So, you've been trusted with the responsibility of planning a hen party; congratulations! At first, you'll probably be pleased to have been given such an important role, but after a while, you may start to regret your approval after realising the amount of work that you've taken on...
The reality of planning a hen do is often far more stressful than you would think at first, it's more than just ordering Hen Party Essentials (although this IS very important) but with a bit of determination and forethought, you can make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible for everyone involved. Here are our tips for planning a great hen do, that won't be a flop for any of your guests:
Plan, Plan, and Plan Some More!
Naturally the extent of your planning will depend upon the length and location of the hen, but it's still important to keep on top of all your tasks, whether you're planning a night out in your local city or a long weekend overseas. Your first priority should be to finalise the guest list, so you can have definite numbers to plan with when booking transportation, venues and activities. Once that's done, you can then move on to the booking process itself, and finalise your plans for the party. If you're hoping to fit in a variety of activities, you may want to draw up an itinerary to make sure everyone is clear on the plans, and to ensure that you are able to fit everything within your time frame. To make it easier for you, we've created this free hen party itinerary printable to help you plan out the running order of the days.
Involve Your Bride Without Being a Nag
It's highly likely that by the time the hen party arrives, your bride will be sick to death of making plans and checking bookings, thanks to months of pre-wedding stress. That means it's important to take on as much of the responsibility as possible, so that she can truly enjoy herself without having to worry about the little details. Having said that, it's also important that you ask for her input when needed, or at least get a good idea of what she wants before you start planning. A good way to do this is to plan a relaxing day out such as a shopping trip or a lunch date, so you can get a good idea of what the bride wants in a chilled out, stress-free atmosphere.
Keep All Your Guests in Mind
"So I have to keep in mind what the bride wants as well as everyone else?" Yep, pretty much.. We understand that it isn't the simplest of tasks to keep all the guests happy, and if your try to please everyone you'll end up driving yourself mad, however, it's important that you avoid making people feel left out at all costs. One case where this issue often arises is when there is a diverse age group attending the hen, or if you have invited a friend of the bride who isn't familiar with the rest of the attendees.
A great way to solve the issue of age and demographic, is simply by making sure that your plans are diverse enough to suit a range of tastes, so that everyone will find something to enjoy throughout the weekend. Another idea is to split the hen into a distinct day/night affair, so that those who aren't a fan of clubbing don't feel obliged to spend hours out dancing. If you're concerned about an individual feeling left out from the rest of the group, you may want to reach out to them before the hen to help them feel welcome. You could add them on social media or get their phone number from the bride, so that you can introduce yourself and help them feel included before you go away.
Why not get the girls matching with these sashes:
We have another food-related post for you today, as we're talking about setting up a sweet station at your hen party! This is perfect for hens who are celebrating at home, have hired a private venue, or are staying in an apartment.
While there are many companies who provide hire services of this kind, it can become a little pricey for hens who are looking to stick to a particular budget. After all, if you've already spend lots of money on accommodation, activities etc, it can seem a bit of a stretch to spend money on added extras.
The good news, is that it is super simple to plan a candy buffet or sweet station yourself, buy buying your own sweets and doing a little DIY work!
Step 1 - Stock up on Sweeties!
Here at HenStuff, we supply lots of sweet goodies for your hen night, so it won't be difficult to find lots of old favourites and hen-themed candies for your spread.
Will you pick something naughty or nice? Why not have both! Shop sweets here.
Step 2 - Get Crafty in the Kitchen!
We recently shared a few recipes for yummy bakes and treats to serve up at your hen party, which you can find here if you missed it. Another great idea is to make some marshmallow pops, which have become very popular in recent years, due to the fact that they look great and are easy to make. There is a super easy demonstration image here, but essentially, all you will need is: lollypop sticks, chocolate, cake decorations and maybe food colouring if desired.
If you're feeling a bit more ambitious, then why not try making some pretty macaroons? Not only will they add a touch of French bakery chic to your table, they also present you with the opportunity to try a range of different flavours and colours! Check out this strawberry macaroons recipe to get you started.
Step 3 - Set the Scene!
You'll want to make sure that the sweet station looks as good as it tastes, so it's important to think about the layout. Luckily, you can buy lots of plastic sweet jars online, which emulate the look of glass at a much lower price. Experiment with pretty jars, cake stands and bowls until you get your desired effect. For extra impact, try sticking to sweets and storage of the same colour(s), to make your arrangement look even more stylish and put-together. For the table or stand, you may want to add extra elements of decoration, which you can easily make yourself with some pretty card and paper. Check out this awesome hen party bunting idea from Brideas!
For more hen party inspiration, check out our Pinterest page!
You can also find lots of news, ideas and competitions over on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Secret Santa is both a beloved and dreaded Christmas tradition. It usually involved randomly selecting a gift recipient (from a friendship group or at work, etc) and choosing something without them knowing its you who have selected them. It's also become quite common for these gifts to be funny which is exactly why we recommend naughty gift ideas for Secret Santa!
Below we've listed our top naughty, novelty gifts ideas, providing you with some inspiration for your lucky (or unlucky) recipient.
Inflatable objects always make fun, useless and ridiculous gifts, but our cheeky selection takes things to the next level! Whether you pick our giant
Blow Up Willy toy
, or our
Mr Willy and
Miss Boobs 30" Balloons, you're sure to provide a fun prop for a night of naughty hilarity! Makes quite the statement in the office too...
If your Secret Santa name match is a baking fan, what gift could be wittier or more appropriate than this
Giant Willie Mould! Now they can bake a willie shaped cake for everyone to tuck into, or even open up their own penis patisserie!
Everyone loves a nice relaxing bath, and no bath time is complete without the traditional, yellow rubber duck! Perhaps ‘traditional’ is the wrong to describe this one, however, who has a naughty secret lurking just beneath the surface of the water...
If your Secret Santa recipient is known for being the most highly strung member of the group, why not give them this
Anti Stress Boob to help them release all that built-up tension!
This
Willie Egg Fryer is an EGG-CELENT Secret Santa gift - We apologise for the dreadful pun. They can now say goodbye to their bog standard, boring old eggs, and say hello to their EGG-STRAVAGANT plate of phallic food!
Click Here to check out more of our great novelty gifts!
Here are even more naughty gifts for you!
