Hen Night Do’s and Don’ts

A hen night (or bachelorette party in the U.S.) can be quite a party. It’s a time of celebration when the bride and her friends get together to celebrate her last days of “freedom.” While some women like to go all out on their hen night, others like to play it low key. While the hen night does nto have as long a tradition as the stag party, it does not mean that it doesn’t come with its own set of do’s and don’ts.

Do:

1. Do something the bride enjoys. While the hen night is a group activity, the focus should be on the bride herself. If the bride is conservative, it may not be fun for her to have a stripper appear at her door. So if you are planning to keep elements on the hen night a surprise, just be sure you are doing those events for the bride.
2. Keep the guest in mind. Yes, the bride’s preferences are important, so are the preferences of the rest of the guests. You want everyone to have fun, so make sure the event caters to a variety of tastes.
3. Make sure everyone invited to the hen night is also invited to the wedding. It’s tacky to invite those people that aren’t invited to the actual event. However, you do not have to invite every female on the wedding guest list to the hen night.
4. Remember the groom’s side of the guest list. While the hen night is about the bride, it is rude to forget the fiance’s friends and family.
5. Plan ahead. If you plan ahead, you can get group rates on a lot of events. It also allows you to see any holes in the night and avoid long waits, which can throw you off schedule.
6. Share the bill. Some bridesmaids or maids of honor feel that they have to foot the bill for the hen night, but in fact you can share the expenses with all the party guests (except the bride, of course).
7. If you’re not the hostess, see if there are ways you can help. Putting the planning on one person’s shoulders is a lot, and the hostess can usually use all the help she can get in planning the hen night.

Don’t:

1. Don’t have the hen night too close to the wedding. While you may want to include family or friends coming in from out of town, planning too close to the wedding can be stressful. Try to keep it at least two to three days from the wedding. Your best bet is a week or two prior to the big day.
2. Don’t drink too much. While alcohol consumption is often a big part of hen nights, drinking too much can lead to poor decisions. If the hen night is close to the wedding day, it is really important to watch alcohol consumption. No one wants a hung over bride or a wedding called off because of drunken mistakes.
3. Don’t do anything illegal. While it may seem common sense, sometimes things get wild on a hen night. Make sure that people stay on the right side of the law.

Don’t drive drunk. Yes, a lot of these don’ts have alcohol involved, and for good reason. Driving drunk is not only illegal, but dangerous. No one wants a tragedy as part of their wedding memories