Are you in the midst of hen do planning? Away With The Girls founder Paige has kindly shared her top hen do tips to relieve some of that stress and make sure that the hen party is perfect for your bride-to-be...
The excitement of maid of honour and bridesmaid proposals has started to die down. But, before you know it, the next burst of excitement is all about... the HEN PARTY! A great hen do is all about getting the bride squad together and giving the bride-to-be the best possible send-off before married life!
Now of course, before you can enjoy the hen party itself, there’s a lot of planning that goes into it. We all want the hen party to be #henpartygoals, and the pressure of planning can get stressful. Fear not – here are our top tips to ensure that the hen party is perfect from start to finish.
Speak to the bride
This is the best possible starting point. While hen parties should be a somewhat surprise for the bride, it’s important to have an initial conversation to get some ideas on what she wants. You’ll also quickly learn from her what she doesn’t want, which is equally as important! It’s also the best opportunity to get her thoughts on the guest list, theme, and location (abroad vs home).
Speaking to the bride should hopefully get some creative ideas flowing, so you can also organise some surprises for her. For example, you could incorporate the wedding colour theme into certain parts of the hen party, or plan a meal around her favourite type of food.Â
Delegate
Split the jobs between you all – it’s not as effective for one person to be doing everything! If you’re looking at a hen do abroad, split the jobs into transport, accommodation, and activities. Always partner up if need be to have a couple of bridesmaids working on one area. You may want ask the rest of the bridal party for their feedback. However, keep all major decision making between the bridesmaids, as too many opinions never ends well. The ultimate advice here is to work together!
Party bags
Who said party bags have to stop when you’re an adult? Account for some extra funds in the budget to create a party bag. It’s such a lovely touch and allows you to add some sentimental value too – it’s the little things like including the bride’s favourite sweeties in the bag that people remember!
If the hen party is going to involve a couple (or several) bottles of prosecco, then include a ‘morning after the night before’ pack, which could include supplies like painkillers, chocolate, and water. This one is always a winner. We usually estimate around £10 for a very impressive party bag. Bulk buying is always a must as it really brings the cost down, and you could even have personalised tote bags if you want to go all out!
Always be prepared
The hen party has arrived, and everyone has paid up and is raring to go… so be prepared! Print out all of your booking confirmations/email threads/directions etc., as it's better to have too much info to hand, than not enough! Make things a little easier on the day too by having taxi numbers saved on your phone – it really does save a fair amount of time by doing this work beforehand.
Have funÂ
This is just a gentle reminder to enjoy yourselves. Hen planning can often start a year before the big event, and we know it can sometimes take over. So, when the time comes when you're all finally together, and you’re all making the best memories, just take it all in and enjoy it. Your hard work always does pay off so don’t stress too much! Take plenty of pictures and decide on a hen party hashtag beforehand so you can easily track all the Instagram-worthy snaps from the bride tribe.
Thank you to Paige from Away With The Girls for her fantastic hen party planning advice. Find more in our Wedding Party Advice section!