Grab a pen and paper – if you’re about to embark on a hen do weekend, then these are the things you need to know!
How to plan a hen do weekend
Whether this is your first time planning a hen do weekend or whether you’ve been a maid of honour before, you always want a hen party to be a perfect weekend for the bride-to-be.
So with that in mind, if you want to survive the hen do weekend without running into any problems, you’ve got to get the basics right before you get to the good part:
Hen Weekend Basics
The Hen
First off, every Hen Do needs a Hen. Or else it’s simply a ‘Do’. Some things we will cover are probably desirably opposed to essential, but this is most definitely the latter. If the answer to the question “Is she getting married” is ‘YES” – then move on.
Maid of Honour
At this point, the bride-to-be will have her maid of honour picked out. That basically means all the hen do weekend organising duties fall upon her shoulders.
If you’re reading this article, chances are YOU are the maid of honour – so this is where your job begins.
Get A Plan Together
A pretty crucial part of the hen do weekend is having a plan.
Without a plan, it’s just a group of girls all assembled in one place staring blankly at one another.
Yes, you need a plan for a hen do weekend – and it needs to definitely involve alcohol or your popularity will plummet and serious questions will be raised about your selection as maid of honour.
It’s important to make sure you don’t wing it when your planning a hen do – make the weekend as memorable as you can. We’ve put together some great tips on how you can make a hen weekend special over on our blog.
Which takes us nicely into the next part of the guide….
How to choose a destination for your hen weekend
This will be mashed up with ‘The Plan’. Decisions should be made about where, when, who, and how.
The ‘when’ bit would have already been chosen. A date (or dates) already picked and cleared by prospective employers and jealous or fearing partners of attendees.
‘Who’ refers to who goes along. Generally, it’s the family and friends of the bride and perhaps the mother-in-law too if the hen is drunk when making the list.
Now we come to the ‘where’ and ‘how’. Recent hen do weekends have tended to pull away from the former tradition of filling a minibus and having a night out in somewhere like Margate. Nowadays, the journey to oblivion tends to begin at an airport.
The destination of your hen do weekend is crucial. It has to fit the mood of the occasion so a trip to Greek ruins isn’t perhaps the best shout.
Think sun, sea, sand and sangria. Now you are closer to hitting the mark. Delve further – go with a Balearic Island and you might as well stick a pin in any of them.
That said, not all hen do weekends need to be abroad. The UK offers just as much and is a lot closer to home for most. In fact, most hen parties now prefer a UK hen weekend rather than going abroad.
We’ve put together a definitive guide for the best UK destinations for a hen weekend over on our blog.
Pro tips for a hen weekend:
"Alcohol is your friend"
Maybe in the history of hen dos, there has been the odd dry one. You’d probably struggle to find any evidence of a time when zero alcohol was consumed, but they might exist along with mermaids and unicorns.
If you do discover one in days of yonder, it would be a rarity and certainly far from keeping with modern traditions.
Let’s assume the airport lounge is the first port of call. Any large gathering of pink cowboy hats is usually a sign that a hen party is beginning. Matching t-shirts have often been printed which will visually announce the name of the bride-to-be as well as the groups destination.
Examples would possibly read: “Tracy’s Hen Do – Ibiza 2021”. These aren’t overly cryptic and you wouldn’t need to complete The Times crossword in less than five minutes to figure the message out.
Unless it’s an elaborate and quite baffling hoax, Tracy will be getting drunk in Ibiza ahead of her upcoming wedding day.
If you happen to be heading to the same place they are, don’t expect a peaceful flight. Although it’s always well spirited – no pun intended – but certainly recognised.
Somewhere over the French Riviera will be the point the onboard drinks trolley starts to look like someone has taken a giant bite out of it. Mini bottles of prosecco will become sought-after items and the airline staff will be up and down the plane aisle like an Olympic swimmer.
The plane journey is typically the place where songs are either born or un-tunefully revealed. You can almost set your watch to a dreadful rendition of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ somewhere over the Portuguese coastline.
Alcohol will go on to play a pivotal role in the weekend’s proceedings. The blame for most activities witnessed will be laid firmly at the door of the drink.
"Partying is mandatory"
Almost goes without saying that a Hen Do Weekend won’t include a fair share of this. In fact, it’s unlikely that aspect will ever be removed from the festivities.
Sleeping over this journey of debauchery and frivolity is almost a forgotten word. That can be caught up on when the party is over and the body is clambering for some kind of mental rest bite.
"Know how to handle your drink"
As you’ve probably suspected at this point, being able to handle your drink on a hen do is almost a prerequisite.
This is twofold. The tolerance during the consumption needs to be adequate. If not, you are either checking out early or heading for the mother of all hangovers.
We all have that one friend within our group who can proudly boast to never getting a hangover. On this trip, you really want to be them. Even though it’s probably nothing to be immensely proud of in terms of lifetime achievements, it’s certainly of huge benefit on weekends like this.
Eventually when you awake – and you will wish you didn’t have to – your head may well feel like a small heavy metal band is performing a concert inside it. Unfortunately, you are invited to this and sat in the front row.
Building a tolerance to alcohol is almost an art but definitely not rocket science. It works on the simple yet basic premise of ‘the more you drink, the less it affects you’.
Something that is perfected by years of consuming copious and often ridiculous amounts of alcohol until your body almost relents and understands this is a regular occurrence. At that point, it stops letting you know that it doesn’t like it. Think of it more of a cerebral acceptance than a tolerance. A surrender if you will.
"Plan a Hen Do to match the Bride"
Hen parties should be as much for the bride as they are for her friends. So it’s important to factor this while planning the theme of a hen do.
Not every hen do has to be one big out til-6-in-the-morning party. If the Hen prefers to take it easy, then you can plan a hen weekend that is better suited for The Chilled-Out Bride.
Simarly, not all hen weekends have to be high-tea and a spa day. So there’s nothing wrong with going for a Traditional Hen Do for The Booze-Fulled Bride.
If you’re looking for inspiration on what type of hen weekend you should go with, we’ve put together a great blog on hen do themes.
"Don't go over budget"
While you want to create a weekend that your bride will never forget, it’s important to remember she won’t be picking up the bill when all is said and done. That usually falls to the maid of honour and the rest of the hen party!
Having a budget in place so you know exactly how much your spending on hen do weekend is definitely useful. Prioritise what needs to be booked first, how much you need to spend for your accommodation and activities and who owes what.
That way you’ll still be able to give the bride a great hen do weekend without going into your overdraft!
If you’ve got a tighter budget than most hen parties, we’ve got put together a useful guide on how you can plan a hen do on a budget over on our blog.
Choose The Bierkeller for your Hen Do Weekend
Well that is pretty much it. Your survival guide in glorious graphic detail. But sickness and headaches aside, you’ll probably return home with vague memories of what was a great trip away with friends.
You swear never to touch another drop of alcohol ever again. But then the wedding comes around and your promises to that hungover dissipate relatively quickly.
However, if it is a Bierkeller venue you choose for these wild celebrations, then once the feeling of sobriety resurfaces, no memories of a hangover will deter you from planning your next social gathering here with us.
We have five great venues at some of the best cities in the UK, including 4 of the top 10 cities in the UK for hen do weekends for 2023; Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham
Hen Do Weekends in Liverpool
With hundreds of hen parties flocking to Liverpool almost every weekend, it’s no surprise that Liverpool is widely regarded as the party capital of the UK!
A regular favourite UK destination for hen parties, Liverpool is so much more than just a great night out.
Liverpool has it all; great bars and nightclubs (and home to the world-famous, The Bierkeller Liverpool!), world-famous music, vibrant culture, two great football teams (if you’re a little on the sporty side, Shooters Bar Liverpool has you covered) and a thriving foodie scene with instagrammable spots aplenty!
You can find out all about hen do ideas in Liverpool on our blog.
The Bierkeller Liverpool welcomes hen parties of sizes each weekend and has become a must-visit destination if it’s your first time in Liverpool!
At The Bierkeller, we are all about making memories.
Let us create yours!