Photographer (photo above) : Flowtography
1. Get to know the bride-to-be
Put the bride at the centre of attention. Ask her what she likes and use that as a starting point. Ask her what she absolutely wants to do and ask her nicely what she absolutely wouldn 't like to do.
2. Make a dashboard
Gather all your ideas on a pinboard ( Pinterest can also be useful!) and decide on a theme for thehen party. Will you choose an active activity such as a night out together, a weekend in Barcelona or a sporting adventure in a kayak? Or perhaps your future wife prefers peace and quiet? Go to a wellness centre together, take a cooking class or do a yoga session with SoundOnYoga. Once you've decided on a theme or activity, you can start looking for a venue and think about the dress code, decoration and fun accessories.
3. Timing is everything
Start organising the stagparty 5 to 4 months before the wedding date. Then book all the transport you need for everyone, the entertainment you want to hire, the activities you want to do and a hotel if you're staying overnight. Ideally, you should organise your stagparty around 1 or 2 months before the wedding. That way, the party isn't too close to the wedding day, so the bride isn't tired from your glitzy party - and there isn't too much time between thehen party and the wedding day, so you as the bridal party still have those lovely memories in mind!
4. Get your team together
Think well in advance about who will be involved in organising the stagparty. Ideally, two or three friends will form the core of your organising team. The choice of friends to play the central role in organising thehen party will depend on the bride. Who does she really want at the hen party?
5. Who decides what?
It's best to decide in advance whether you want to give everyone a say in the idea and organisation, or whether you want to work out a basic proposal first (with your core team) and submit it to the group later. The latter approach has a slightly higher take-it-or-leave-it content, but it can certainly work. This way, everyone is clear where they stand and everything runs smoothly. If you're organising everything with a small group, it can be useful, for example, to set up a discussion group on Whatsapp so that everyone is always up to date with the latest ideas and updates.
6. Invite everyone
As soon as the date and concept have been chosen, send a save the date to everyone invited. Ask the bride who she would like to see at her hen party. And don't forget to invite the bride's new sisters-in-law. A good rule of thumb when organising a hen party is to only invite people who are also coming to the wedding.
7. Budget management
It's important to be clear from the outset about how much the party will cost. Establish in advance what everyone is able and willing to pay for activities and transport.
8. The overall plan
Start by drawing up a precise plan of what you all want to do. Start by booking the most important activity, such as a spa, a city trip or a concert. If you're staying overnight, book your hotel - take a few ‘optional’ rooms? Think about transport and make sure everyone gets to their destination on time. Then book in advance the restaurant where you want to eat with the bride and her friends. Finally, you can start thinking about drinks, snacks, decorations and fun accessories. Don't overload your day, weekend or week! Leave enough space for the bride to enjoy her hen party to the full!
9. Allocating tasks
It's important to clearly allocate tasks on the big day. For example, it's easy to leave all the booking paperwork to one person on arrival. You can also agree on who will take the photos and immortalise your beautiful moments. Before you leave, draw up a list of who will bring what. Make sure you keep a record of all expenses and that someone is responsible for collecting and keeping all receipts.
10. Preparatory work
The fun often lies in the personal details. But these often require a lot of preparatory work. For example, if you want to quiz the bride about her partner, you'll need to interview her beforehand. Or if you want to surprise her with a set of childhood photos of her and all her friends, you need to start looking for your best photos well in advance.
Have fun! (And tag us in your photos on your social networks, we love to enjoy them ;-).
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