If you’ve been tasked with the monumental job (and honour!) of organising a bride-to-be’s hen’s party celebrations, we have a few tips and tricks to ensure the day goes smoothly. From budgets and bridesmaid delegations to transport and tipples, here are our top tips to ensure the planning – and the day – are as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

Organise an ice-breaker for guests

While many of the party guests may already be friends, chances are that there will be at least a few people who don’t know anybody. To ensure that nobody feels left out, organising an ice-breaker for everyone to get to know each other is a great way to make everyone feel included and relaxed. This could be as simple as getting everyone to answer a few questions about themselves, from sharing their favourite books and movies, to talking about how they know the bride, or setting up a ‘speed-dating’ situation where everyone is paired up and has one minute to introduce themselves before the pairs switch.

Another popular game is ‘two truths, one lie’ where everyone tells three statements with the group; two of which are true and one of which is a lie. The rest of the group have to try and guess which one is the lie!

By organising an ice-breaker, you set up a harmonious and inclusive day for all the guests.

Pre-book your transport

If you’re planning a destination hen’s party, or you’ve got attendees coming from interstate or overseas, you don’t want to leave the transport to the last minute. By pre-booking an airport transfer on Jayride.com, you’ll ensure the group doesn’t get split up, and everyone remains stress-free and on-time.

Whether you want to add an extra bit of luxe to the experience and book a limousine transfer, or simply want everyone in the same place at the same time, there’s an airport transfer to suit your needs on Jayride.com.

Hot tip: Pack an auxiliary cord and a phone with a killer playlist and keep the party going in the transfer to your destination!

Decide on a theme

Not all hen’s parties need to be X-rated, so think outside the box. Does your bride-to-be love old-age glamour and fashion? Have a Great Gatsby themed party where everyone can dress up in their best flapper dresses and headpieces, pearls and all. Is her favourite colour purple? Get everyone to wear something of that colour, and find decorations and food to match. Are there family members, like grandmothers and aunties coming along? Skip the tacky party decor and have a high tea party instead, with sandwiches and Pimm’s. If she’s a budding artist, organise a life-drawing class (with Champagne included, of course!) for some artistic fun and laughs.

By choosing a theme, not only is it easier to plan the day as you’ll narrow down your options, but you’ll create a memorable day that everyone can get on board with and that your bride will love.

Organise appropriate activities

Similar the the tip above, it’s important to get a read of the guestlist and organise appropriate activities that everyone will enjoy. If there are family members like grandmothers or young cousins attending, then keep the activities family friendly. If there aren’t many drinkers in the group, then a bar-crawl might not be ideal either. Talk to your bride-to-be about who is coming so you can get a good understanding of what everyone will enjoy.

Don’t over-organise

While it may be tempting to have every minute accounted for in your hen’s party itinerary, it’s important to have some downtime, too. This way your guests can recoup their energy in between activities and not fade out before the day (or weekend) is done. The last thing you want is frustrated guests feeling like they’re being herded between venues and activities.

Create an amazing playlist

The best parties have one thing in common – a great playlist! Ask all of the guests, including the bride-to-be, to suggest their favourite party songs and compile them all together in an app like Spotify. Everyone will be excited when their song request comes on, and you can share the playlist afterwards as a keepsake from the event.

Stick to a budget

Possibly the hardest part of organising a hen’s party, sticking to a budget is also one of the most important. It’s so easy to add in lots of little extras here and there; expensive Champagne for a toast, party favours for guests to take home, an extra round of cocktails; but it quickly adds up! To save yourself from a shock at the end of the party, write up a budget with all costs involved and stick to it. If everyone has paid their money upfront to attend, it’s not fair to ask them to dish out more throughout the party, and you may be the one lumped with the additional costs.

Get payment upfront

On that note, once you’ve organised your budget it’s important to be transparent about the costs and what is being paid for (and what isn’t – if meals are included but drinks at the bar aren’t, it’s important to let your guests know that beforehand!), and then ask for it upfront from guests. That way you won’t be chasing money from people after the event, and everyone knows what’s involved before signing up.

DIY as much as you can

One way to keep costs down is to make things yourself. Pinterest is a fantastic resource to find simple and cost-effective ways to create lovely decorations, such as fairy lights in jars as pretty table decorations,creating your own ‘photo wall’, or a decorated wall with props that guests can pose in front of. Yes, it’s more time-consuming, but it will save you money in the long-run and avoid budget blow-out. It can also be a cheaper way to add that extra sparkle to the day.

Create a WhatsApp or Facebook group for guests

Communication is key when it comes to organising a hen’s party, but there’s a fine line between keeping everyone informed (and excited) and spamming your guests with information and updates. An easy way to keep everyone informed with the essentials is to create a group on social media, like Facebook or WhatsApp. This way nobody gets inundated with a constant flurry of text messages and emails, and communication is kept in one place.

Organising a destination hen’s party? Let us help with the airport transfer! From luxury limousines to mini-vans, ensure the party keeps going and you don’t get split up by pre-booking an airport transfer on Jayride.com. We work with thousands of airport transfer companies around the world, so if you need an airport transfer at a great price, search and compare on Jayride.com today.