street. Crystal had a photo scavenger hunt to complete (Oh the shenanigans!!) We people-watched and laughed the whole night. We stopped in a club with a bomb DJ and got our entire life!! It was a great end to a good night.
DAY TWO
SPA DAY | You all know by now, no girls trip is complete without a posh spa day and this one wasn’t any different. Bella Donna Spa was AWESOME! Located on Magazine Street, we were surrounded by awesome restaurants and the cutest retail shops. Since it was so many of us, we had to opt for a “mini” spa day of sorts, but when I tell y’all that was the best 20 minute massage I’ve ever had. Tasha from Wakanda (not her real name but that’s what we called her because she was a gorgeous brown girl with the most perfect Bantu knots) did her thing! All of the therapists received rave reviews from us. We reserved the City Lounge room where we popped champagne for mimosas, toasted our friend, and literally lounged during our spa experience. We also had access to the Hydrotherapy Garden with hot tub, sauna, and steam room. Our concierge, Luciana, was the bomb!!! She took excellent care of us and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy some relaxing girl time. Check out BellaDonna if you’re ever in the city. It was amazing!
RUM HOUSE FOR LUNCH | A Caribbean spin on Mexican was the perfect pit stop for us post spa day. The guacamole was one of the best I’ve ever had and the tacos were really good too (I had the shrimp). Service was great and timely. I’m definitely going back to spend more time here and partake in a few libations. Check out the menu HERE.
(Insert Jay-Z’s Change Clothes here)
THE FOUNDATION ROOM FOR DINNER & DANCING | This place was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but the ambiance and service were perfect for the occasion. This was an all black everything kind of night for us so we could let the bride to be stand out in white! So cliche but so beautiful. She was greeted with champagne upon entry (a pleasant surprise)! Dinner was ridiculously delicious and we had a great time laughing and conversing! Attached to the dining area of the Foundation Room is a lounge where there was live music at first (a cool trio that covered some great classics), then a DJ comes and turns it up later. And turn up we did!
DESSERT AT CAFE DU MONDE | You can’t come to NOLA and not partake in some authentic beignets. We had one more stop planned after this, but honestly, we had all tapped out after our sweet treats (and a walk that didn’t appear that long but was indeed long). It was the perfect end to a wonderful night. And most importantly our friend was all smiles and had enjoyed her weekend.
FAREWELL BRUNCH | We chose Ruby Slipper for brunch because of its incredibly good food but most importantly for it’s casual vibe. We would be getting on the road right after so we didn’t need endless mimosas and buffets. I had a smoked salmon omelet that was to die for! There are several locations throughout the city but get there early. Check out the website with full menu HERE!
According to Q, if you and few girlfriends (or the mister) want to laissez les bons temps rouler in New Orleans, these are a few places that won’t disappoint! Our weekend was amazing. Did you notice there was no mention of shopping?
Cheers to NOLA, happily ever afters, and letting the good times roll!
* Most photos by VFM Photography who did an amazing job at capturing the fun!