When it comes to planning a wedding, there’s a lot to think about. What flowers should your party be holding? What shoes will the groomsmen wear? When do you need to put down the deposit on a venue?
And, a topic that’s bound to come up before someone ties the knot: what to do for the hen’s party!
A hen’s party (also known as bachelorette party in the U.S.), is a celebration of the bride and her transition to becoming a wife.
To the bride’s delight, this party is most often planned by the maid of honor and other bridesmaids and friends.
If you’re in charge of organizing and planning a hen’s party, your main goal is to ensure the bride has a great time. You want her to feel appreciated and loved by her friends.
To help you out it planning this big event, here we share six tips to help you organize the best hen’s party for the bride-to-be.
1. Know what the bride likes.
One of the first things to remember about planning a hen’s party is that it’s all about the bride. Getting married is a major milestone in someone’s life, so celebrating your friend should be your top priority.
If you’re in charge of planning, chances are you know the bride pretty well. You know, or can easily figure out, her favorite foods, what she likes to do and what annoys her. All such characteristics should be taken into consideration when planning your activites.
The last thing you want to do is plan a party that the bride hates and makes her too uncomfortable to enjoy herself. Get to know what she likes and plan the party around her.
2. Consider a destination or two.
Once you’ve got an understanding of what the bride loves, consider where you and your group will go. Whether you stay local or make an extended trip out of the occasion, make sure it’s somewhere she’d appreciate.
Epic Holidays, who offer hens party ideas and travel packages, suggests to come up with a short list of options and present them to the bride. That way, she can pick something you know she’ll love. Also be aware of what options you have in where to stay if you’re planning a longer trip.
While traveling somewhere on an extended trip can certainly be a blast, so can staying local.
It’s a great opportunity to visit some of your favorite places or try something new. Hop from one activity, restaurant or bar to another or choose to stay in one place. Either way, do what the bride would prefer.
3. Confirm Your Guest List
In the beginning stages of planning a hen’s party, you’ll want to okay the guest list with the bride. Don’t accidentally invite her grandma if the bride would be embarrassed to have her there.
However, if the bride does want to have a celebration with her relatives and other friends, consider having two hen parties. Wedding Ideas suggests planning a spa day or artsy activity to do with some friends and family in addition to an all-out party.
Especially if she doesn’t like surprises, be sure to keep the bride in the loop as you plan the party.
4. Set your reservations up in advance.
It’d be frustrating to have a restaurant, bar or activity picked out only to arrive there and learn there’s no space available for your group of girls.
An easy solution to this problem is to plan and prepare in advance. If you’re doing some activity like taking a painting or cooking class or going kayaking, be sure you reserve your group a spot first.
When setting up activities, don’t overcrowd your schedule with too many things to do. Allow enough time between days or activities for everyone to enjoy their time and not be rushed.
And in setting up your party schedule, remember to choose activites that the bride wants – putting her preferences above yours. If you’d want to visit a strip club but she would be utterly mortified to go, opt for a different activity.
5. Highlight the Bride
To ensure the bride feels special and celebrated, consider giving her some outfit as your group goes out. Bridal Musings suggests offering a prop or two she carries around or wears. Easy and fun things like a sash, veil, wings or a crown can help her feel appreciated.
Often during hen parties, the bride will wear a white dress while the other girls wear black. Wearing different color dresses is a great way to let her know she’s special.
6. Stick to a Budget
While a hen’s party can be seen as an all-out celebration of a bride’s “independence,” make sure you have a budget and stick to it. Bridal Musings says keeping track of a budget is important as it lets the other girls know how much they’re expected to contribute.
It’s best to not wait until the last minute to ask the other girls for their trip contribution. Let them know upfront so they have the chance to plan and set their own budgets.
Planning a hen’s party doesn’t have to be stressful. With these easy tips, it can be a fun and exciting adventure you plan for the bride.
But in organizing a hen’s party, there can be a lot of work involved. Thankfully, there are some great resources that can help give you ideas for planning your event. Epic Holidays offers a variety of packages that make planning easy, and there’s one for a range of tastes.
Start looking into what your bride likes and begin planning a night she’ll never forget.