Planning a Hens Night

The first thing that should be done after you are tasked with planning a Hens Party is talking to the person who is making it all possible, the Hen herself! Whether it’s over a coffee or on the phone this is where you will clarify what the bride has in mind. Do ask as many questions as you can; every bride to be is different and you don’t want to strike the wrong chord by surprising her with something she won’t enjoy.

If she is after a classy Hens, our private venues are the perfect option.

If she is after a wild night to remember filled with all-inclusive entertainment, our shared party venues will tickle her pink!

If she loves enjoying the best harbours in the world, our selection of private party boats will sure to have the whole Hens party bumping and grinding.

Once you have talked with your Hen, if you asked the right questions, you should now be aware of who is invited to the spectacular night. It is then pivotal to retrieve and record the names and contact details of all guests, either using a good old notepad, spreadsheet, or notes app on your phone. It’s helpful if you know how the bride is related to each guest and keeping all the details on hand helps when you’re chasing up availability for guests and any outstanding payments. Sending reminder emails is also sometimes necessary when rallying up a bunch of busy ladies.

Another topic of discussion with the bride would be budgeting for the party. It is helpful in step one to reach a decision on a per person budget. When formulating your overall budget, multiply the per person by the approximate number of guests. Once this has been calculated, you have a starting point for what packages are best tailored to your budget.

Important tip: do remember to take extras into consideration such as accommodation, any day activities, accessories, props, decorations, food and beverage, transport and any other related expenses.

The next thing you want to do is create another spreadsheet or flip to a fresh page. Record all detail big and small so you are aware of all costs involved, this will serve as your blueprint when contacting hens party businesses such as Get Loose! We make it easy on our enquiry page, with the inclusion of a budget box for you to fill in either per head or total budget so we can personalise your packages.

They say communication is key in any relationship, and when planning your hens party with the other bridesmaids it is no different. Meeting in person is not always feasible, so creating a group chat with all the other bridesmaids is another great way to communicate outside of calls and emails.

Important tip #2: do remember you don’t have to do it alone—be sure to delegate responsibilities to the other bridemaids based on their strengths and what works for everyone, planning a Hen’s night can be quite the undertaking so organise regular catch ups and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

Once you have established a budget and delegated duties, you may have very likely submitted an enquiry with Get Loose and the like of party planning companies and received a number of packages for your Hen’s night. Time to compile all these enquiries and send your first email to the guest list as a way to gain clarity around what potential entertainment, food and beverage packages and the theme of night you want to organise, and so your guests have a general idea of what will go down on the special night.

Make a note of all quotes received on your hens party spreadsheet or note to keep up to date, especially if you are contacting multiple companies and looking at a broad range of options.

It is wise to begin collecting money from all the guests once you have decided on crucial details such as what package you will be moving forward with so that deposits can be paid and so you can pay any other potential suppliers. The earlier this process can begin, the better as you can be more flexible around guests who may prefer paying in instalments to lessen the burden and so that all of the party can save.

The beauty of booking with Get Loose for your Hens Night: we gladly take most of your stress and worries with our all-inclusive packages. Once you’re happy with a package we’ve offered you and your initial questions have been answered satisfactorily, we can then move forward with a deposit to secure your booking—remember that if you want to make any amendments to entertainment, guest numbers, food, beverage, and transport this can be done up until 10 days prior to your event.

Make an itinerary if you have day and night activities with details on what you will do, when and where. Use it as a guide to not overbook yourself and the group.

The process of booking a hens party is commonly an ongoing process to smooth out those finer details with our team here at Get Loose. Once again, keeping records of what you have booked, paid for and a timed schedule of events ensures less stress for yourself and everyone else.

Important tip #3: If the hens party is a secret from the bride, don’t forget to communicate with the other bridemaids to keep their lips sealed. No spoilers allowed!

As your hens party approaches, it’s a great time to start buying some fun hen themed party accessories and decorations, create a music playlist, decide which hens party games you want to play and what your party favours will look like.

Colour and themes would have been discussed with your bride. For example, if your bride wants a classy vintage glamour hen party, or a dress up as your favourite celebrity/character theme, white and gold, neon, all pink etc. Once this is clarified, it is time to get shopping!

Important tip #4: make sure to ask us whether the venue or boat permits decorations, generally these are set up when your event commences.

Another great way to take advantage the night and make the bride to be extra special is to bring a polaroid or disposable camera, a fun way to cherish those special moments when they come to print!

When creating the playlist for your hens night, do ask the bride what her favourite songs are and take suggestions from the entire. That way, everyone has a song to enjoy on the night. Keep in mind, it can take a while to create a bumping playlist so do this at least a week before the party.

By this point, your email and chat threads will be full of messages back and forth. Your guests should all (hopefully) have paid you and should be in the know of all the relevant hen party details. We at Get Loose send your itinerary details 2 days before your event with all entertainment scheduling.

As there is a lot of information to remember, we suggest you send one final email to your guests; confirming date, timings, addresses and any extras they need to bring. Make sure they all have your contact info just in case! Start building up a high energy in anticipation for the event.

Now for the best part after all the hard work is done, party time!

Things to have on hand: itinerary, activity confirmation, contact details of venue and guests.

Once the time rolls around, there will be nothing left to do besides ensuring the bride to be and the bridesmaids get loose (pun intended) and have a good time.