A first-timers guide on how to plan the perfect hens party

A first-timers guide on how to plan the perfect hens party!

Wedding bells are in the air, the girls are gathering together to congratulate the bride-to-be, and you’re all getting excited about the epic hens party ahead of you! Then you realise, you haven’t planned a hens party before, so where do you even start!?

Well, girl, it’s your lucky day, we’ve got you! House of Hens is here to give you a step-by-step guide on planning the perfect hens party, even if it is your first time!

A few things to remember before we get into it;

• It’s a team effort - so make sure to get the girls together and delegate! 
  
  
• Whilst it is an important event, the process doesn’t need to be super stressful - organisation is key!

And for that very reason, we have put together a how-to guide for you to follow, to make the planning process as stress-free and fabulous as the night itself will be, so listen up!




Step 1. Communicate

First things first, speak to the bride. Even if you and/or the bride would like the celebrations to be somewhat of a surprise, chat to her and be sure to get an understanding of her expectations. It’s a night to celebrate her after all, so you want to make sure you are both on the same page.

Some key questions to ask include;

Potential dates:

Planning a hens party ~4-6 weeks out from the wedding itself may be a good idea. It starts the celebrations off ahead of time, whilst it still gives everyone time to recover before the big day.

Who she would like to invite:

This is important to cover early on. Does the bride just want just her closest BFFs or is it going to be a multi-generational affair with extended family members? Each bride will have their own preference, however, it is important to understand who will be invited, so you can tailor your activities accordingly, and so you know who to reach out to for the invites!

Any must-have activities/special requests to keep in mind:

The bride may want to be fairly hands-off in the organisation of the hens party, but maybe there is a particular activity or place she has always wanted to visit for her special girls' night.  Ask the question so you can really personalise the celebrations for the bride-to-be. 

Any off-limits activities or ‘don't’ she doesn’t want to be included in the celebrations:

Just like the must-haves, you must also cover the must-nots! Ask her about her experiences at other hens parties, and if there is anything she particularly doesn’t want to be included. Not everyone wants a stripper ladies!

Now we’ve got some basics covered, it’s time to rally the troops and put your heads together!

Step 2. Prepare

We spoke about it early, bringing the girls together and sharing the load right, well this is where it all begins!  Gather the bridesmaids round (whether in person or virtually) and start a group chat. You can thank us later, but having the communication all in one space when you’re organising and planning the hens party will help, a lot!

The first thing you’ll need to discuss is the budget. You’ll have an idea from your bride as to how many people to invite and what her expectations are of the celebrations, so having an open discussion together, about what is realistic and reasonable in terms of cost, is important. This will be the guiding factor for the rest of your planning, so make sure this is done early on!

The next priority is to reach out to all the guests and start the communication with them as well. This can be as easy as a group email out to all guests with the date (or date options) the rough cost involved, and any other important information that is relevant to them. 

**Our top tip for organising guests is to create a live spreadsheet with guest names, numbers/email addresses, their RSVP status, and if they have paid or not.**

This shared document means that all bridesmaids can be across where the guest list/payments are at, which makes things much simpler!

From here, we can really get into the good stuff and start to piece together that perfect party!




Step 3. Plan

Now we’re getting into it, let’s start off the planning phase by choosing a destination.

Is the plan to do something locally, a girls' day or girl's night out kind of vibe? Or are we going big and heading on a girls' trip for the weekend?

Again, you should have an idea from the initial chat with the bride as to what her thoughts were around this, and the budget previously discussed will also come into play as to what is realistic with the location as well.

Once this has been decided, it now may be a great time to start delegating tasks between the bridesmaids.

You could divvy up various tasks, so each person is researching and gathering quotes, for you all come back together and decide upon the final plan.

A list of tasks could include;

• Accommodation
• Activities
• Restaurants/Bars
• Entertainment

 
Some things to remember during this stage of the planning are;

• Choose activities that are appropriate for all guests - remember who is included on the guest list! Maybe Grandma Jean isn’t as keen on a twerk class as you and the girls are!
  
  
• Have realistic timings for activities. As fun as it may sound to jam-pack your day with all the activities you possibly can, if you cram too much into the day, you run the risk of running behind schedule and having to hurry people along during activities.
  
  

Step 4. Confirm

It is now time to lock it in Eddie!

Send out the final communication to guests and get ready to hit confirm. The communication to guests will need to include final costs (how to pay and when the payment is due), date/time, activities involved, dress code and any other expectations.

Once the final numbers are confirmed and payments are made by guests, you can book the accommodation/restaurant/bars and confirm numbers for your activities!

Depending on your plan it may be a good idea to offer some flexibility with your activities. For example, if you are going all out and heading for a weekend away, maybe offering an option of coming for the day, rather than committing to the whole weekend, may give people the opportunity to still be involved in some way.

Finally, the other important thing to consider at this stage is the transportation for everyone between locations and/or activities. Having this pre-booked or some options in mind will make for smoother transitions on the day itself.



Step 5. Final Touches

Whilst we are just about done and ready to party, there are some final touches that can really make a hens party something extra special!

We don’t want the event to feel like just another girls' day/night out, so go the extra mile with some of the below ideas;

Colour/Theme
You may choose to have a colour or theme for all the guests and/or the decorations.

Party accessories 
This could be bride-to-be/bridesmaid sashes, tiara/veil, penis paraphernalia, face cutouts of the groom's face etc.

Decorations
This could be aligned with the colour/theme, or just general decorations (balloons, banners etc.)

Hens party games
A quiz about the groom, penis pinata, truth or dare, pin the ‘tail’ etc.

Hens party playlist
There are a few ways to curate a playlist for the night like putting together a list of classic girl anthems, asking all the guests to send in some of their favourite wedding/love related songs,, or simply compiling a bunch of the brides' favourite sing-along or dance tracks!

Step 6. Party!

And just like that, we have ourselves a perfectly planned hens party.

The only thing left on the list ladies is to get the party started! Pop that cork and pour yourself a prosecco, you deserve it!

Now that doesn’t seem so scary after all, does it!? We told you we had your back - girls gotta stick together after all!

And if you’re needing even more hens party planning inspo, check out our destinations and activities pages for what we can do to make the party planning even easier!

Until next time,

House of Hens xox