Organising a great hen night or weekend can be lots of fun, but it's important to make sure that everybody enjoys it (and can afford it).
- Ask the bride whether there is anything she would particularly like to do (or not!). If you are planning a surprise, you want to make sure it's something she's going to enjoy.
- It's also important to ask the bride who she would like to invite. She might decide just to have her closest friends, or to have a large crowd including older female members of her family.
- Consider an activity that suits everyone in the group. If, for example, you have a really lively crowd, choose a fun activity followed by a bar and club. If you don't think everyone will enjoy something like paint-balling, choose a more ‘sophisticated' option such as a visit to a health spa.
- It's important to think about price. If you organise something expensive, people may feel they can't afford to spend the extra money, on top of coming to the wedding itself and buying a wedding gift. If you really want to splash out, chat to the bride about arranging a very ‘special' hen night for her closest friends only. If in doubt, it can be good to offer an option, ie, a fun-packed day where people can either join in for the entire event or just come along for part of it.
- Stay organised. If you're arranging everything, make sure you have contact details for everybody and circulate dates, times and other details. If you book restaurants, taxis, flights or hotels, make sure you have details of the booking on paper.
- This is such a special occasion for the bride, arrange a few surprises - perhaps by giving her a lovely photo album featuring pictures of everyone at the hen celebration or doing a fun quiz about her life.
- You want your bride to have a lovely time, so don't organise surprises that she is likely to hate. If walking around in a veil and L-plates is really not her idea of fun, spare her the humiliation.
- And finally, liaise with the best man. The last thing you want is to discover is that the hen night is at the same venue as the stag... unless that's the plan all along!
