Bridesmaids

Ten Top Tips: For Organising A Hen Party

Julia Smith

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Organising a hen party for your very best friend can be a whole lot of fun… if you are lucky.  It can also be super stressful.  If the task has fallen to you, fear not.  Make your own luck and be prepared!   Brides Up North has gathered ten top tips from the sisterhood to make the experience a happy one.  Print it out and consult it regularly throughout the planning process.  Stay calm, step away from the inflatable willies and get it sorted.  You will have won your Maid of Honour stripes in no time.

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Hen Party!

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1  Save The Date

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Start early, as those diaries fill up fast.  Send an email out as soon as you can to all of the hens, checking availability for a limited number of dates and ask for a response – whether they can or can’t do the dates.  Once you have found a date that works, get everyone to block out their diaries.  Now the plotting and planning can really begin…

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2  Ask The Boss Bride

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After getting a guest list of her nearest and dearest gals, check with the bride how much input she would like to have.  Some brides like to be very involved in the hen party planning process, whilst others like to be surprised.  A balance is probably the best bet – ask for her preferences on location, cost and general activities, but keep a few things secret… she will be glad you did.  Personally, I wanted to know as little as possible – which meant minimum stress for me and allowed me to get on with the bigger (and more important) job of planning the wedding itself!

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3  Mum’s The Word

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Decide early if her Mum and (perhaps more crucially) his Mum will be invited to join in the fun and if this means that certain activities will need to be tempered.  A good idea is to invite the Mums for part of the evening so that they have the option of retiring before the real mayhem begins. That way, they will feel included but the bride won’t feel as uncomfortable when the stripper finally arrives…

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Don’t worry too much though.  You can bet that they have seen it all before!

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4  Do Your Homework

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Find out as much as you can about your chosen location (watch out for a series of posts coming soon on the Brides Up North wedding blog which will help you out with this!), start amassing information early, and shop around for the best deals on hotels and activities.

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A little local knowledge goes a long way.  Taxi numbers, tourist information and opening hours information for shops, bars and clubs can prove invaluable.

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5  Rally The Troops

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Need help?  Ask for it.  A band of bridesmaids and bessie mates will be on standby to help with party games, ideas, cocktail mixing and general crowd control.  They will generally be glad to get involved.  This can also help to break the ice between girls who have never met in advance of the party.

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6  Cash Is King

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Calculate a general cost figure beforehand, add a contingency (any £ left over can go in the drinks kitty), let everyone know how much it will be early on – ideally before they commit to coming – give the guests lots of time to pay and get the cash upfront.  Follow this advice to the letter and save yourself hours of stress.  Seriously. 

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7  Be A Flexible Friend

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Try to cater for all price points and be open to suggestions.  Want to head to the sun?  If the hens have to pay for flights perhaps pick a cheaper hotel.  Pregnant ladies in the group? Add dinner to the drinks and dancing.  Grace, good humour and flexibility will be repaid.

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8  Make It Personal

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The best hen parties are those that celebrate the lady who has brought you all together: the bride.  Tailor the day to her favourite things and quirks and add personal touches wherever possible.  Does she love Sex And The City?  Serve up a round of Cosmos on arrival.  Is George Clooney her thing?  Hire a look-alike to deliver a kissogram.  You get the idea.  If in doubt, quiz games based on a list of funny personal questions always go down well (get the groom to fill in a questionnaire), as do signed albums from all her hens.

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9  Ignore Dissenters

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You simply cannot please everyone and there will always be one in the group who disagrees with your choice of venue, party game, whatever.  Trust your intuition and do what is best for the group in general.  The bride picked you for the job for a reason.  Roll with it.

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10 Relax

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When the big day rolls around, arm yourself with the essentials: tickets, communal cash, flashing L plates etc – then relax and have fun.  Chill out, relinquish control and let the event evolve.  Just pace yourself on the jaegerbombs until the plans are fully  in motion and final payments made. 

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Cheers girls!

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Watch out for more Top Ten Tips posts coming soon on the Brides Up North wedding blog

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Image is from Brides Up North’s own hen party.  And that’s all you are getting!  What goes on tour, stays on tour…

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Image © Brides Up North

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