STORY | AMSTERDAM

A Bachelorette Party at Sunset for Three Friends

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 28 October 2026

Three friends seen from behind raising spritz glasses over the canal at sunset on their bachelorette party, a church tower far away

Three friends from Germany came to Amsterdam to celebrate one of them before her wedding. I photographed their bachelorette party at sunset, from the first canal bridge to a last toast above the water.

Two of them had booked the session as a surprise for the bride-to-be. Even for three friends, my group photoshoots in Amsterdam work the same way: I plan the route, and they simply enjoy the evening.

Three Friends on a Canal Bridge

We started on a bridge with green trees all along the water. Two of the friends wore black, while the third paired a black top with a long floral skirt in cream and yellow. That skirt would steal a few scenes before the evening was over.

Three friends throwing their arms in the air on a canal bridge, one in a long floral skirt, a small boat on the water behind

When a canal boat slid under the bridge, I waited until it was right in the frame. Boats are part of the rhythm of this city, so I watch the water as closely as the group. Then came one big jump, and the floral skirt flew higher than anyone.

Bachelorette party of three leaning on a canal bridge railing as a tour boat passes below, tall Amsterdam houses behind — Early evening on the canals, a tour boat passing below

Three friends jumping on a canal bridge, a floral maxi skirt flying out, green trees and arched bridges along the water

Stoops, a Bench and a Bulldog

Amsterdam’s old canal houses come with beautiful front steps. A stoop is a gift for a small group, because the steps give every friend her own height in the frame. On one grand stone stoop, the three peeked through the curling iron railings. Down by the water, two of them kissed their blonde friend on both cheeks at once.

Three friends laughing through the curling iron railings of a grand stone stoop in front of an old canal house

Two friends kissing a blonde friend on both cheeks by an Amsterdam canal, her eyes closed and her lips puckered

Next, they walked off toward a row of tall gabled houses. On another stoop they pulled their best funny faces. A green bench under a black brick front then made the perfect spot for a laugh.

Three friends walking away across a bridge toward tall gabled houses, the floral skirt swinging in the evening light

Bachelorette party friends pulling funny faces on the steps of a stoop, leopard sneakers and a black and gold railing

Three friends laughing on a green bench in front of a black brick facade, legs crossed and sandals on

On the way, a white French bulldog rolled onto its back on the sidewalk, and one of the friends could not resist. Meanwhile, a woman in an orange dress smiled from the doorway behind them.

Friend in a black jumpsuit crouching to pet a white French bulldog rolling on its back, a woman in orange in the doorway

Spritz for the Bachelorette Party

Then came the drink that gave this bachelorette party at sunset its color. At a terrace by the canal, three glasses of spritz with orange slices met over a round wooden table.

Three glasses of spritz with orange slices and black straws clinking over a wooden café table at the bachelorette party — Spritz on a canal-side terrace

Three friends sipping spritz through straws at a round café table by the canal, iron railings and boats behind them

First I photographed the toast from above, then the first sips through black straws. Finally, the three looked up at me from the sidewalk, glasses in hand, while the light turned warmer. A short stop like this is a good pause in any session. The conversation flows again, and the smiles get softer.

Bachelorette party friends looking up with spritz glasses in hand, seen from above on the brick sidewalk

A Sunset Toast for the Bachelorette

As the sun went down, we walked back to a bridge. The water turned gold, and the trees along the canal grew dark against the sky. The friend in the floral skirt held her skirt out with one hand and raised her glass to the canal with the other.

Friend in a floral maxi skirt raising her spritz toward the canal at sunset, holding her skirt out on the edge of the bridge

After that, all three lifted their glasses toward the water, with a church tower far down the canal. The last frames were pure laughter, with golden light behind them and their bachelorette party at sunset nearly over.

Three friends laughing with their glasses on a canal bridge at sunset, the last light of the bachelorette party on the water — The canal at sunset, the last frame of the evening

Planning a bachelorette in Amsterdam, big or small? Discover how my group photoshoots in Amsterdam work.