The hen do is a quintessential modern rite of passage for any bride in the UK, and organising one is nothing short of an honour – even if the vast majority of hen dos become something of a shambles later in the evening… If you’ve been made a maid of honour, not only have you been established an important figure in a bride-to-be’s life but also the arbiter of their last night as a free woman. Scary stuff – so, how do you plan a hen do?
Just Start!
Planning something as bold and brash as a hen do can feel like a big responsibility, and you might feel scared to even dip a toe into the planning phase – but planning any major event seems a lot harder from the outside. Honestly: just get started! Start looking at experiences, general locations and ideas for a night out or weekend away. Inspiration will strike, and you can always bounce your ideas off other members of the bridal party.
Assemble Your Team
Speaking of which… The bride-to-be will already have picked their bridesmaids, alongside you as maid-of-honour. The hard part of choosing who to invite is already done for you! Gather the bridal party (sans bride-to-be) together, whether physically or online in a messaging app, to talk plans. With the help of the whole party, you can refine your hen do ideas, establish ground rules and ensure everyone is catered for in terms of accessibility and allergies.
Cover the Basics
There are some non-negotiable elements to a hen do that you should get covered as soon as possible. Co-ordinating a dress code or fancy dress for the do is an absolute must, whether plastic jewels and tiaras or something totally off-the-wall. Personalised sashes are a key part of the dress as well, and a great way to gently rib members of the bridal party!
Nail the Admin
Sadly, there remains the boring bits to plan out, transport chief amongst them. For example, if your hen do plans include an exuberant overnight stay at the Shangri-La in The Shard, you’ll want to get everyone’s train tickets to London Bridge booked together, and in advance.
Another way to simplify orchestrating everything is to have all of the bridal party stick a sum of money into a central kitty, which you can use to book and pay for everything without chasing people for money. This can also take pressure off during the do itself, as you won’t need to split the bill anywhere.
