Planning a Hen Do: My Top Tips
It's been a couple of months since my last blog post... I actually don't know how people manage to do this so regularly?! I was hibernating in January and then I'm not sure February even happened (am I right?). But it feels like Spring and I'm ready to surface again.
This blog post has been a long time in the making. For those of you who don't know, last year was a BIG year for me in terms of weddings. Shout out to my wonderful friends who decided to get married all in the same year, in quick succession (love you). In total, Mark and I went to six weddings, three of which I had the honour of being bridesmaid and the pleasure (only partly sarcastic) of planning the Hen Do. So I'm feeling pretty ready to pass on my advice and wisdom to anyone who may find themselves in a similar position...
So here they are - my top tips for planning a Hen Do:
#1 Find a planning buddy (or two)
I would say this is the most important tip I can offer: DO NOT DO THIS ALONE. Find someone to help you - you'll need them for discussing and dismissing ideas, helping to book activities/restaurants/accommodation and sending the inevitable chaser emails/messages. I was lucky enough to plan last year's Hen Weekends with some wonderful ladies, all of whom were amazingly organised!
#2 Plan with plenty of time
Ok, so this is dependent on how much time there is between engagement and wedding, but ideally you want about 10 months to plan from start to finish. Create that Facebook group, get a weekend confirmed and then start with the big things like booking flights and accommodation. You want to get this done nice and early, as it gives everyone an idea of budget (read on...)
#3 Get the budget sorted early
Probably the most stressful thing about co-ordinating a Hen Do is the money aspect. There's likely to be an up front cost of some sort which you may need to cover (hi there credit card) and people will have to pay you back, so the best thing to do is to create a spreadsheet and write down all potential and known costs (including an estimate for spending money). Then break it down to how much that equates to for each guest and suggest a payment plan (i.e. three instalments of £100 spread over six months). If you do this with plenty of notice, people are clear about how much they need to save and - more importantly - whether they can afford to come (reducing the risk of unexpected drop-outs which makes it more expensive for everyone else). Don't be afraid to send those chaser messages - if you've given plenty of notice and there's been no indication of an issue then there's no need for you to be out of pocket! This is also where your planning buddy comes in handy as you can alternate chasers so it's not always you playing the role of credit controller.
#4 Activities - it's a balancing act
This can be a really fun part of planning a Hen Do, but it's important to find a balance. You want to ensure there's at least one activity per day and that you've thought about each mealtime; you don't want to be rushing between activities but you also don't want there to be great lulls in the day where there's nothing to do. What I'd recommend doing is writing a list of activities with your planning buddy/buddies (i.e. Sangria Bike, Dance Lesson, Butlers in the Buff, Cocktail Making, Karaoke) and then figuring out the logistics of how they can fit into the weekend (timings and costs included). For any unanticipated - or anticipated - lulls, a selection of pre-planned games is essential. It's actually a good idea to dedicate one night to games. Some of my favourites from experience are: Mr & Mrs (get the groom to film his answers - totally worth the extra effort); the memory game (bit of pre-planning involved as everyone has to provide a memory of the bride-to-be and when they are read out she must guess whose memory it is); how well do you know the bride; advice for the bride (Ginger Ray); and wedding themed charades. I'd also highly recommend a photo collage (the more embarrassing the better - get people to submit photos)!
#5 Accept help when it's offered and delegate!
People will offer to help you and you should accept their offer. Delegate tasks, big or small. For example; putting together gift bags, researching places to eat, organising a game to play at some point during the weekend, sorting the alcohol arrangements, organising the accessories for the bride, thinking of a fancy dress idea etc. etc. - the list goes on. Don't feel like you have to do everything yourself!
I wanted to limit this post to five tips, but if I was going to include a final one it would be to enjoy yourself! The bride (aka your best friend) will be grateful for everything you've done and - even if things don't go 100% to plan - you would have helped to make memories that last forever!
I really hope you found this post helpful, but comment below if you have any questions!
Love, Alice x
#1 Find a planning buddy (or two)
I would say this is the most important tip I can offer: DO NOT DO THIS ALONE. Find someone to help you - you'll need them for discussing and dismissing ideas, helping to book activities/restaurants/accommodation and sending the inevitable chaser emails/messages. I was lucky enough to plan last year's Hen Weekends with some wonderful ladies, all of whom were amazingly organised!
#2 Plan with plenty of time
Ok, so this is dependent on how much time there is between engagement and wedding, but ideally you want about 10 months to plan from start to finish. Create that Facebook group, get a weekend confirmed and then start with the big things like booking flights and accommodation. You want to get this done nice and early, as it gives everyone an idea of budget (read on...)
#3 Get the budget sorted early
Probably the most stressful thing about co-ordinating a Hen Do is the money aspect. There's likely to be an up front cost of some sort which you may need to cover (hi there credit card) and people will have to pay you back, so the best thing to do is to create a spreadsheet and write down all potential and known costs (including an estimate for spending money). Then break it down to how much that equates to for each guest and suggest a payment plan (i.e. three instalments of £100 spread over six months). If you do this with plenty of notice, people are clear about how much they need to save and - more importantly - whether they can afford to come (reducing the risk of unexpected drop-outs which makes it more expensive for everyone else). Don't be afraid to send those chaser messages - if you've given plenty of notice and there's been no indication of an issue then there's no need for you to be out of pocket! This is also where your planning buddy comes in handy as you can alternate chasers so it's not always you playing the role of credit controller.
#4 Activities - it's a balancing act
This can be a really fun part of planning a Hen Do, but it's important to find a balance. You want to ensure there's at least one activity per day and that you've thought about each mealtime; you don't want to be rushing between activities but you also don't want there to be great lulls in the day where there's nothing to do. What I'd recommend doing is writing a list of activities with your planning buddy/buddies (i.e. Sangria Bike, Dance Lesson, Butlers in the Buff, Cocktail Making, Karaoke) and then figuring out the logistics of how they can fit into the weekend (timings and costs included). For any unanticipated - or anticipated - lulls, a selection of pre-planned games is essential. It's actually a good idea to dedicate one night to games. Some of my favourites from experience are: Mr & Mrs (get the groom to film his answers - totally worth the extra effort); the memory game (bit of pre-planning involved as everyone has to provide a memory of the bride-to-be and when they are read out she must guess whose memory it is); how well do you know the bride; advice for the bride (Ginger Ray); and wedding themed charades. I'd also highly recommend a photo collage (the more embarrassing the better - get people to submit photos)!
#5 Accept help when it's offered and delegate!
People will offer to help you and you should accept their offer. Delegate tasks, big or small. For example; putting together gift bags, researching places to eat, organising a game to play at some point during the weekend, sorting the alcohol arrangements, organising the accessories for the bride, thinking of a fancy dress idea etc. etc. - the list goes on. Don't feel like you have to do everything yourself!
I wanted to limit this post to five tips, but if I was going to include a final one it would be to enjoy yourself! The bride (aka your best friend) will be grateful for everything you've done and - even if things don't go 100% to plan - you would have helped to make memories that last forever!
I really hope you found this post helpful, but comment below if you have any questions!
Love, Alice x
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