Choosing the perfect hen party idea can be tough. With so many activities to choose from as well as varying budgets and tastes, it can sometimes get completely out of hand….For the past 3 years I have organised hen parties in Liverpool for hundreds of ladies and believe not only coming up with a hen party idea, but planning the celebration itself can be simple if you follow this step-by-step guide.
No.1 : Ideas Storm
Go to your nearest stationary shop or raid your little ones craft cupboard and get the biggest piece of paper you can find. You’ll need lots of felt tips too! Label the centre Bride-To-Be and list around the outside of this everything the Bride-To-Be loves. For example, afternoon tea, camping, make-up. Once you have around 10-15 on the page, it’s time to link them up. For example if you were to start the celebrations with afternoon tea at her favourite cafe, what kind of activity would compliment this? It’s no good going for a make-over and then heading off to a muddy field to set up camp!
Once you have matched the activities up, it’s time to work on the details of the day.
Hen Party Idea Example….
Attendees: 20
Destination: Liverpool – Top Hen Party Destination
Activity 1: Afternoon Tea at Cuthberts Bakehouse – 2pm – website: http://www.cuthbertsbakehouse.co.uk/
Activity 2: Recording Experience Hen Party Party at CoverStar Experiences – website: https://www.coverstarexperiences.co.uk/recording-studio-experiences-liverpool
Pre Dinner drinks: Hope Street hotel – cocktails – http://www.hopestreethotel.co.uk/food-drink/
Dinner: Free State Kitchen – website – http://freestatekitchen.co.uk/
Night out in Liverpool – Reccomended Bars – Alma de Cuba and Palm Sugar
No.2 : The Fiddly Bits
It’s time to create some lists again…
- Who will be attending the Hen Party – How many will this be?
- The proposed date of the Hen Party Idea – If organised months in advance (I advise 6 months) then it shouldn’t be a problem for people to book it off work if needs be or organise childcare etc.
- Choose a location – is it easily accessible? What form of transport will you be suggesting in order to get there.
No.3: The Budget
This is where it can get tricky….
Every person attending the Hen Party will have a different budget in mind. However, be careful not to get into the conversation of how much people are willing to spend. According to latest research, the average spend of a Hen Party is £157 per person. Which considering you are booking a hotel, attending 1-2 activities, eating and drinking…I don’t think that is too bad at all!
Small businesses are always welcome to customers asking for a discount on their booking. For example if the booking is for a high volume, asking for the Bride-To-Be to go free isn’t unreasonable. They may even throw in a free gift or free drinks at their bar which is always tempting. Don’t be shy to ask because 9/10 they will say yes.
You may think some activities should be cheaper than advertised but before you ask for 50% off, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are they a reputable business who receive excellent feedback regularly?
- To the best of your knowledge, do they supply a quality product/experience?
- Are they a small but recommended business?
If you can answer yes to any of this questions than it may be best to believe in the price they are asking as it most likely very reasonable for what they are selling.
If you are ever feeling unsure of a company, check out their Trip Advisor. Be cautious of believing some feedback though. Go with the majority, whether that’s positive or negative. I tend to stay clear of negative feedback that has bad spelling, grammar and personal insults.
No.4 : Collecting The Deposit
I have been there from the beginning to the end of a customer’s booking and I can say that the most difficult part for the customer is gathering deposits from the other hens. Booking an experience in time is vital. Companies will only hold a provisional booking for so long so it is important you do this before it’s too late! Stress the importance of this when contacting the other Hens. This is where your organisational skills come into play. Give them a maximum of 1 month to send you their deposit. Most companies ask for around the 25% mark. Send the hens a reminder e-mail once a week. Yes it may annoy them but think of the Bride-To-Be’s face when nothing has been booked or your bank balance when you end up having to fork out the whole deposit yourself!
No.5 : Finalising your plans
It’s one month before the Hen Party comes comes to life. Everything should now be paid for or close enough. Make sure you have the following booked/paid for:
- Train tickets to Hen Party Destination OR who is driving
- Hotel
- Restaurant – Still unsure? Ask for some recommendations from the activity companies you are booked with. They will know the area well enough to tell you somewhere to eat. The same with bars.
- Addresses of Hen Party Activities and how to get there easily.
- Send out an e-mail to everyone attending reminding them of everything they are doing as well as where they need to be and what time.
- Finish off any extras you may be supplying. For example, have you decided on a gift you are giving to the Bride-to-Be? This may be a fancy sash or Hen Party Gift Bag.
No.6 : Relax
All you hard work has paid off and you are ready for the big weekend! Don’t forget to enjoy yourself during the celebrations, it’s your time to let go and have fun with everyone else.
If you are interested in finding out more information on our hen parties and everything you need to know on planning one. Tweet me on @CoverStar_Exps or e-mail bookings@coverstarexperiences.co.uk. We are more than happy to help.
We are not affiliated with any of the above companies mentioned apart from ourselves of course! Why not visit our TripAdvisor page to read our excellent reviews! We hope we make your list!
