How To Plan The Best Hen Weekend

Ladies, you’ve accepted the invitation of Head Bridesmaid and it’s up to you to make this hen weekend way better than Tiffany’s slightly bizarre ‘Brides with Beards’ themed excursion to Brighton… what was she thinking? The pressure is on and juggling budgets, potentially explosive guest lists and pre-wedding diets is nothing you can’t handle – you are the queen of multi-tasking remember.

Think of the hen weekend as that ‘to die for’ Mulberry handbag. It looks fantastic on your arm and goes with every outfit, but inside it is squeezed full of all the unseen essential accessories which will make the hen weekend one to laugh about with the girls… over that cheeky hot chocolate.

The bride has enough on her mind so she’ll be looking to her friends to sort out the specifics. Get a fool proof plan sorted from the start and everything will run like clockwork, leaving you with all the time in world to relax with a well deserved Mojito, the girls and a good chat about golden balls.

Here are the Five Golden Girls to planning the ultimate hen weekend.

Who

You first need to decide who you want to invite. Needless to say they have to be friends of the bride, but trawling through her Facebook and inviting Sophie from junior school is probably not the best idea.

This should be pretty simple, keep numbers to a hardcore team of like minded individuals, preferably people you and the bride know, rather than ‘no show’ Charlotte who is famous for exactly that – never making an appearance. In-laws and parents are more frequently being invited to hen and stag weekends so if you don’t mind partying with the oldies then this might make a welcome surprise for the bride.

Talking of getting the mix of people ‘not’ spot on; one hen weekend I organised was particularly eventful as I didn’t do my research thoroughly enough and the evening turned into a full on cat fight. It transpires that both friends were dating the same man.

Cross off Guest List Check!

What

The bride will have a couple of suggestions from speaking to friends or reading in magazines of what she would like to do; but I strongly advise you to put her off any ideas involving paint balling or quad biking. She might love it and maybe one other tomboy, but I’ll bet that the others would much rather prefer a relaxing spa treatment.

Out of all the ingredients that go into this cocktail of a hen weekend deciding on activities is probably the most tricky. You ideally want to have a good balance of activities that caters for all.

By simply making a few phone calls to find out what the chosen few like and dislike will give you an idea of the parameters within which you can work.

A day of being pampered will soften even the hardest individual and will ensure everyone is totally relaxed before partying the night away. For something a little different you could cater specifically for the brides’ tastes, perhaps cheese and wine tasting in the country or making chocolate in the city. Failing that a hunky stripper in a fireman’s costume, complete with fireman’s hose might be the flavour of the weekend.

My advice is balance the day activity with the evening’s frivolities and over the course of the hen weekend you should have it spot on.

Cross off Activities Check!

When

This is a real simple one.

Long gone are the days when hen weekends ended hours before the wedding, with the bride looking like a pickled panda shuffling down the aisle whilst hanging onto daddy for dear life.

Plan the weekend about a month before the bride’s special day which leaves enough time for her to cram in those extra dance lessons, crash diet and talk nothing but wedding arrangements until she’s blue in the face.

Hen weekends aren’t seasonal but are reliant on when the wedding is scheduled for. But don’t worry, come Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter I can guarantee that this will be an unforgettable weekend.

Cross off When Check!

Where

Again simple, but you have two ways of making a decision.

You can choose the city that you’ve always wanted to sample, Prague in the exotic east, the smoldering sexuality of Barcelona or Paris… now no one can dispute the allure of the French accent.

Or, get yourself a map of Europe, stick it onto a wall and hold a drawing pin in whichever hand takes your fancy. Close your eyes, spin around once and then stick the tail on the donkey, or in this case choose your destination of choice.

There is probably one niggling factor tapping on your brain, rather like those amazing shoes you saw during lunch hour which is… going abroad is frankly way more fun than staying on our beautiful island.

Although I’m all for supporting the British economy, going abroad gets my vote every time. Besides, anywhere will have better weather than England, the cocktails are not only more exotic but much cheaper and the men are… foreign and mysterious. Whether you decide to sample or not just checking out the eye candy is certainly worth clocking up those air miles.

Cross off Where Check!

How… Long

A hen weekend does what it says – it’s a mixed weekend of pure relaxation and complete madness when grown women let their hair down and in some instances wear corrective cocktail shades.

Its like kitchen scales, too short and people are still craving one more day or too long and everyone is an extra from Dawn of the Living Dead. The weekend should not be an endurance race so the usual three days are a winner.

Cross off How Long and you’re Mulberry bag is filled and ready to close Check!

Follow the Five Golden Girls and I promise you’ll be queen bee amongst all your friends and the hen weekend will be talked about for decades to come. Get the balance right and everyone will have an amazing time, the bride will be indebted to you forever and at the end of the day you know you’ve planned yourself one hell of a holiday.