{"id":1532,"date":"2022-07-07T13:06:44","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T13:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themixer.com\/en-uk\/?p=1532"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:47:28","slug":"hen-do-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themixer.com\/en-uk\/plan\/hen-do-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Hen Do Planning the Easy & Fun Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been wondering how to ace h<\/span>en do planning<\/span> without losing your mind, we\u2019ve got you sorted. Event planning, much like most things that grownups need to do in this life, is a lot easier when you\u2019ve got a game plan and work according to a tried-and-tested outline.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So here you go, honey: a concise guide to <\/span>planning a hen do <\/span>that has been developed by professionals to be suitable for beginners. Because not everyone has the luxury of spending three months drawing up flow charts; some of us have day jobs to attend to, dogs to walk, plants to water, and even tiny humans to keep alive whilst party-planning. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to plan the ever-living daylights out of that hen party while keeping your sanity 100% intact. Let\u2019s DO THIS! **insert sports-guy knuckle crack**<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a hen do?<\/h3>\n

First things first, let\u2019s be clear about this thing that we are planning, and what exactly it is. A hen party is a party hosted for a bride-to-be by her friends. It’s a time-honoured rite of passage that forms part of the traditional lead-up to a wedding.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, it’s a reason for everyone to let their hair down, celebrate their friend who’s getting married, and bond a bit. After all, most brides tend to have different groups of friends that don’t necessarily all know one another. As such, having a party before The Party is a good way for everyone to meet and join in the fun of the nuptial celebration as a cohesive group.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who should throw a hen do?<\/h2>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, this answer would have been an easy one: the Maid of Hono<\/span>u<\/span>r. These days, things are little more open-ended. For one, the bridal party might decide that it would be better for some of the bridal party members to take over this duty while the Maid of Hono<\/span>u<\/span>r <\/span>or the Man of Hono<\/span>u<\/span>r <\/span>focus<\/span>s<\/span>es on other details in support of the bride. Maybe it comes down to who volunteers to do it, or who has more time on their hands to make it happen. It\u2019s up to the crew to decide who is best suited to pull it off.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your step-by-step guide to planning a hen do<\/h2>\n

Are you ready to get party planning? Here are 8 steps you need to take to ensure that things go smoothly: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Get clear on the budget<\/h3>\n

Eek, money matters can get tricky and cringe we know, which is why it\u2019s best to get it out of the way first. Traditionally, each hen party attendee pays his or her own way through the celebration and also chips in to cover the cost of the bride. However, in some cases, the parents and\/or in-laws might want to contribute some funds. Some brides also don\u2019t like to ask their guests to pay. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, it\u2019s best to sit down with your friend and have a frank chat to find out what she\u2019d prefer. This is also a great time to chat about possible party deal-breakers, such as entertainment. Some brides-to-be will be all for a bit of, you know, <\/span>dancing<\/span><\/i>, while others may prefer to keep it classy. Make sure what your friend has in mind ahead of time to avoid any awkwardness later on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Decide the guestlist<\/h3>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

While you are sitting down with your friend, it\u2019s also a great opportunity to get the guest list sorted. Typically, all of the guests who are invited to the wedding will be considered for the hen party guest list. Not all of them will make the cut though\u2013some may be too young, while others may prefer to give it a skip.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, you are usually left with the friends and family members that are round about the age of the bride herself. Once you have it narrowed down to this point, now is the time to get their contact details. If you have a well-organised friend, they may simply be able to share their wedding-planning spreadsheet with the relevant email addresses and mobile phone numbers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, you may need to get your laptops open and physically take down the email addresses and phone numbers and input them into your own spreadsheet. If this is the case, we recommend lots of patience and some really good coffee.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Decide the date<\/h3>\n

Next up, it\u2019s time to decide on dates. Ideally, a hen do is hosted at least two months before the wedding so there is no time pressure in the lead-up to the main event. Also, we\u2019ve probably all seen <\/span>The Hangover<\/span><\/i> by now, and it\u2019s always good to play things safe…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some bridal parties like to keep the date of the hen party a surprise and spring it on the bride-to-be unannounced, but unless you have a lot of time to gather back-door intel on her comings and goings this is not the recommended move. There are just too many ways in which it can go wrong and cause a major headache for everyone involved.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, our recommendation is to square away the date with the bride before you start planning the event. The rest of it can be a complete surprise, but at least then she knows which dates she needs to block out in her calendar and can plan accordingly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Send your invitations\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The best time to send invitations (or at least save the dates) is <\/span>as soon as humanly possible<\/span><\/i>. Even if you only have the date locked down and still need to iron out the specifics on what and where, get your guests to block out the date on their calendars so long. This way you have a little breathing room to figure out the rest while you at least have your major players ready to go.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tip: If you plan to make use of a mobile platform like WhatsApp to get in touch with the guests, share invites and make plans, we highly recommend using the desktop version of the app so you can copy and paste the info and send it to the guests individually. You could also use the broadcast function to make things simpler<\/span>, but messages have also been known to go missing this way. So individual is best in our opinion.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Determine the location<\/h2>\n

Now you need to decide where the hen do will be hosted. There are quite a few options in this regard, including:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n