You’ve chosen your Maid of Honour (MOH) and now they’re tasked with giving you a magical send-off into married life with all your best friends around you. Easy, right? If only it was that simple.
Whilst you have every faith that your bestie is going to give you a party to remember, behind the scenes they’re probably panicking about getting it spot on. To save them from the inevitable stress, why not give them a helping hand? Now, this isn’t your cue to get all bridezilla about it. But there are definitely a few things you can do to make your MOH’s life a whole lot easier! Whether your MOH is a meticulous planner à la Monica from Friends (clipboard and headset optional) or is the kind of person who wings it, they’ll probably still need pointing in the right direction.
With that in mind, we bring you 10 ways to help your MOH plan you a perfect hen do. Trust us, they’re going to LOVE you!
1. Get your Bridesmaids together
First things first, you should aim to get your bridal party together in person as soon as possible. Bride Squad, assemble! Organising a meet up will help your bridesmaids get to know each other if they don’t already or can simply be an excuse for a wedding-related catch-up. Whether your maids are long-time friends or meeting for the first time, getting the whole crew in one room will start the hen do ball rolling. Not only will this make planning a lot easier for your MOH, but now they have a whole team of bridesmaids to delegate tasks to. Winning!
2. Provide a guest list
You probably have an idea in your head of exactly who you’d love to be at your hen do, but does your MOH know? You don’t want to turn up to your party and see that Becky from work is missing or your old housemate from uni is nowhere to be seen. So, make a list! Think about who you’d want to be there to send you off into married life, then pass their details to your MOH. That way, all your faves are guaranteed to get an invite.
3. Work out how much you want to know
Are you the kind of bride who loves being surprised? Or does the thought of being kept in the dark fill you with more dread than realising the Topshop half-price sale ended yesterday? Either way, you should give your MOH an idea of how much you want to know about your hen during the planning stages. They might be eager to spill the beans, yet you don’t want to know a thing. Or perhaps they want to keep everything under wraps when you’d rather be told a few key bits of info. Make sure you let your MOH know early on in the process so they can factor this into the plans.
4. Drop hints about what you want to do
You have dreamed about your wedding day since you were little, right? So, chances are you’ve probably put a lot of thought into what the perfect hen weekend would look like too. Whether you imagine going to the spa, tasting wine at a vineyard, heading off glamping or even dabbling in a bit rock climbing, drop your MOH some subtle hints. Not only will you be more likely to get the trip of your dreams, but we also promise your MOH will thank you for not leaving them to plan from scratch!
5. Be upfront about what you DON’T want to do
You hate to get all Simon Cowell about it, but there is some hen do activities that will have you chanting “It’s a no from me”. Perhaps the idea of a museum tour bores you, going bungee jumping is your biggest fear or having a stripper crash your party just doesn’t float your boat. You want to have the best weekend with your hens, so think carefully about what’s a no go. Our top tip is to stay open-minded. But if there’s something you feel strongly about not doing, tell your MOH so they can ditch those plans and fast!
6. Decide if a theme is for you
If you’re a serial attendee of hen dos, you’ll know that all the decent ones have a theme involving an element of dressing up. We’ve got our nuns, our Pink Ladies, our 90’s vibes, our cheerleaders, our pirates, our Spice Girls – you know the drill. Now, we don’t want you to ruin the fun by having any say in what the theme might be. But if you have some bright ideas or things you’d rather avoid *ahem…80’s disco* then it’s worth letting your MOH know. Equally, if you don’t want a theme at all, you had better speak up sharpish before they bulk buys 20 matching school girl outfits…
7. Figure out a date
As you will know, getting your closest pals together on the same weekend without planning it about 300 years in advance can be an absolute mission. So, we reckon you should save your MOH the hassle! Figure out a couple of possible dates – ones that work for you and could potentially work for your friends. The more flexible you can be, the more chance your MOH will be able to find a date that suits everyone. Also, have a think about how much time you’d like between your wedding and hen do. You don’t want your MOH organising it four months before or worse, four DAYS before you say, ‘I Do’!
8. Help work out a budget
Normally, your mates will be kind enough to pay for your spot on the hen do (legends). But do be mindful that some of them won’t be able to afford as much as others. For example, you know there are a few people in your group that definitely can’t stump up the cash for a luxury five-star yacht trip in Ibiza. So, make sure you consider each individual person on your guest list and try to work out a rough and doable budget from that. Narrowing down the date will also help with costs depending on what time of year you go, so ensure you factor that in. In short, give your MOH some ideas around the budget before they get carried away!
9. Give your opinion on the location
One of the biggest decisions when hen do planning has to be picking a location, and this can often be really challenging for your MOH. After all, they have to choose somewhere that will not only keep you happy but the rest of your guests too. Our advice? If there’s somewhere you’d love to go (or somewhere you absolutely wouldn’t!) give your MOH a helping hand by throwing some ideas out there. Because whether you’d be buzzing for a trip to Benidorm or chuffed with a cottage in the Cotswolds, they’ll really appreciate you helping them narrow it down.
10. Tell you MOH about hen do travel agents
You want to make your MOH life easier, right? Our final top tip will do just that! Hen do planning can be pretty manic, but did you know there are travel agents out there who can take all the stress away? Specifically, ones that focus on bespoke hen dos? Enter, Simple Hemin! With their help, your MOH can organise an amazing send-off which is completely tailored to you. Also, we hate to be a nag but does your MOH know the difference between the protection you get with package holidays, linked travel arrangements or independent bookings? If not, then you’d better tell them pronto!
Simple Henmin offer package holidays covered by financial and legal protection, leaving you and your hens to crack open the Prosecco knowing you’re in safe hands. Have their top tips inspired you to help your MOH out? Once you’ve given them the key info they need, all that’s left to do is sit back, relax, and wait for the postman to deliver your invite! And remember, the sooner you give your MOH your thoughts and ideas, the sooner they can start organising the party of the year. Happy hen do!
You can find Simple Henmin at The National Wedding Show London ExCeL (17-18th October)- stand D40.
Click here to visit their website.