So you’ve been chosen to be a maid of honour or chief bridesmaid? Congratulations! You’ve got the off the shoulder bridesmaid dress and the shoes to match, but what about the hen do planning? As your first major job of being maid of honour you may be panicking slightly about how to plan a hen do, but fear not, I have all the tips and tricks to planning a hen do in a few easy steps!
Hen do planning made easy
From picking the location to invitations and from getting hold of the best props and planning the best games, hen do planning has never been so easy – and so fun!
Decide on the location
Home or abroad? That’s the first question you need to ask yourself when it comes to hen do planning. Put aside your thoughts on the matter and consult with the bride – what would she prefer?
Perhaps she’d like a long weekend away in an European city or maybe she’d be happy with a couple of nights away in a UK town.
Maybe, she’s not even up for a few night away as she has other commitments like her career or children and is simply up for one night out or a long afternoon luncheon.
Put the options to the bride and let her decide. You never know, you might end up having to plan two or more hen do’s depending on her answer!
Invite the right people and set a date
The next thing you’ll need to get right is inviting the right people.
Again, it’s best to consult the bride as you may not be friendly with some of her friends in other social circles.
Get a definitive list and start reaching out. The easiest way to do things is to set up a WhatsApp group and get the feelers out for when people are free. It’s also a fantastic way to understand what sort of budgets people have and understand what sort of things they’d like to do on the hen do itself.
Once you settle on the best date for the hen do, you can organise official invitations and get these sent out to everyone! Be sure to send one to the bride as well so she has it as a keep safe for her wedding box!
Get the best props
When planning a hen do, it’s important to get all the right props that you’ll need for the evening or weekend away.
Get matching t-shirts printed, or personalized bachelorette tees with a special one for the bride – these will make great keepsakes after the big event and you’ll never lose your mates when you’re on the town celebrating the upcoming nuptials.
You could also get your hands on fun, personalised masks of the groom, saucy inflatables and other similar merch like sashes, balloons, tiaras or even a phallic-shaped wedding bouquet!
Plan some fun games and activities
A hen do wouldn’t be complete without some fun games and activities and the options are endless. Why not try:
- Cocktail making
- Dance class
- Afternoon tea
- Nude life drawing
Or if games are more your thing you could write a quiz all about the bride and groom, create little cards for the hen do attendees to write little tit-bits of advice on or organise bride bingo!
Stick to your hen do planning budget
When it comes to hen do planning, it can be easy to get carried away and end up spending way over the odd. I really recommend recording everything in a spreadsheet so you can keep track of what things costs and who has paid what.
Group activities can be costly, but work out pretty cheap when you divide them by the number of participants. Make sure everybody contributes to the hen do fund and keep a track using your handy spreadsheet!
Get started with hen do planning
I hope these tips have been useful in getting you ready for planning a hen do! Before getting the right apparel to planning the best games, I reckon the most important tip of course is to enjoy the process and have fun! Hen dos are one of the most memorable things in people’s lives and I’m sure you’ll do great!