Wish I had known all of this before I organised a hens party. When you are organizing a hens party there is a lot to think about (or in most cases a lot to stress about) and naturally you want it to be the best send off into married life for your bestie. So here at GoBananas we have come up with some tips to help create the most memorable party that your hen is bragging about for years. These are tips relating to the early stages of the party planning. http://au.gobananasworld.com/hen-party/
1. Pick a date and send out invites early. As most weddings are during the summer months it
means that you are competing with many other groups to secure bookings so get in early so
people have it in the calendar. At GoBananas we have noticed that numbers tend to drop by
about 10-20%, so keep that in mind when you are organizing the activities. A good idea here
as well is sending out a primarily invitation to save the date and also get an idea of budget.
Ask them what they are happy spending.
2. Listen to your Hen!! I know that this is a fun time and it is easy to get carried away with
activities that may embarrass your hen, but if she is not into it then she won’t enjoy it. What
we mean is if she is not into having a stripper give her a lap dance in a skimpy g-string – then
don’t get her one. Save yourself the money and do something she will enjoy.
3. Don’t have too many chiefs – you can’t please everyone. Please the bride and involve the
other bridesmaids, they know the hen too and they may have some fantastic ideas. Then
just keep the rest of the group in the loop, so that they know what the plan is and can decide
if they wish to participate. If they are a good friend they will be there!
4. Budget – keep in mind that every ones budget may be very different. Some groups may be
happy spending $150 per person, other groups are more like $50-60per person. Keep this in
mind when organizing activities and whether do to a day or a weekend away. Perhaps
consult the bride – she knows the people coming and roughly disposable income. The more
expensive your plans are the more people will drop off. At GoBananas we find that people
spend anything from $60-$250pp on the hens party.
5. Create a theme. If you have a fun theme for the night it is easier to plan the whole thing,
from the decorations to the activities and the outfits. Check out our article on hens themes
and get inspired. Do keep in mind however that you dress theme may restrict what
activities you are able to do. Ie. Fine dining restaurants aren’t going to be too keen on a
naughty nurse sitting in the main dining room. Also themes can put the budget up as well so
think about that as well.
6. Do something special. This should be a memorable event and you want your party guests to
be talking about it for ages but don’t go overboard. If you have too many events you may
find that you are rushing too much and well we all know how a bunch of ladies get once they
have had some drinks and they are catching up with friends. Also make sure you plan the
activities so that the raunchy stuff or the stuff that involves the most drinking happens later
in the day, that way you can drop the mother in law off on the way or any under ages.
7. Share the cost. You should not feel bad about expecting all of the guests to pay their way for
the day. But do keep this in mind when planning the activities, not everyone can afford to do
a day at the spa followed by 5 star dining so keep to a budget (but don’t be a tight arse
either) A good idea would be to set up an account and ask everyone to pay a month in
advance that way you’re not still chasing people on the wedding day and it’s not awkward
when someone turns up in a brand new dress but hasn’t paid for their part of the party.
8. Ensure that at some point of the day you are eating. Especially if the hens party is starting
activities early in the morning, you don’t want to have people or the whole group turned
away from activities because Aunt Mary has done a bit too much celebrating and hitting the
champagne a bit hard.
9. Plays games or at least one game. If you are looking for game ideas then check out our
website. Games keep things fun and keep people laughing.