Tyler’s Two Cents: Brace Yourselves, the Bachelorettes are Coming

It’s a warm Saturday afternoon in June. You’re sitting at the Landing enjoying the live music and you see a group of women, dressed in matching “Last Sail Before the Veil” tank tops, walking around the wharf. A few minutes later, another group adorned in matching “Bride’s Mates” shirts arrives on the patio. Before long, the entire bar is comprised of 6 different Bachelorette parties and you’re seemingly in heaven or hell, depending on your perspective.

Newport, Rhode Island is strongly considered the ‘Mecca’ of New England bachelorette parties. It is a perfect destination for ladies to eat, drink, hit the beach, shop and party it up before saying “I do.” Now that summer is here, bachelorette season is in full swing. Newport businesses have done a solid job identifying this market and many bars, restaurants and charter boats have packages that cater to these types of events. Newport Bachelorette, a local company founded by Gregory Brunson Jr. and Jabreche “JB” Taylor, is a business predicated solely on planning custom bachelorette parties and packages for the bride-to-be and her posse.  

With endless options for activities, it is easy to understand why Newport is such a draw for these groups. Newport offers everything from sailing to sky-diving. Newport boasts world class restaurants and phenomenal nightlife. Newport is very accessible and foot-traffic friendly, except for those bachelorette rookies rocking 6 inch stilettos on our cobblestone streets looking like a baby deer taking it’s first steps. Newport also hosts so many amazing events for prospective spouses, including a huge bridal show and wedding expo each year. The aura of the coastline and aesthetics of the city’s Victorian Mansions only amplify the overwhelmingly romanticism that characterizes Newport and explains why so many are drawn to our city for their nuptials and the parties that precede them.  One of the greatest blessings and burdens of being a bartender or server in Newport is a bachelorette party. I actually got the idea for this article from my buddy Jack, a bartender at the Black Pearl and I have been asked by others around town to write something along these lines for a few weeks. Now before you get defensive or judgmental about this statement, please consider the logic behind this sentiment, one that every bartender in this town can understand.