Plan a bachelorette party without the group chat chaos

The problem with planning a bachelorette party

Somebody always ends up as the unofficial maid-of-honor-slash-treasurer-slash-tour-guide. The group chat fills up with "should we do the spa day or the boat," half the replies go unanswered, and the itinerary gets decided by whoever pushed hardest, not by what the group actually wants. Then the money: the Airbnb deposit, the group dinner nobody agreed to spend $80 a head on, the bachelorette's gifts that shouldn't be split evenly with everyone else's bar tab. And there's always one person — a cousin, a work friend — who never gets around to downloading whatever app someone suggested, so she finds out the plan third-hand.

How Vacationist handles it

Vote on the itinerary, not just argue about it

Suggest the spa day, the boat trip, the club — the group votes on each one with a five-tier system from "must do" to "group blocker." If someone genuinely can't do the bar crawl, that shows up clearly instead of getting steamrolled in a group chat where the loudest opinion wins. Read more about how activity voting works.

Split the villa, the dinners, and the deposit fairly

Log the Airbnb deposit, the group dinners, the transport — split equally where that's fair, or with custom amounts when it isn't, like leaving the bride out of her own gift collection. Balances update live, so nobody's doing mental math to figure out who still owes for the boat. See how expense splitting works.

One link, everyone's in — even the cousin who never checks her email

Send a single invite link in the group chat. Anyone who taps it joins instantly — no account, no app-store search, no "wait, what's the sign-up code again." She can vote, see the balance, and check the packing list from a browser if she never installs the app at all.

A shared packing list for sashes, decorations, and the cooler question

One shared, real-time list for decorations, the sash, the "who's bringing extra chargers" questions — updated instantly for everyone instead of scattered across three different text threads.

What it costs

Free, with no ads. The core planning tools — voting, expense splitting, lists, and guest access — cost nothing for the whole bridal party. A Pro tier exists for organizers running multiple trips a year, but it isn't required for a single bachelorette weekend.

Frequently asked questions

Do all the bridesmaids need to download the app or make an account?

No. Anyone can join via the invite link and fully participate — voting, adding expenses, checking lists — without installing anything or signing up. The app is available for those who want it, but it's never required.

Can we split costs unevenly, like leaving the bride out of gift expenses?

Yes. Every expense can be split equally among everyone or with custom amounts per person, so the bride doesn't get charged for her own surprise gifts or spa treatment.

Is there a way to flag activities some bridesmaids can't afford or don't want to do?

Yes — the voting system includes a "group blocker" tier specifically for this, so a genuine no shows up clearly to the group instead of getting lost in a chat thread.

Does it work for a destination bachelorette with costs in a different currency?

Vacationist supports basic multi-currency tracking. If your group is converting between several currencies frequently, keep in mind the currency handling is simpler than a dedicated finance app — fine for most destination trips, but worth checking against your specific needs.