A step by step guide on how to plan the perfect party for the future bride.
So it’s been announced that you are the Maid of Honour! But after the tears of joy and the clanking of champagne glasses, the heavy weight of responsibility hits you. You’re now pulling out your hair and dialling furiously. This doesn’t have to be a headache as long as you take it step by step and don’t get bogged down in the thoughts of who to invite and the need to make it the best girl’s night out ever! This 5 step guide is here to help you with one of the most important jobs; planning the hen party.
Step 1: Think of the Bride!
So while naked waiters and gyrating policemen might be your idea of a hen night, it may be your future bride’s idea of a nightmare. So before you start googling ‘pole dancing classes’ think about the type of character your bride is and the types of parties she’s loved in the past or better yet, the ones she has hosted herself! Is she quiet natured with a close knit group of friends or is she an popular girl with so many friend her phone never stops beeping? The following steps depend on your answers to this, so as you’ve been crowned maid of honour, there is a slight presumption that you know the bride very well!
Step 2: The Date
Now generally speaking you will need roughly 5 months to plan a hen party. So that’s plenty of time! If you have less time, you won’t need to panic as there are so many resources out there to help you plan last minute. But you are likely to get better prices and deals if you book things early, so start as soon as you find out the good news!
Step 3: Event Price
Before choosing your event, think of the costs of putting it on and then ask yourself if you will you be asking for money contributions from the attendees? Or will you be paying for the bulk of the event? This may limit your budget so make sure this is thought of before you choose what you are doing. If you do agree on a budget between yourself and the girls then make sure you have set up a deadline and payment options. The last thing anyone would want is to be chased up so make sure you have a system in place that everyone is aware of!
Step 4: What to Do
There are so many options out there for a hen party. You can suggest a group activity to all get involved in or it could simply be a night out to let your hair down. If your group is full of foodies that would like to enjoy a unique hen party idea try chocolate making classes. Or if your group is a more of the pampering type book a luxury spa weekend in the country. There are plenty of other option out there, but you won’t have to feel too bogged down if you have already completed step 1 and 2.
Step 5: Invitations
If it is going to be a lavish affair to a faraway destination, and we’re talking Las Vegas, you may want to think carefully about the number of people you want to invite. You’ll question yourself if it may be better to invite every female she knows, just the closest of her friends or whether you should invite the women of the family too. Note that you will have to be a little sneaky as you may have to steal her mobile phone for these numbers!
Step 6: The After Thought
So let’s hope you’ve taken lots of snaps and collected lots of mementos. This will make a great gift for the bride before or after her big day. This will be something you can all laugh about over a cup of tea in her new marital home.