May 2, 2016

Keep calm and plan your wedding Part 4: The Hen Party!

If or when you get married, everyone will give you advice – ignore them. The only piece of advice you need when it comes to planning your wedding is this: let your friends plan your hen do.

It’s been the best decision I’ve made in wedding planning. Why? Because now that hen do’s are more than just a meal out the night before the big day, it involves logistics, creativity, coordination and planning. Lots of planning, on top of the planning you’re already doing. So delegate.

My whole hen party was a surprise. It wasn’t until we were through to duty free at Stansted airport that I knew where I was going; it wasn’t until we reached an old whisky distillery Airbnb in Edinburgh that I knew where we were staying, and it wasn’t until we arrived outside the theatre that I realised why we were all dressed up, 20s style, in a dress they’d surprised me with the night before.

I couldn’t have planned such a relaxed, fun, well-planned, thought-of-every-little-thing weekend; I’m all seating plans, timings and place names. It also meant that I could have a weekend off from thinking! It was like being a child again – being told where you needed to be, when you needed to be there and what you needed to take – and it was bliss. I could just enjoy being surrounded by my favourite people.

So while my advice is to let those around you plan your hen do for you, that’s where it stops. I did, however, ask my beautiful bridesmaids for their advice when it comes to planning a hen do and this is what they said…

Charley: You have to have the basics right – an awesome bride-to-be, amazing co-bridesmaids and a wonderful set of hens! Then communication, good planning and lots of prosecco is the key. Keep everyone involved and up-to-date, have a sensible plan within an agreed budget and make sure there’s enough to drink.

Del: Teamwork, technology and totally amazing people!

Mary: It’s pretty obvious but my top tip is communication – with the other bridesmaids, the hens and the bride-to-be. I found it really helpful to keep touching base with my co-bridesmaids Charley and Del throughout the whole process. We all knew what part we were going to play and how to execute it, and I think that’s why it was so successful! It also helps to have a fair few bottles of prosecco lined up for the weekend too, of course!

Stephanie Bolton

@StephanieBolton

Keep calm and plan your wedding Part 1: How to enjoy your engagement

Keep calm and plan your wedding Part 2: A busy woman’s guide to wedding planning

Keep calm and plan your wedding Part 3: Should you invite your colleagues?