Planning a hen party is a responsible job which may seem daunting to those with little or no experience arranging large social dos. This is no mere pub crawl – hen activities in Brighton are more hotly anticipated than New Year’s Eve so you want to make certain every detail is perfect. Here are five of the most common mistakes people make when planning a hen party, and how you can avoid making them.
1. Not Getting Input from Guests
Before you plan anything talk to a good cross section of guests to find out how much they are willing to spend, and what sort of hen party they want. If you go ahead and book an expensive girls’ weekend in Amsterdam when the majority of guests would prefer a night in Brighton’s best clubs you will find yourself with a fistful of rejected invitations and a very disappointed hen.
2. Doing it all Yourself
You may be the maid (or matron) of honour but you’re not Wonder Woman so don’t put yourself under enormous amounts of stress to do everything yourself. It’s ok to delegate, though keep it to just one or two other people as too many organisers can lead to arguments and chaos.
3. Leaving it too Late
Allow yourself enough time to plan so you can take advantage of the best deals and to ensure your venue of choice is not booked out. Inviting guests early also gives them the opportunity to book time off work, arrange babysitting, and plan their outfits. Leaving the hen night until just before the wedding is also a bad idea. 3-4 weeks is ideal as it is close enough to the wedding to start building excitement, yet not so close that everyone is still recovering from it on the big day.
4. Not Putting the Bride First
A hen party is always about the bride so put her in the forefront of every decision you make. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rein her back in if she goes all Bridezilla and insists that a week at a health spa in Sorrento is the only option, but plan activities she likes and invite the people she wants to be there, even if it means doing something which you wouldn’t normally choose to do.
5. Forgetting to Make a Plan B
Sometimes circumstances beyond your control can mess with even the most carefully laid out plans. Torrential rain could scupper your day at the races, or at least require different transport and a few umbrellas to protect your hair and tan. Regarding transport, it always helps to know how people are going to get home, and to have a few taxi numbers in your phone in case the minibus you organised gets stuck in traffic or simply doesn’t turn up.
If you don’t want to get stuck paying for any unexpected extras then include a contingency amount when letting guests know how much the night will be which you can refund should it not be required.
If you follow these tips when planning a hen then you’ll create a fantastic night none of you will ever want to forget.
