My best friend Diana is getting married in June, so this last weekend a group of ten girls headed to Nashville for her bachelorette party.  To say it was “fun” is a total understatement.  While it was way too short of a trip, we made the most of it while we were there.  Itz definitely a weekend never to forget!

We didn’t end up leaving St. Louis until 6:00 pm on Friday evening.  The drive was supposed to take approximately four and a half hours.  It took closer to seven…  There were torrential downpours literally the entire way there.  One of the other bridesmaids, Amy, gave Diana a “Bachelorette On Board” flag for the car, so we hung it out the window for the first hour or so.  When we pulled it in, we laughed at how quickly it became tattered from the terrible weather.  It was like the flag partied too hard before the weekend even began!

Fast forward seven rainy hours later: We finally arrive in Nashville!  At this point itz close to midnight and we’re exhausted.  We run into Aloft Hotel where we had reservations for the past two months and were told they overbooked and had no rooms available!  Uhhh what?!  We absolutely could not believe it.  They explained that they would put us up in a room elsewhere, on them, and then tomorrow night they would have a room ready.  The “other” hotel ended up being a less than stellar (and pretty dingy, dirty, and all around gross) Holiday Inn Express.  Not cool, Aloft Hotels, not cool.

We managed to get a few hours of a shut-eye after grabbing a bite to eat of greasy (yet delicious) grub at Tavern, got ourselves together, and headed out to explore Nashville!  One of the first stops was at The Bluebird Cafe which, apparently, is a big deal for those who love and follow the show Nashville (I had never heard of it…).

It was closed, so a picture under the awning had to suffice.    After The Bluebird, we did a little shopping downtown.  My favorite store was called Festivity.  It was trendy, super cute, a little hippie, and reasonably priced.  I ended up purchasing a headband and a tank top perfect for the summer.  While it continued to rain throughout the day, it definitely didn’t detour us from any stores.  We took another group shot outside a boot shop for a classic Nashville picture.

I’m wearing my new headband from Festivity!

Around two o’clock we started becoming concerned that we had not yet heard from Aloft Hotel.  They had told us they’d call us first thing in the morning as soon as someone checked out and they got a room cleaned, so we could come check-in early.  Regular check-in was at three, so a little after two we headed to the hotel to see what was up.  Unfortunately, the two new desk people had no idea what we were talking about when we explained the situation.  It was beyond frustrating, especially when we had received room confirmation just a couple days before.

Long story short, we ended up getting a room comped.  It was a nice gesture as the rooms are $250 per night, but the hassle we dealt with was not worth it at all.  I would not recommend this hotel because of the inconvenience, lack of communication, and no guarantee that your reservation actually holds a room.  Itz very unfortunate because the rooms were awesome and enormous.

My picture doesn’t do the room justice.  On the opposite side of the tv, there was a pull out couch.  There were two huge bean bags for lounging on, as well (you can kind of see one of them leaning against the wall).  Plus, I loved the artwork as there were several pieces hanging in our room, bathroom, and many more throughout the hotel.

After a day full of fun (and rain), it was time to shower, get dolled up, give fun presents to Diana, and spend a night on the town! Since Diana is seriously my best friend ever, I let her borrow my bachelorette dress I wore to my own bachelorette party.  I wouldn’t have wanted (or let) anyone else wear it, and it was fun to see her in my special dress.

Reversed roles!  Amy gave Diana a custom sash that was covered in bling and read, “Future Mrs. _____.”  (Obviously, it said her actual future last name, but for privacy purposes I’m keeping it blank.)  In case anyone is interested, Amy ordered the sash from The House of Bachelorette – it makes the perfect present and is gorgeous too!

After gifts and drinks in our hotel room, we headed to the lobby to wait for a cab and take a group shot before leaving.  Gotta love the sorority kneeling pose!

We went to dinner before hitting up Rippy’s.  Rippy’s is a large bar with several rooms; there were two bands playing great music – mostly country, but not all.  Tons of dancing was done as we were moving and grooving and a great time was most definitely had!

All in all, it was a totally awesome weekend.  Diana, I love you and cannot wait for your wedding day!  I’m glad I got to experience Nashville for your bachelorette party!

Where was your (or a friend’s) bachelorette party?  Mine was in St. Louis in July 2010 and a total blast!  I kind of want to relive it…