It is down to you to ensure the bride-to-be has fun on her last fling before the ring. The only problem is you have never organised a hen party before – no pressure!
You might have been to a hen party before, perhaps even had your own, but turning up to one and actually planning it are very different and it can be a lot harder than you might think. To start with you need to make sure all her favourite people are free on the same date, before booking accommodation as well as activities that everyone will be happy with.
But, don’t panic – this guide will help take the pressure off and enable you to organise a hen party that your best friend will still be talking about long after her wedding day.
Talk To The Bride
Not everyone likes a surprise and some brides will like to have more involvement than others. So, it is best to have a chat before you throw yourself into planning. Firstly, you can ask if she would like to be involved or if she would rather leave it all up to you and secondly you can find out if there is anything she would really like you to factor into the weekend.
Perhaps she has always dreamed of her hen party taking place in the Mediterranean or could see herself dancing away the weekend at her favourite festival? If you don’t ask, you won’t know – and it may turn out that she hasn’t even thought about it and is happy for you to do what you think is best. Either way, a quick conversation could take a huge amount of pressure off of you.
If nothing else it might just help you to write the guest list and determine which date it takes place on. She may also give you some indication of whether she wants it to just be friends or whether she would like her mum and future mother-in-law there.
But, if she is happy to leave it up to you and you are still unsure what to do then have a chat to her family, friends or even her husband-to-be! They may come up with a brilliant idea that you hadn’t even considered.
Start Organising As Early As You Can
Leave it to the last minute and you could find that all the accommodation at your desired location is booked up – particularly if the hen party is taking place during the summer months. This could mean you end up organising a hen party you aren’t happy with and that you already know the bride-to-be won’t enjoy as much as your original plan.
The sooner you start planning, the more time you have to rectify any issues – should they arise – the more likely it is that everyone will be able to make it (and the longer they have to save up) and you will also be able to book everything you want.
Invite The Guests
Before you even choose the location, you will need to invite the rest of the hen party – with plenty of warning they shouldn’t have a problem committing and this will ensure that as many people as possible can make it. You will then be able to book everything – from the accommodation to the activities – knowing the exact number of people you are booking for.
Try to press people for an answer, if they say they will come back to you later this is only going to cause you unnecessary stress. It might seem like a long way off to them but you have a lot of planning to do and you don’t want people dropping out once you have started to book things. The best thing to do is to ask them to pay a deposit – this should secure them as a guest and once they know what you have planned they won’t want to drop out anyway!
You might want to create a Facebook event or a Whatsapp group with the rest of the party so you can easily ask questions or discuss options with them all.
Ask yourself the following questions before you start planning:
- When and where will it be?
- What type of accommodation do you want to stay in?
- How are you going to get around – do you need to organise transport?
- How long will it be for?
- Is there a budget?
- What will you be doing – both during the day and evening?
- Where will you go for food and drink for each meal?
- What needs booking and how much will it cost?
- Is there anything you need to buy?
- Are there any finishing touches that will make it perfect?
Make sure you keep the bride in mind, of course, but it also important to think about who else is coming – especially if their mum or mother-in-law are going to be there. Novelty straws and rude games might not be appropriate.
Create a folder so you can save all the details of your bookings and any other information you need in the lead up to and during the weekend – it is better to be super organised than risk something going wrong on the day. Remember everyone will be looking to you for guidance and you don’t want any confusion.
Start With An Activity That Will Break The Ice
Your weekend will be filled with activities that the bride-to-be is going to love but when it comes to working out what to do and when to do it, you might want to start with an activity that will break the ice. It is highly likely that members of the hen party won’t know each other – you might have friends from school, university, work etc. and so on that have never met each other before. An ice breaker – perhaps a game – will help everyone to relax and bond, so that the rest of the weekend they feel like old friends and you avoid any awkwardness that could affect the weekend.
Get Someone To Do The Hard Work For You
To make all this planning as easy as possible, you could just hire someone to do the hard work for you.
While you are still in charge of the important decisions, you can build your weekend starting with the important details such as how many are going, where and when you want it to be and then add the activities you want to do each day. Once you have done that, you can leave it to the experts to ensure it is all booked for you. It couldn’t be simpler. Plus, if you still can’t make up your mind, you can get inspiration for every part of it from the location to the accommodation.
While there is, of course, a lot to organise and coordinate, it will all be worth it when you see the beaming smile on your best friend’s face!
Image Credit: Zoriana Stakhniv.
