Erica Rosman Forbes with her bridesmaids on her big day

Destination Fun

Choose a fun locale for a bachelorette party mini-vacation.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

E

rica Rosman Forbes and the women in her wed-
ding party wanted to have an extended, pre-
wedding celebration with new experiences to
share — but only with one another.
That made them ready to join a growing trend —
bachelorette destination travel — which takes a bride
away to a magical locale joined by gal pals important
to her life and special day.
In Forbes’ case, the destination choice would have
some tough competition. That’s because her house-
hold was being set up in a place usually thought of as
a vacation hotspot, and her honeymoon reservations

would take her and her groom to an exotic spot.
Forbes, who had lined up work as a nurse practi-
tioner, would be settling into a beach house on the
Cayman Islands, where her husband is employed as a
foreign exchange trader. The honeymoon would be in
Thailand, where the Michigan-bred couple wanted to
experience the nuances of Asian culture.
“Going to South Carolina for the bachelorette trip
was my idea,” says Forbes, who picked Charleston
because she thought of the Southern city as different,
adventurous and fun for all who would be traveling.
“We decided to take a tour of the city, spend time on

the beach and have wonderful dinners at different res-
taurants. We also wanted to go on the historical neigh-
borhood tours to see cool houses from the 1600s.
“Ten women, including me, went to Charleston for
four days, and I think everyone had fun. We shared two
connecting hotel rooms and talked a lot. It was a great
time and place to get everyone together because they
don’t all live close to one another.”
Forbes, who has been active in Temple Israel while
growing up in West Bloomfield, was married last fall
at the Colony Club in Detroit. Before her wedding
day, she did some shopping in Charleston, where she

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