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LONDON
Hen Do's & Dont's
L O N D O N
The capital city of England.
One of the most travelled to cities in the world.
The best brunches.The best cocktails.The best activities.
The BEST UK location for a home hen do!
If you are looking for the perfect spot in the UK to celebrate a hen do look no further than London.
While outwardly London may seem a costly location for a hen do, if you plan the trip correctly you can have the most incredible time in London at a super reasonable price while giving the bride to be a sensational send off.
One of the pros of a London hen is that flights aren’t an issue and the transport links into and around the city are some of the best in the country making it super easy for you and the girls to get around!
London is also the perfect option for your bride to be if she is getting married abroad or prefers not to travel too far away from home.
More so now than ever with the effects of the global pandemic vacays are out and staycays are IN, meaning this vibrant, exciting and lively location should be the number one choice for your UK hen do location.
So we’re agreed on London as your UK hen weekend location and it’s time to get planning the perfect trip.
If you’re struggling on how to get started we have come up with our top hen do’s and dont’s for planning your London hen weekend (or any hen weekend for that matter) with a few planning tips and ideas thrown in along the way 🤩
Que Tip 1 …
Do Give Yourself Time
One of the most important things to consider when planning your London hen do is the time you have to put the plans together.
It is likely that the bride to be has friends that are working with different budgets and different availability so it is super important to take time out to speak with her and come up with a maximum cost and a few alternative date options.
It is much more likely that everyone the bride wants to be there will be able to come if you give the group a reasonable amount of notice (we recommend no less than 8 months in advance as this gives everyone time to budget and save!)
It is also much more fun and much less stressful planning your London Hen Weekend if you give yourself months to prepare rather than leaving everything until the last minute!
Don't Go Over Budget
Work out your budget and STICK TO IT.
The last thing you want is members of the group dropping out because the trip becomes unaffordable for them.
When you work out the rough cost of the weekend make sure you factor in transport, accommodation, activities, rough food and drink costs per day along with the costs for additional extras such as props, surprises for the bride to be and decorations and games.
If there are extra things you need that take you over budget consider asking the mother of the bride or the other bridesmaids to cover the costs of the little extras.
Bridesmaid Tip:
Once you come up with a budget make sure it is affordable for the whole group before you start booking and paying for things for the London Hen Weekend. If people drop out you don’t want to be left out of pocket.
Don't Forget The Little Touches
The little touches are one of the most (if not the most!) important parts of planning your London Hen Weekend!
These are the things that make the bride to be feel special and show all of the thought that has gone into her London hen party planning.
One of our absolute favourite and most popular Make My Weekender options for London hen parties is our arrival balloon packages – they look INCREDIBLE and make for the perfect insta backdrop!
Check them out here:
We also love all of the amazing hen party products available over at Ginger Ray with options to suit any theme. Think hen party sashes, dressing gowns, games and more.
Check them out here:
Do Pre Plan Your Transport
Planning a London hen weekend can be daunting when you aren’t familiar with the city. Where is the best place to stay? Are there transport links? Can we get to everywhere we need to be easily?
This is where our team are here to help! London doesn’t have to be confusing and complicated to navigate, in fact its probably one of the best places to have a UK hen party due to it being SO easy to get to and SO easy to get around!
There are tube stations and train stations scattered all over the city and our London hen party planning team can help you to plan your routes making transport a breeze!
You can also download the Tube Map – London Underground app which is super helpful when planning your routes!
If you want to turn your travelling time into a fun surprise for the bride to be get in touch to find out more about our London Hen Party Bus transfers (with the option to add on a butler in the buff or surprise strip show 😏)
Get in touch here for prices and info:
Bridesmaid Tip:
Make sure you add estimated transport costs into the budget including transport to and from London and tube costs.
OR
If lots of your guests are coming in from different locations it may be best to leave transport to and from London out of the budget and leave that to everyone to plan separately.
Do Pre Book
In normal circumstances many of the London venues and activities that attract hen parties are booked out weeks in advance. The fact that the world is now living with social distancing and ever changing government guidelines makes pre booking your hen weekend activities even more essential.
If you’re planning on booking a bottomless brunch, dreamboys show, naked chef experience or any one of our unique and exciting activities it is best to contact us to arrange this with as much time to spare as possible.
The last thing you want is for the bride to be to miss out on something that she really wants to do on her London Hen!
Let our team guide you through your hen weekend booking process to ensure that the entire weekend is flawless from start to finish with no stress and no added cost to you or your group!
Check out some of our favourite London hen do activities here:
Do Schedule In Some Chill Time
Make sure you don’t over-plan your staycay!
While it’s important to pre book the things that your group don’t want to miss out on it’s also important to factor in some chill time.
If you’re staying in a London apartment or house why not schedule in a visit from our private chef giving you and your group the chance to chill out for the afternoon?
If you’re looking for something a little more lively our naked chef or mobile cheeky butler are also great surprises for the hen!
Bridesmaid Tip:
Spending a day at the apartment or house is also a good money saver if you’re on a budget.
Why not put together your own pamper package and organise some pre night out games.
Website such as www.hitched.co.uk and www.thehenplanner.com have some great ideas!
Don't Keep The Bride In The Dark
It’s always nice to keep some things you have planned a surprise from the bride to be, however you need to ensure that she is fully prepared for anything you may have organised.
If she says NO strippers then don’t go against her wishes and get her one anyway – this could ruin her weekend, upset her and make things super awkward.
If you are keeping the destination a secret don’t throw her off the scent by telling her to pack summer clothes and a passport leaving her with unsuitable outfits and things she doesn’t feel comfortable wearing.
Make sure if you do have surprises organised that she is fully prepared, let her choose her own outfits and give her a rough guide to the weekend without letting the cat out of the bag!
Also if you’re having problems with a member of the hen party or someone drops out always make sure you let the bride to be know so she has no upsetting surprises on the day.
Bridesmaid Tip:
Before you start planning speak to the bride to be about what she wants from her hen do, does she want a wild party or a chilled girly weekend.
If you are planning surprises like arrival decor, matching PJs, a guest book with pictures in etc are never going to upset or offend the bride to be so they are great options to consider!
If you want to plan a surprise activity go for a bottomless brunch, London city treasure hunt, cocktail experience or something that you know the entire group will enjoy.
Do Make The Best Memories
The most important part about your London Hen Weekend is making sure everyone has FUN!
Be sure to take too many pictures, laugh, dance, and enjoy yourselves in one of the worlds most incredible cities 🤩
Try not to over plan the weekend, leave a little room for spontaneity and keep everyone involved in the planning and you’re sure to have the most incredible hen weekend!
We hope you enjoyed our top tips on planning your London Hen Weekend.
If you’re looking for Inspo on fun things to do in London on a hen do or you just need further help putting your plans into action get in touch with a member of the Make My Weekender London Team now to get started 🙌
Emma
