It’s definitely a tough time to be a bride right now and figuring out how to adapt the traditional bridal celebrations during a global pandemic. I helped throw a virtual bachelorette party at the beginning of COVID, which you can read about here, but as time goes on during this pandemic in person bachelorette parties are becoming common if done safely and properly. Here’s how we did a bachelorette party in Fredericksburg, TX during COVID.
Everything You Need To Know For Bachelorette Party in Fredericksburg, TX during COVID
If you aren’t from Texas or a surrounding state you’ve probably never heard of Fredericksburg, but it’s the cutest small town just west of Austin, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. It’s a very popular place for girl’s weekends or bachelorette party trips. I actually did a girl’s trip to Fredericksburg last summer. There are tons of wineries and cute places to eat and shop. Although things look very different right now because of the current pandemic the town and small business owners are adapting and finding ways to make tourists feel welcome.
Right before we visited the governor of Texas put some very strict mandates in place for any establishments that earned more than 50% of their revenue from alcohol so this made these very tricky when visiting a city known for its wineries.
Where we stayed:
Right now sleeping arrangements are SO important. Typically, I would have no problem sharing a bed or room with a stranger but with everything happening, I definitely did not want to share a bed with someone and have them breathing on me while I sleep.
If you are planning a bachelorette party I highly recommend keeping this in mind for your guests, even though it might be a little more expensive it’s definitely worth it to have a little more space to spread out and have privacy.
Link to our Airbnb: Fernweh House
Our Itinerary:
Friday
We left Fort Worth around 9 AM to head down to Fredericksburg. It’s about a 4-hour drive and since I had driven 6 hours from Arkansas the day before I was so grateful to just be a passenger this time.
We did stop in Fort Worth at a liquor store to stock up on drinks because we weren’t sure if there would be places on our way down or not. This was definitely a good idea because the drive is pretty desolate until you get to Fredericksburg.
When we got into Fredericksburg we stopped for a late lunch since everyone was pretty hungry. We had several girls with dietary restrictions, but luckily everywhere we went they were very accomodating.
We had Burger Burger for lunch and they had about 50% capacity with absolutely delicious sweet potato fries.
After lunch, I went with the Maid of Honor to get the Airbnb decorated and ready for the bride. I do want to say the Maid of Honor did an AMAZING job planning everything perfectly, so I can’t take credit for anything but still wanted to share about our weekend.
We set up a little photo booth, balloons, and personalized goodie bags, she had thought of everything! While we were getting everything in order the other girls stayed with the bride to do a little shopping.
My favorite place to shop for Bachelorette Party decorations is Sprinkled with Pink (Use code ANGELA for 10% off)
After we set up the Airbnb, we met back up with the bride and other girls to enjoy some shopping. All of the stores were open and operating as normal but of course, required masks upon entering.
There are shops all up and down Main Street some of my faves were:
Dogologie -the cutest dog boutique for every breed.
T-Shirt Ecertra – They do on-demand customizations so I ended up getting a custom sweatshirt.
Circle E Candles
The Christmas Store
Pritzer Sweet Shop
That night we decided to keep our distance and stay at home for a good old fashion pizza party. We ordered pizza, drank wine and seltzers, played some fun games, and did it all in our matching PJs. It was the perfect way to start the weekend!
Saturday
This group of girls was my kind of girls because we all slept in and enjoyed a slow morning before getting started, which after a pizza party and wine was much needed.
We ordered Emma and Ollie for brunch and enjoyed brunch on the patio of our cute Airbnb. I am not a breakfast person so I just went with their traditional biscuit. Emma and Ollie is closed for dine-in so getting it to go or delivered is the best bet.
From there we headed to Grape Creek Vineyard for a wine tasting. We did not make a reservation at Grape Creek and somehow lucked out with the perfect wine tasting view. Because of the “no serving” policy set by the governor, each winery had their own workarounds. At Grape Creek, you could choose between three types of wine tastings red, white, or mix. From there the gave you a bag with three containers and a souvenir wine glass for you to take home. Once you got to your private tasting location the wine specialist explained about each wine and you poured it yourself. Since you pour it and they technically aren’t serving you this how they are continuing to operate. Bless loopholes in the system.
I really enjoyed all of my wines at Grape Creek and the woman helping us, Ashley, was an absolute delight. She took group photos for us and was so kind and accomodating. The only watch out is Grape Creek is VERY member heavy so be prepared for a member sales pitch after your tasting. If you do not become a member your tasting ends there. If you decided to join, you are allowed to purchase bottles of wine and enjoy them at tables on the property. We just politely declined and moved on to our next place.
Our next reservation was not until 3 PM so we had a little time to kill, so one of the girls suggested Das Peach Haus. We were on a HUNT for some fresh peaches and peach cobbler since it’s peach season in Texas. They actually have two locations one is a small fruit stand which is great for convenience the other is more a market/bakery style with a gorgeous patio and pond in the back. I picked up some fresh jam, jarred peaches, and a delicious lemon bar, while the other girls enjoyed some peach cobbler a la mode.
While we were enjoying our sweets with a view the kindest woman bought our group two bottles of peach wine to enjoy. She said her sister was a COVID bride and wanted to treat us because she knows how hard it is. It was the sweetest gesture and the peach wine was amazing. There is definitely something for everyone at this stop.
Our last vineyard was Barton’s Creek, which the Maid of Honor made a reservation at to secure a spot. She let them know ahead of time that we would be getting at least two bottles of wine and two charcuterie boards which hit the spot! I believe it was $26 a person split evenly between 6 of us for reference. We did have to pour our own glasses and you could only buy bottles but it was lovely.
The location of Barton’s Creek is stunning it gives me major Italian vibes with villas and fountains. It’s definitely one of the more upscale wineries but there was no pressure to join a membership or sales pitch.
For dinner that evening, we had planned to go to Hondo’s which is definitely one of my favorite spots but seating is SO difficult. We got there at about 7:30 and they closed at 9. The waitlist was over an hour and half long so they weren’t taking any more parties. So if this is on your agenda get there early to ensure you can get in.
Luckily Hondo’s is right off Main Street so we walked across the street to Crossroads and were able to get in immediately. Crossroad is definitely more of an upscale steak dinner type restaurant but they could get us in so it worked out. They do have a saloon attached to the restaurant with live music that typically is the only place to go dancing but it was filled with tables because of COVID, but they did still have live music.
Sunday
For breakfast, on Sunday we opted for Squeeze In which is a funky breakfast spot that was actually featured on the Food Network with Bobby Flay. The wait was pretty long but they took our phone number and called us when our table was ready. It’s right off Main Street so we popped into a few more stores while we waited. And then after breakfast, we headed back to the Dallas Fort Worth area.
It was a very casual low key bachelorette party which was perfect because we were still able to get away and celebrate the bride and made her feel loved while being safe.
I did also want to mention we had one person in our party that didn’t drink so she was the designated driver and enjoyed munchies at each winery, but everywhere we went was very accomodating in case you have someone in your group who is underage or doesn’t drink. Fredericksburg is one of my favorite places because it’s quaint but has Texas pride and so many different things to do for different people.
If you are reading this post-COVID I recommend checking out this post where I went during normal conditions for a girls weekend with my college besties.
Fredericksburg looks like such a cute area! One of my good friends lives in Texas so I’d love to visit here with her someday. So glad y’all got to safely celebrate your friend!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
This was such a great post. I’m a MOH getting ready to plan a bach party and I wasn’t sure how to do a few things. California has been pretty strict on some of the dining laws out here so that comes into play too. Thank you for this blog post! Just what I needed to read.
Loved this idea! Can you go into more details what was inside each box (and also where she got the box)? I assume there was 1 for each bach party attendee?
Absolutely! The maid of honor asked for everyone’s favorite candy and paired it with some gourmet popcorn and cute stickers with a custom wine glass with our names on it.
Oh this is great- thank you!
Of course!
Love this post, planning an upcoming Bach party and needed this! Thank you so much! Also do you know what air bnb you girls stayed at?
Yay! Have so much fun! Yes, here’s a link (not sure why it’s not loading): https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/38377624?source_impression_id=p3_1614534638_KFqgnoB2FI7adpdP&guests=1&adults=1
Hi there! I’m the MOH planning a trip in July! How did y’all get around Fredericksburg? Did you use Uber or someone’s car?
THe MOH actually didn’t drink so she was the DD. Depending the party size, you can do an Uber XL. There is also a bunch of shuttle options. I’d recommend looking into the 290 shuttle!
Looks like so much fun! Where are the matching pajamas from? Such a cute idea!!
They were a gift! I’d definitely check out Etsy!