How To Plan A Hen Party: 14 Step Checklist For Planning A Hen Do
Planning anything can be a challenge, and planning a hen do is a tough task.
Luckily we have some tips that will make planning any hen do a breeze.
Here's how to plan a hen party.
Quick Checklist For Planning The Hen Party
- Think About What The Bride Likes
- Think About What She Absolutely Hates
- Create A Guest List
- Create A Group Chat
- Decide On The Date
- Set A Budget
- Decide Where You're Going
- Decide What You're Doing
- Organise Some Games And Activities
- Book Everything You Need To
- Pick A Dress Code For The Hen Do
- Collect The Money From The Hens
- Make A Final Checklist
- You're Ready For The Hen Do
Think About What The Bride Likes
The first thing you'll want to do is think about what the bride likes, it is after all about her.
If she's a party animal then you'll want to arrange something fun that she'll love. If she's the quiet type you might want to keep the hen party low key.
Plan some activities that she'll like to do, and communicate with the group to get some ideas from the bride's friends.
Think About What She Absolutely Hates
Not only should you be thinking about what she likes, but also what she hates.
If there's something which she really wouldn't like or want to do, don't do it. The hen do is all about the bride, and if there's something which you think she wouldn't like you can cross that off the list.
Create A Guest List
You'll want to create a guest list of people going. Who to invite to the hen do is usually an easy task, but there can be challenges.
Invite the close friends and girls that the hen knows, friends, and female family members including sisters, mother and even in-laws if she gets along with them.
If you know someone the bride doesn't get along with, they shouldn't be invited.
Create A Group Chat
To make things easier to plan and to let everyone know what's going on, create a group chat.
The group chat should only include people attending the hen do and nobody else. If they're not going, they don't need to be in the group chat.
This can be done on a variety of messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Decide On The Date
Once you've got the guestlist and group chat sorted out, you can look at dates.
There's no set rule of when a hen party should be, but a good guide is around 4-6 weeks before the wedding. This gives good time to plan the hen do with a long run up to the wedding day.
Set A Budget
The next thing you'll want to do is to set a budget.
You can get a good idea of how much things cost and how much people are willing to spend from the group chat.
The cost of a hen do can vary depending on what you want to do. Going to a different city or even abroad will put the cost up, but it could be worth it if you're looking for a get a way.
Decide Where You're Going
If you're all up for going away, you've got to decide on where you're going.
There's the choice of a hen do in the UK or abroad, with so many great options for both.
Staying in the UK can be easier to plan than going abroad, but you can't beat a trip abroad with the girls. Whichever you decide, make sure everyone is up for it.
Decide What You're Doing
Once you know where you're all going you can start to plan the activities.
You already know the types of stuff the bride likes, so plan an itinerary of what you're going to be doing during the hen do.
It could be cocktail making or just a day of shopping in the city. Whatever it happens to be, get it all planned out.
Organise Some Games And Activities
There's tons of things you can do, and you'll want to organise some games and activities for the bride and all the girls.
There's plenty of hen party games to choose from, including downloading dare cards you can take with you on a night out.
Book Everything You Need To
Keep things organised and make sure you've booked everything you need to.
Whether that's activities, hotels, accommodation and travel, make sure everything is booked in good time.
Pick A Dress Code For The Hen Do
Decide on what you're wearing. This can be determined by what you're going to be doing and how long for.
An easy go to are wearing some personalised hen party t-shirts. All the girls will be dressed the same and you'll all look the part.
Alternatively if you're doing something more upmarket, there's plenty of hen do outfits that you can wear to dress to impress.
Collect The Money From The Hens
When everything is planned, the last thing you'll want to do is collect the money from the hens.
This can be done a number of ways, from getting it in person to collecting it electronically.
If you've booked the hen do with a specialised provider, some will offer a payment system where everyone can pay individually.
Make A Final Checklist
You'll then want to make a final checklist so you don't forget anything. This can be to remember things like the travel arrangements and what you've planned at what time.
You're Ready For The Hen Do
That's it, you've planned the hen do and now you're ready for it. It's now time to let your hair down with the bride and rest of the girls and have a good time.