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Hen pARTy dos and don’ts

Planning a hen party – and attending a hen party – can be stressful and may put pressure on relationships, including the one you have with the bride-to-be. Err on the side of caution with our list of dos and don’ts.

Do…

  • Ask the bride-to-be for a guest list

  • Ask the bride-to-be for a couple of dates that suit for the hen party

  • Talk to the bride to gauge what vibe she wants on a level from PG to raunchy

  • Send out a save the date to the guest list

  • Check with the mother of the bride to see how involved she wants to be

  • Create an itinerary to ensure that you don’t have time to fill during the day

  • Set a budget before you start planning/locking in activities

  • Ensure there’s food if you’re serving alcohol

  • Check with guests if they have any dietary requirements 

  • Get the bride something to wear – this could be sash and veil or a funny costume

  • Think about how adventurous the bride is e.g don’t expect her do a bungy jump if she’s terrified of heights

  • Ensure that you have non-alcoholic drinks for those that do not to drink

  • Organise transport to avoid drink driving and disarray when getting from A to B

  • Take lots of pictures – remember it’s a day to remember!

  • Make sure you treat the bride like the queen she is

  • Check with the invitees if they’d like to buy a combined present

  • If you’ve picked a theme, make sure the decorations match

  • Create a Facebook event for people to ask questions, offer help and leave suggestions

  • Keep everyone’s budget in mind and create an itinerary that people can choose where they’d like to be involved. Not everyone can afford everything

  • Check if the bride wants to wear white. If so, let everyone else know that they shouldn’t wear white

  • Organise games

  • Decide (with the bride) if it’s to be a day full of surprises or whether she wants to be in the loop

  • Make sure everyone gets home safe/has a place to stay

  • Ensure you have appropriate activities if there’s family invited. Most nanas won’t be down for watching a strip tease

  • Prepare your bride for the morning after. We recommend a gift pack with Panadol, Berocca, face masks etc

  • Ensure there’s extra food in case any of the guests, including you or the bride, get too intoxicated

Don’t…

  • Assume the bride wants a stripper

  • Turn the hen party into the day that you want – it’s about the bride

  • Get carried away (this can be applied to costs, decorations, food, activities etc)

  • Go overboard on little things – stick to what is needed 

  • Let the bride get too drunk too early, she wants to enjoy the whole day

  • Let any drama ruin the day – nip any potential tensions in the bud

  • Exclude anyone from activities on the day – if you see someone looking a little lost and alone, go over to them and make them feel welcome

  • If you’re the MOH or a bridesmaid, don’t separate yourself from the rest of the guests in terms of importance. Remember you’re all here to celebrate the bride

  • Definitely do not remind the bride about the stag, especially if it’s on the same day/weekend

  • Run activities back-to-back as it’s more than likely you’ll go over time or take longer you expected to get from one place to another

  • Worry if you’re not running to schedule and don’t let the bride know if things aren’t going according to plan. All that matters is that the bride is having fun

  • Put anything on social media that’s incriminating of the bride

  • Hold the hen party too close to the wedding

  • Have any hidden costs. Let everyone know what they’re expected to spend, both to attend and also during the hen party

  • Forget to factor in the bride’s cost into the budget – she shouldn’t pay for anything

  • Discuss cost of the event or the stress of planning the hen party with the bride

  • Talk negatively about other guests to the bride

  • Treat yourself to too many wines too soon – remember you’re the one that knows the plan