This article was written for and published on HagParty.ie in March 2016.
Wedding planning is all down to the bride (lots of the time, not always), but when it comes to the hen party, step up bridesmaid it’s your time to shine! Apart from helping the bride out when things get stressful to gluing 200 wedding favours (because DIY is easier she said) the bridesmaids biggest job is to plan the mother of all hen parties to send off your girl in style. A few simple dos will help set you on the right track.
Consult the other bridesmaids
As the maid of honour you probably know her the best but don’t do it all on your own when there are 2 or 3 girls just as excited to plan it with you. Plus they will help with ideas, any goodie bags that need to made or expenses for the hen.
Ask the bride
Make sure you ask the bride if there is anything she would or wouldn’t like to do before you book anything. The last thing you want is to book a boat tour for a bride who gets sea sick, she won’t enjoy it. Also, make sure you find out how many nights she wants to go for and if in Ireland or abroad.
Give the girls notice
Once you have the list of girls from the hen, send out a ‘Save the Date’ as soon as possible to give people notice. It’s important that people have time to set money aside, book time off work and arrange babysitters if needed.
Set a budget
Keep the cost down. There’s nothing worse than paying big money to go away for a weekend and when you get there and find out that dinner and the activity aren’t included even though you have already paid €190! Set a budget that should include accommodation with breakfast, dinner, one activity, gifts for the hen and any costume accessories. Look at the option of renting one or two houses instead of a hotel to keep costs down.
Play host
Don’t forget to play host for the weekend. It’s up to the bridesmaids to keep the party and games running smoothly and make sure there are no lulls or wasting time. If you have a well organised hen, even for only one night you will get lots done.
What’s the dress code?
If you have decided early on whether it’s black dress and heels or fancy dress let the girls know in the ‘Save the Date’. This is an extra cost to those who don’t already have an outfit.
Limit the activity
Don’t try and do everything. Pick one or two activities that are realistic and achievable both with timing and cost. Don’t pick something that half the group may not do because it’s physical or you have to wear a bathing suit, not everyone might be comfortable with that.
It’s the bride’s last hurrah so don’t forget to take lots of photos of her with all her girls and print her a little photo album after so she has memories of the best organised hen ever!
Check out my Hen Party section here.
Love from my world,
Lisa x
These are really helpful tips! It’s always a nightmare for the bridesmaid or maid of honour who organise it when people aren’t comfortable with what’s happening and it can be hard to please everyone and the bride.