Does it get any better than a beach weekend with your besties? Maybe if it also happens to be your bachelorette weekend. A close knit group of friends and I spent the weekend at my family's beach house in Rockaway, Oregon. Sea air, barrel-aged cocktails, a gourmet smore's bar, and some nautical-themed bachelorette temporary tattoos, made for one unforgettable time. Read on for all the details and loads of inspiration to throw your own end-of-summer bash for your bride and her girls…

Just a few steps from the beach house is the beach with a great view of Twin Rocks. I've been coming to Rockaway beach since I was a little girl and it's still one of my favorite spots on the Oregon coast. It's a small town that isn't as developed as some other coastal towns but that's part of it's charm too. We had the beach almost entirely to ourselves.

So we packed up a picnic of cheese, meats, fruit and crackers (along with some tasty add-ons for smore's). Although a simple spread it made for an easy but delicious picnic on the sand.

Keeping with the nautical theme, we wanted to do a barrel aged cocktail. Although these requires a bit of planning a head (most recipes call for several weeks of aging), it's portable and can simply be poured over ice straight from the spigot. Using a rum-based cocktail seemed appropriate so we used a recipe we fell in love with at Urban Farmer called The Sun Also Rises. It's a easy summer sipper featuring a Portland spirit: 7 Sirens Rum. Fitting for the event, right? Urban Farmer ages their for 30 days although I'm thinking it could actually go a touch longer and pick up some of the nice oak notes from the barrel. Either way it's simple to make; all you need is:

1 1/2 ounces of 7 Sirens Rum
3/4 ounce verjus
3/4 ounce Luxardo
Grapefruit bitters

It was an amazing, relaxing weekend and definitely easy to plan and put together.

Photographer, Stylist, Design: Kristen McGillivray / Tattoos: Etsy / Hair & Makeup: Havilah Howard/ Cocktail Barrel: Baby Barrels/ Cocktail Recipe Adapted from: Urban Farmer

Three different tattoos are featured in this post: Last Sail before the Veil, Buy Me a Shot, I'm tying the Knot, and Tank her Before She Drops Anchor

Thank you for the interest in my temporary tattoos. These are fun and easy to apply; here's a few tips to using them. Store your temporary tattoos is their packaging in a cool, dark place until you're ready to apply. Take care to avoid contact with heat and moisture.

1) Once you're ready to apply your tattoo, clean the skin of any lotions, oil and dirt. (Rubbing alcohol is especially helpfully in prepping the skin. )

2) Remove the clear plastic protective sheet from the tattoo and place the image face down on the skin.

3) Apply a damp cloth and wet the tattoo thoroughly before removing the paper back ( you should be able to simply slide the paper away from the tattoo without any signs of peeling around the edges).

4) Rinse the tattoo with water to help remove any residue that still may be left by the tattoo and then allow the tattoo to dry completely before beginning your festivities. And then you're all set! Bring on the party :)