Traditionally, the planning of the hen night is the responsibility of the chief bridesmaid – but these days the planning can just as easily fall on friends and family of the bride, particularly if the chief bridesmaid is young or lives a distance away from the venue. The hen night is all about celebrating that all-important last night or last few weeks or months of freedom – so, if you’re given the job of planning a hen night, let your imagination run wild...
Who is going to be invited? You’ll need numbers before you can organise the ‘where’ – smaller hen parties lend themselves to more intimate venues, while a group of thirty or more needs careful planning. Usually the bride-to-be will give the bridesmaid a list of possible hen guests. It’s a good idea to grade these invitees into ‘must-haves’ and ‘possibles’ – you’ll want to check the availability of the must-haves before you settle on a date.
Check out the budget too. Some hen parties are organised on a shoe-string, while others would put J-Lo to shame. The hen night is also a chance for friends and family to give the bride gifts – if there are a couple of hen guests who are strapped for cash, consider how they will be catered for if the hen night involves a lot of expense. One idea for a budget
bride gift is an
engraved photo frame.
Where are you going to go – and what are you going to do there? Once you have the ‘who’ you can think about the ‘where’. This will be dictated by the number of guests, the budget, and the bride’s own personal favourite locations. There are many popular hen night venues and activities: cities such as London, Brighton or Nottingham for dinner and cocktails, or a club; Spa breaks for relaxation and pampering; activity weekends for sports as diverse as horse riding and karting! One idea for a bride gift is for the other guests to club together to pay for part of the hen experience. Whatever you do, try to think of somewhere really memorable – your friends will be talking about it for years.
The Fine Details
As the chief bridesmaid you’ll want to make the event really special, and it’s your job to think of those all-important details for a night to remember. How about getting matching T-shirts for the hen-guests, printed with a photo of the bride and groom? Or clubbing together to get an extra-special bride gift, such as
engraved bride and groom champagne flutes?
Date posted: 16/02/2010
