Need to shop for a new dress and plan a bachelorette party in preparation for your wedding? Why not combine the two and save yourself some time? Here's how you can turn wedding dress shopping into a fun bachelorette party for you and your friends:

Plan for Privacy

The first step in turning your wedding dress shopping experience into a fun bachelorette party is to secure a private space for the experience. Reserve a private room in the dress shop where you plan to shop if they have the space, or have a representative from the shop bring dresses you can try on to your home or a rented party space if necessary. Decorate your designated space with streamers, balloons, and pictures of you and your groom to create a festive atmosphere your that will excite your friends. Consider hiring a guitarist to entertain your guests while you try dresses on – just make sure they play an acoustic guitar so the music doesn't get too loud during the event.

Request Refreshments

Ask each of your guests to bring refreshments to the party so you don't have to worry about satisfying everyone's needs while gathered together. Make a list of finger foods and beverages you'd like to see at the party and ask everyone to choose one thing from the list to bring along with them. Just set up a table and furnish plastic ware and cups, and then you'll be set for an afternoon of fun. It's important to make sure that you choose appetizers for your party that won't stain any of the wedding dresses you try on at the party, or you may end up buying something you don't really want to wear. Stick with options such as fruit salad, crackers or breads, and thick sauces like hummus that don't typically drip when scooped up.

Create a Game Box

To keep things interesting, create a few games to play at your dress shopping bachelorette party. Fill a box with cards, a set of dominoes, some paper and pens, and some scrapbooking supplies to keep things interesting and accommodate a variety of activities. You can also come up with fun games that revolve around dress shopping such as:

• Have your guests guess the price of each dress you try on – the person closest to the actual price of any given dress wins a prize.
• Have guests find accessories in the magazines you bring that would go well with the dresses you try on to see who has similar taste as you do.
• Have guests write down three features of each dress you try on after they've been taken off and put away to test their memories.

You'll find that by planning some games to play, your guests will feel like they're part of the action and should be more likely to stay engaged when helping you shop for a perfect wedding dress.