Planning the Ultimate Hen Do

Mother's day

Much like the ceremony itself, the hen do is something everyone associate with the bride looks forward too. Not only is it a pivotal part of the celebrations but a chance for the bride to forget about the stress of planning her big day. Needless to say there that creates a whole load of pressure for the head bridesmaid and her team. So where do you start? With help from our friends at Last Night of Freedom, we’ve came up with a handy guide to help you plan the ultimate hen do.

Communication

Before you start looking at places to go you need to establish your group and how many are going. Numbers are key when planning a hen party, from budget (which we will cover later) to the amount going. Knowing how many are going will, in turn, allow you to plan where to go. We always say the more the merrier, but remember the more people going, the more you will act like a Shepard herding the rest of the group from bar to bar. However, once the group numbers have been established then it’s time to communicate. The best thing we have found that works is to create a group-chat on social media, be that Facebook or WhatsApp; you’ll be able to see who is getting involved, who’s ignoring and who is simply leaving you on seen (everyone hates them guys). A top tip is to ask for where people have been before and where they recommend – you can then look at their suggestions and see what would best suit the needs and wants of the hen. It is all about her at the end of the day.

Budget

Depending on the size of the group and those involved, you can get an idea of what people can afford. Don’t purposely go extravagant because we can guarantee that you will have drop outs and that simply isn’t fair on the hen or the girls who can’t afford it. We’d recommend that you have a think about what you want to do and where you want to go – going abroad may seem a little pricier on paper when it comes to travel, but it will generally be cheaper when it comes to activities and nightlife, where as being in the UK can be to travel but you’ll not get the fishbowl cocktails at the same price as you would in Marbella.

Location is Key

Once budget is determined, you can get onto on to the exciting part – looking at destinations for the ultimate weekend away. As mentioned earlier, there are two trains of thought with this – stay in the UK, or head overseas. There are pros and cons with both. With staying in the UK you are surrounded by those who speak the same language, no need to change your money and if anything happens back at home you can get there quick. But with overseas hen dos there is a sense of adventure and the ability to be more liberal with activities, the likelihood of more sun, and generally cheaper to do things. Depending on what you want to do will ultimately help you make your decision. Personally, we’d always recommend going abroad for the simple fact it will generally be something new and there will always been more sun than here in the UK. Plus drinks are always cheap and truthfully would you rather get your favourite cocktail for £9 or €3? I think we know what you’d rather.

Tailor it to the Bride-to-Be

This isn’t about you, or any of the other guests that are coming along on the trip. It’s about the girl who asked you to plan the ultimate pre-wedding celebrations, the bride. With that you HAVE to consider what she would want to do. Of course you can add you little bits of what you would want to do because you’re friends for a reason which more than likely means there will be things that you both will enjoy. But what we mean is if you are a the type of girl who likes to go ‘hell for leather’ on a night out and do shot, after shot, after shot, after shot, then that is fair. But if the bride is more of a quiet type and would feel uncomfortable having a male stripper all over them then maybe don’t do that. You may have a good laugh, but the situation is drastically different if you’re the one who is in the hot seat and you’re not comfortable. If the bride would be happier doing afternoon tea, or a spa day, then take the safer option and go with that; you’ll have the night time to get her out of her shell with plenty of cocktails and shots.

Get Personal

Once you’ve came up with the ultimate plan and everyone is on board, the hard part is over. But you’re not finished just get. Accessories are the icing on the cake when it comes to hen dos. The finishing touches really make the whole weekend feel personal and seems like you’ve really tried to make it the best weekend possible. Even a simple bit of bunting can create the buzz some bride’s desire. But don’t just stop there, the sky really is the limit when it comes to accessories from personalised sashes, t-shirts, pyjamas etc. Even the Bride Tribe and I Do Crew collections offer a classier, more luxurious feel to the celebrations. And what hen do would be complete without some reference to the male member – willies are both funny and a mainstay on any hen do. The selections are incredible from racing willies to a six-foot inflatable phallus. Just make sure you don’t forget those Willy straws!

Last Minute Essentials

It’s a week or so to go and you’re practically there. You’ve got your passport sorted, tickets, outfits and accessories for the ultimate hen do. But before you go we seriously recommend you get your itinerary sorted. What we mean by that is to get it written down – have a paper copy, a copy on your phone and make sure others in the group know exactly what is happening just in case anything goes wrong. Sounds simple, but we can’t reiterate this one enough.  Another is to make sure you have everything sorted in case of an emergency. What we mean by this is not all emergencies are medical, sometimes flights get cancelled, transfers are delayed, and people lose their money and passports. But of course medical emergencies are a potential. That is why we also recommend taking out some kind of travel insurance whenever you go away from home. It doesn’t matter if you’re not leaving the UK, travel insurance will even cover for those trips that stay in the British Isles and cover things from strikes to cancelled flights and trains. It’s almost always cheap, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Finally… HAVE FUN! You’ve managed to sort this weekend out and put your heart and soul into it to make sure your best friend has the best time possible. Sit back, relax, and celebrate your hard work and your best friends last night of freedom.

Planning a hen do, or simply need some inspiration? Head over to http://www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk/ and check out what we can offer.

Disclaimer: AD. This post has been sponsored by Last Night of Freedom and contains paid for advertorial. Find out more about sponsored posts in our privacy policy

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