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A Maid of Honor HQ three-day sample

Bachelorette weekend in Des Moines.

The underrated East Village weekend

Des Moines, IA carries 2 bachelorette-friendly nightlife venues and 6 curated daytime activities in this guide. The 3-day sample below anchors Friday at Exile Brewing Company and Saturday night at Hello, Marjorie.

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The three days

Friday through Sunday, hour by hour.

Day 1 · Friday

Arrival, dinner, first drink.

  • Afternoon: Flights into DSM (Des Moines Intl). Check into lodging — Hotel Fort Des Moines (Curio Collection) is the bridesmaid-favorite base for this trip. Getting-ready outfits on, bride in the center of the group photo.
  • 7:30pm · Dinner at Exile Brewing Company — Craft beer + big patio in the East Village (American · $$)
  • 10:00pm · First drink at Hello, Marjorie — Deep-green leather lounge that anchors the city's cocktail scene

Day 2 · Saturday

The signature day.

  • 11:00am · East Village cocktail crawl — Walkable bohemian district — bar to bar without an Uber (3 hr · $40–$90/pp)
  • 8:00pm · Dinner at Le Bouillon — Rural-French comfort food — duck frites + raw bar (French · $$$)
  • 10:30pm · The main event — Bellhop Tiki Bar — Palm Springs-style tiki den in the East Village Open late.

Day 3 · Sunday

The soft landing.

  • 11:00am · Brunch at Ted & Wally's — Premium homemade ice cream to cap the night (Dessert · $)
  • 2:00pm · Departure. Group photo before the airport run to DSM — roughly 15 minutes from the usual lodging cluster. Bride gets the window seat.

The shortlist

Top venues in Des Moines.

Hello, Marjorie

Deep-green leather lounge that anchors the city's cocktail scene

Bellhop Tiki Bar

Palm Springs-style tiki den in the East Village

Exile Brewing Company

Craft beer + big patio in the East Village

Le Bouillon

Rural-French comfort food — duck frites + raw bar

Ted & Wally's

Premium homemade ice cream to cap the night

See the full Des Moines destination guide →

Questions bridesmaids ask

Before she sends it to the group chat.

How many days do bridesmaids usually spend in Des Moines for a bachelorette weekend?

Three days — fly in Friday afternoon, do the big dinner + nightlife Friday night, the signature daytime activity plus another dinner Saturday, and a late brunch Sunday before wheels up. Two nights works for drive-in groups; four only if the bride wants a full resort day.

What is the right group size for a Des Moines bachelorette trip?

Six to ten bridesmaids is the sweet spot — big enough for a proper reservation, small enough to share one rental home and one group dinner table without splitting the party.

When should we book Des Moines for a bachelorette weekend?

Lock lodging four to six months out, dinners six to eight weeks out, and the headline activity once the group flight count is confirmed. Des Moines lodging tightens fast in peak wedding season (April–June and September–October).

How much does a Des Moines bachelorette weekend cost per person?

Budget $550–$1,100 per bridesmaid for a three-day weekend in Des Moines, IA — that covers a shared rental home, two big dinners, one activity, and nightlife. Upgrading to a boutique hotel or a private chef pushes the per-person into $1,200–$1,800.

Is this weekend the same as the Des Moines destination guide?

No — the destination guide at /des-moines lists every venue. This page is a three-day sample itinerary you can hand to the bridesmaids on day one. The AI planner at /plan builds a fully personalized weekend around the bride.

Build her own Des Moines weekend.

This is the shared sample. The AI planner personalizes every hour around the bride — parallel tracks for the pregnant friend and the sober bridesmaid, a trip terms sheet for the group chat so nobody gets a Venmo surprise, and every venue lifted from the real Des Moines catalog. Free. No card.

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