6 Top Tips For Planning A Hen Party On A Budget

When organising a hen party, budgeting may not be one of the most fun jobs on your list of things to do, but it’s important to get it right. Making sure that everyone is aware of the costs from an early stage and that they are able to pay their share on time is vital for your hen party success. Once you have your budget agreed, you can get on with the important business of planning the entertainment!

Read on for expert tips on how to plan a hen party on a budget:

Plan well in advance

Don’t rely on last-minute deals for your hen party. It’s far better for all attendees to know well in advance where you’re going and how much everything is going to cost. Try to get the main bookings finalised as soon as possible, particularly accommodation and transport which can prove costly if left until later in the planning stages.

Finalising arrangements in advance helps all your party plan their own budgets, and should make the party more affordable. It also means you can get agreement on locations and dates sorted at an early stage.

Need inspiration on where to go? Read our blog for inspiration on the best hen party locations in the UK.

Decide and agree on a plan

Sounds obvious, but without a firm plan, you have nowhere to pin your budget requirements. Set up a WhatsApp, Facebook or email group and ask your party some basic questions to get the ball rolling. Where and when would they like to go, and vice versa? What is the maximum budget they can stretch to and are there any barriers to payment you should know about such as payday schedules? Once you’ve got your answers, you can pool the responses and set up a plan from which to build upon.

Suggest choices that will suit all of your party

Some of your hen party will have larger budgets available, and some more modest – it’s as simple as that. Don’t risk embarrassing those with less spare funds by only offering costly options for activities, accommodation or location. If your group has decided on a city location which could ramp up expenditure, try to counteract this by suggesting low-cost activities or look into cheap transport options. Who said National Express can’t be fun!

Set up a shareable budget spreadsheet

No matter what size your group is, it’s important to document your hen party budget on a spreadsheet or plan that everyone can access, whenever they need to. This will help keep everything in order and means your group understands exactly where their money is going and when.

Your budget plan should itemise all expenditure, including contributions to the bride’s costs. It might be a good idea to list the items by the payment date, starting with the soonest, or highlight those that are imminent so people can be prepared.

Items to include in your budget plan:

1. Accommodation
2. Transport
3. Contribution to the bride’s costs
4. Food (both at the accommodation and eating out)
5. Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
6. Pre-booked entertainments and activities
7. Fun stuff for the bride (costumes, toys, etc…)

Depending on the nature of your hen party, it might be simpler to suggest a kitty for non-pre booked entertainment; buying rounds at the pub, coffee/ice cream stops etc. This could be pre-loaded to a card to set up tabs, or simply take a bag of cash for you all to dip into.

Note that this will only work if people generally agree on what the money should be spent on. If there are non-drinkers in the group or people who are concerned about high spends, speak to them individually to find out how they’d prefer to manage this.

A gift for the bride

It’s a nice idea to include a gift to the bride as part of the hen weekend. This could include covering all or part of her costs, treating her to an event ticket or a meal or buying a present that will remind her of this special weekend. Naturally, you’ll need to discuss this with your group beforehand to see what they’re happy with and find out if they have any ideas themselves.

If your group is already feeling a little challenged by the hen party costs why not suggest you all contribute to a photo album with pictures and messages from each attendee. This is also a nice way to include people that can’t make it.

Keep it simple

The whole idea of a hen party is to organise a special day or weekend for the bride to be. A whirlwind trip to Mexico might be exciting for some, but it could be a financial and logistical pain in the neck for others. Keep your plans simple, with plenty of personal touches for the hen and don’t get bogged down in unnecessary detail and you won’t go far wrong.

We hope these tips have helped you get to grips with budgeting for your perfect hen party. If you’re still looking for hen party accommodation, we have got you sorted – browse our full range of accommodation to discover the ideal place to stay on a weekend to remember.