Kayla, my de facto bridesmaid, threw not only an engagement fiesta in the fall but also hosted my bachelorette party last weekend. Well, really, I should say that Kayla, Cassandra, and Jin threw me a bachelorette party because all three contributed in their own, er, special ways.

Kayla knows that I aim to become the “Modern Face of Temperance.” [Seriously, Carrie Nation was a real badass, but she wasn’t really endearing herself to anyone by chopping up bars with an axe and a grumpy face, was she?] She prepared this delightful “mock-tail” bar with really delicious fruity drinks, none of which were sullied by the foul taste of alcohol.

I sampled a lot of beverages….

Kayla also amassed the strangest, most obscure facts about engagements and weddings for some trivia.

Staci and Ester, who had attended the most bachelorette parties, did the best. They were gracious winners.

Cassandra and Jin? Um, not so much. Jin may have confused “wedding bands” (the rings) with musical groups. Oops.

Me and Aileen? If we were tested on wedding knowledge, this would be our grade.

For dinner, Jin gave us a lesson on how to make kimbap (Korean rice rolls filled with vegetables and other tasty fillings, including radish that gives you cancer when eaten in massive quantities.)

Actually, we all gave ourselves a lesson on how to make kimbap. Trial by fire!

Some of us had better results…

…than others.

But that’s okay because Jin would never laugh at your kimbap. Ever.

For her part, Cassandra really made a concerted effort to give my bachelorette party a “traditional” feel: a crown, a sash, pink balloons. She also did her damnedest to try to embarrass me with phallic gummy candies and “dirty” gifts. (Little did she know that I have no shame, mwahahaha!) She even covered a pair of lacy underwear with so much bedazzling that it can pull double duty as a chastity belt.

Somehow, I made room in my tummy for Staci’s blueberry lemon cake.

Meanwhile, Cass made room for some imitation crab stick but was embarrassed about it.

And then it was off to our local noraebang to finish the night with Korean karaoke!

Thanks so much to Kayla, Cassandra, and Jin for hosting such a delightful and fun bachelorette party. I’m not very conventionally fun by 20-something anyone’s standards, so I appreciate the time and effort they took to celebrate my last month (Eek! Less!) of non-married life. Though, I hope that when I am married, I will still eat kimbap and play games and not be embarrassed by singing “Since U Been Gone” at the top of my lungs….