We did a little survey, and we have some information for you about the state of bachelorette parties today. You may never have another chance to use that penis straw, and that's probably a good thing.

We found that an overwhelming 88% of respondents are looking for more upscale options when it comes to bachelorette party themes, leaving the days of strippers and raunchy accessories behind. A moment of silence for the penis straw, please.

More than 70-percent of survey respondents claimed that splitting the check was a huge headache, and thankfully Holiday Golightly has Divvy It Up to help with that!

Want more percentages? We thought so! 61% of respondents reported they prefer a bachelorette weekend away with a mix of activities, as opposed to one wild night out in their own town - and more than half (57%) are willing to pay up to $400 for said getaway. Of those invited to bachelorette events this year, a notable 66% indicated the weakened economy may somewhat impact their bachelorette plans, but another 21% were ready to open their wallets no matter what. We prefer to hang out with the 21%. Weakened economy, schmeakened economy.

Economy aside, in terms of planning a bachelorette party, respondents cited the scheduling headache that accompanies organizing a big group as the biggest hang-up (37%), followed by dividing and collecting funds (32%) and selecting activities (19%). Seriously girls. Call us.

We asked, and you answered! Many of you had been to some fairly standard bachelorette/hen parties, and there were others who stepped it up a bit with some very original plans. These are the top 10 responses we found, with some unique ideas we'll be borrowing!

1. River rafting/camping trip on the Colorado - we love this idea if for no other reason than you get to leave the makeup, hair-dryers, flat-irons, and high heels at home. Get back to nature.

 

 

2. Rock climbing with lingerie prize at the top of the rock face. - Anything that involves prizes is very big in our book. Although you'd really need to wait to cool down before putting on the lingerie.

 

3. Napa Getaway with the perfect house to chill at! Riding in a limo all over tasting great wine! - Wineries are our Happy Places, and are a failsafe celebration/party idea.

 

 

4. Can Can (a burlesque club) in Pike Place Market (Seattle). Not too raunchy like a strip club, but we weren't sitting around drinking tea getting our nails done either. - We would wholeheartedly endorse the burlesque show AND drinking tea and getting our nails done.

 

5. Running around Burning Man doing a cheesy scavenger hunt that turned into a night of extremely naughty insanity. - From what we've heard, Burning Man is fairly insane to begin with, so this must have been the ultimate in craziness!

 

 

6. Water theme - private boat party bridal shower followed by Austin Night life, then an all day float down the Guadalupe River, nursing hangovers the next day! Awesome! - We are envisioning "nursing hangovers" with margaritas. Is that wrong?

 

 

7. We went bowling. It was low key, there were drinks, and we were all equally horrible. It was great! - Bowling is hilarious, and we are suspicious of anyone who is actually good at it.

 

8. Wiggin Out. We all wore different colored and styled wigs the whole night. It was a sight. - We LOVE wigs! They really take the pressure off of finding a great outfit. No one looks at your outfit when you're wearing a turquoise bob.

 

9. We dressed up as men for a friends party. Suits, hats, fake cigars. It was hilarious! - This is a fantastic idea, and possibly the most unique we've heard. We are already trying to think of which suit we'd wear.

 

10. At one party I attended, the host had made a small photo book with "assignments" for the bride-to-be (eg. find a bald man, get a bartender to propose, etc.) We had a ball using the polaroid camera snapping up shots of the night and when we were done, the bachelorette had a fun souvenier of the night! - Assignments are a great way to cajole your bachelorette friend into doing truly embarrassing things, and having concrete proof of this? Priceless.

 

 

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

 

 Okay, raise your hand if you're married.  Now, keep your hand up if you have wedding accoutrement that you will (fingers crossed) never use again.  And keep your hand up if you feel you spent a king's ransom on said accoutrement, and would love some way to get a bit of that expense back, and potentially help out a new bride-to-be.

This website is fantastic.  It's like Craig's List or Ebay, but for brides.  And it's fancier.  Weddings are outrageously expensive, unless you can get creative about how to plan it.  Say "hello" to creative:  Bravo Bride.

Bravo Bride is the place to go for both prior brides, and brides-to-be.  It is the ultimate chi-chi swap meet for all things wedding.  From the founder: "BravoBride.com is an online marketplace where brides, newlyweds and bridal boutiques can buy and sell new and pre-owned wedding items, from designer wedding dresses and jewelry to shoes, favors, ceremony/reception items and more. Basically it's like Craiglist.com for the bridal industry."

You never know.  There may be another bride out there who absolutely needs to have Lego castle centerpieces for her reception.

You may browse items by the following categories:

Dresses

Jewelry

Accessories

Ceremony

Reception

Planning Items

Party & Shower Items

OR check out the Featured Items, or New Items.  The site also offers a listing for local vendors, and helpful wedding tips.

So get in there and buy or sell to your heart's content.  And if you're buying, just remember that you can re-list all the stuff once your big day is over!