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Why Wellness Bachelorette Parties Are Taking Over

From Sedona sound baths to Palm Springs pool days, brides are trading packed party itineraries for slower, more restorative weekends.

May 18, 2026

Bridesmaids in white robes relaxing during a wellness-focused bachelorette party with cucumber eye masks and spa treatments

Girls gone mild, indeed.

Being connected to the wedding world—an inevitability for newly engaged folks, courtesy of insanely crafty algorithms—means a veritable charcuterie board of bachelorette themes are presented you with each scroll.

Say what you want about the internet, but it's undoubtedly made us more aware of the world's creativity. From adept color coordination to full themes (like "[Bride]'s Declaration of Independence," a personal favorite of mine), personality and joyful ingenuity are on full display.

But some themes—aesthetics, perhaps—are more popular than others. Enter: the 30-something girl gang and the rise of the “wellness weekend,” otherwise known as the wellness bachelorette party.

According to the Census, first-time brides in America are the oldest they've ever been, with the median age now 28.6. Grooms—historically older than brides—are also at an all-time high, marrying around 31.

Though we Millennials like to talk a big game about our crazy college years, the truth is that by the time we're loved-up and ready for the "I do's," we're... tired. Gen Z brings a different vibe: more weed than wine; more apple cider vinegar than Aperol Spritz. So, what do these dual-generation brides have in common? The wellness weekend.

The New Bachelorette Itinerary

Wedding parties are creating pristine itineraries centered around relaxation—tailored to the bride, the destination or both. This could mean a classic spa day, yoga flows followed by lounging with a good book, mocktail nights, tarot or aura readings, infrared sauna sessions or just some built-in time to do nothing at all. Gone are the days of mandatory club appearances and schedules packed tighter than a carry-on. Today's events are becoming more about recovery, intentionality and, perhaps most importantly, not returning home needing another vacation.

These groups are trading bottle service for calmer schedules; hangover brunches for “one really good dinner” reservations. In places like Sedona, Arizona, destination bachelorette parties revolve around sound healing and vortex hikes. Palm Springs leans into desert luxury: long afternoons by the pool, luxuriating at the spa (like California Wedding Day's Best of 2026 winner for Best Spa Services, Glen Ivy Hot Springs) and just enough socializing. Ojai practically defines the word “retreat”; it's all intentional downtime and guided nature walks. Joshua Tree, meanwhile, has become the desert-girl answer to classic LA overstimulation: equal parts stargazing retreat, spiritual reset and group therapy session.

Of course, this shift isn't happening in a vacuum. Weddings themselves have become larger, longer and more expensive, often stretching into full wedding weekends complete with welcome parties and excursions. Industry reporting from Vogue and wedding planners alike points to the growing normalization of multi-day celebrations and destination-centered itineraries. Add in the realities of adult life—demanding jobs, shrinking free time, lingering burnout—and suddenly a restorative girls' weekend starts to sound a lot more appealing than three consecutive nights of tequila shots.

Don't get me wrong, the modern bachelorette party hasn't become less enjoyable—it's embraced a different definition of enjoyable. These days, luxury looks a little less like a nightclub table and a little more like eight women in matching robes collectively agreeing to be asleep by 10:30.