One of the chief bridesmaid's duties is to organise the hens party for the bride. There are many different ways to celebrate the bride's last night of freedom, but the most popular form of a hens night is usually getting all the girls together for a night of drinks and debauchery. If you find yourself organising the hens night, here are the basic things you need to do.

 

 

Write a list of everyone that the bride would want to attend the hens night. This includes her friends, work mates, sisters, and the a like. Remember to include the bride-to-be's mum, aunties, grandmothers, and other relatives. Also, you should invite the bride's soon to be mother-in-law, any sisters-in-law, and anyone else in the groom's family that you think she may want to be at the hens night. Make sure that you show the guest list to the bride before you finalise the list.

 

With the bride's permission, choose a date to hold the hens night. Don't hold the hens night the night before the wedding! Depending on the theme you have chosen for your hens night, find a venue to suit.

 

Having a hens night with a theme can make the night more festive. Whether it be simply a colour theme (e.g. black and white) or a more fun theme (e.g. playboy bunnies), choose a theme that all of the hens will like.

 

You should give the budget for the hens party a lot of thought. Do you want all of the hens to chip in to cover the basic costs? Or do you want to foot the bill? Work out a budget to get a good idea of what the night will end up costing.

 

Once you have finalised the guest list, and chosen the date, theme, and venue - send out the invites. Paper invites, the more traditional form of invitation can be used. However, you can also send out e-vites using Facebook. E-vites allow for a more simpler way for the hens to RSVP. In the invitation, remember to include the venue details, the theme, and any costs that are involved.

 

Based on the number of hens you are expecting, work out what kind of food and drinks you need to get. Remember to keep the theme in mind (if you have one) when choosing the food and drinks.  

 

It is common for games to be played at the hens night. No, not monopoly or cluedo, but hen party games. The most popular hens night games include classic drinking games such as 'I have never', or the infamous 'make a wedding dress out of toilet paper'. Another popular tradition of hens nights is to have a male stripper serenade the bride-to-be. Before organising a stripper, it's a good idea to run this idea past the bride! You will also need to organise music for the night. Make some playlists that will match the theme of the party and that will get the gals ready to party.

 

Think about whether you want to book a limo or you simply need taxis for the night. Consider your budget and your guest list, and pre-book transport accordingly.