The hen party is one pre-wedding custom that’s a rite of passage for all brides-to-be. Whether you’re a party-loving bride looking to go wild before you settle down for good, or a bride wishing to celebrate with those closest to you in an altogether different way, the hen party has to be a night to remember. The maid of honour is often the lucky person who gets to organise this iconic event. In fact, arranging the hen party is one of the top maid of honour duties.
With expectations high and your bride likely to be stressed with wedding planning, the process and pressure of planning a hen can get a little too much for most maids of honour. Here at Country House Weddings, we’ve been lucky enough to host a number of weddings across our portfolio of stunning venues. We certainly know a thing or two about planning wedding celebrations to the very last detail. Here we shine the spotlight on the hen party and some planning tips that maids of honour can call upon to ensure it’s truly unforgettable.
Give a nod to the happy couple or the wedding
Being the bride’s right-hand woman certainly comes in handy when planning a personalised hen party. You’re likely to have an insight into the upcoming wedding celebrations and will definitely know a lot more about the couple tying the knot, so use this information to your advantage. Ensuring hen celebrations complement the wider wedding theme is one step many maids of honour take, just make sure you don’t give too much away!
Get everyone involved with hen planning
As your bride’s maid of honour you’ll want to lighten the load by keeping schtum about as much of your hen party plans as possible. Getting the bride’s approval, as well as support from other hen party guests can be a burden. Collaborate with your bride to get a firm idea about the budget, length and location of celebrations, possible dates, the all-important guest list, and any definite hen party no-nos. Once you and the bride have made these decisions, get everyone involved by setting up a group chat or Facebook group.
Don’t forget the boring (but essential) stuff
As with wedding planning, it’s the boring-but-essential stuff like budgeting and logistics that puts a dampener on festivities without the right management. The same sentiment applies to hen party preparation, which makes pricing and budgeting from the very start of the planning process imperative. Last minute costs aren’t just annoying, they’re unfair, particularly when guests have to shell out to attend the main event in a few weeks’ or months’ time. Having a plan B in place is recommended, whilst being clear on costs and gathering money in advance is also advisable. One Fab Day explains:
“Ask your guests to have all their money paid up in advance rather than fixing you up with the remainder of cash on the day of the hen. Break up each element of the day (activities, food, transport etc.) and put the funds for each in separate envelopes so everything is ready to hand over, and you can have peace of mind on the day (and enjoy yourself!).”
