What NOT to do during a Hen’s Night….

The night that you’ve been long awaiting is finally here – the big hen’s night! Maybe you’ve done the hard yards and thrown this soiree together, or perhaps you’ve just waited patiently for the date to roll around – looking forward to a fun night out with the girls! Now that the hen’s party has arrived though – we feel it’s important to pass on few tips about what shouldn’t happen.
So whether your the maid of honour, a bridesmaid, a wedding guest or even the bride to be – read on and take note about what NOT to do during a hen’s night:

  1. Don’t take over in a public venue – If you’ve got a table booked for dinner or are heading to an activity where there will be lots of other people, such as a wine tour – it’s important to remember that while this is a super special day for you and the girls, the other patrons probably don’t care too much that it’s your last day of freedom and they could also be celebrating their own special occasion, so try not to overtake other peoples moments. Hen’s party should be fun – but it’s also nice when they’re somewhat classy as well – don’t be that group that makes the sweet old couple on the next table over choke on their soup when you pull out the penis straws – YIKES!
  2.  Don’t hit the booze too hard- This is especially important if you’ve got a full on hen’s party planned form morning till night. While a champagne breakfast is just fine, chasing it down with a few tipples of vodka may not be the wisest decision. Make sure the girls pace themselves throughout the night – the last thing you want is someone having to head home early cause they’re too past it or having your group being turned away from a pre-booked venue or bar because half the group is sloshed. Have a good time by all means – but knowing when to switch to lime and soda is the key.
  3. Don’t embarrass the bride to be- The phrase “make the bride blush”, is used a lot when it comes to hen’s party – heck, we use it constantly when talking about activities. But there is a line, if you’ve been invited to the hen’s night then you probably know the bride reasonably well – at least well enough to be tuned in to what would completely horrify her. A brides hen’s night is meant to be one that she looks back on with fondness, not one that she’s embarrassed to tell her parents about hides the pictures under the bed. For example – if you know that getting her a male stripper is last thing she would ever want – or if you know that she would hate to wear a ridiculous outfit or carry around replicas of male genitalia, don’t push it. As long as she’s happy and having fun at her own pace – everyone else should be too.
  4. Don’t go on a lone adventure-  Hen’s nights are all about having a good time with your besties – and a big factor in said good time is sticking together. At some point during the hen’s night after a few too many (see tip #2) you may get the urge to suddenly go play on that swing over there or head to that bar over the other side of town, heck maybe you even feel like going for a swim – but please, we implore you – stick with your group. Not to mention the safety issues/stranger danger aspects of it all but it’s a pretty stink night for your mates when they have to stop the party to chase down the lone wolf who couldn’t stay put.

Some of these may sound a little like where trying to be your mother – and while we want our hen’s groups to have an amazing time – we also them to be safe, respectful and or course – respected. So when you’re heading out for the greatest night ever – just keep these tips in the back of the mind and not only will you remember the hen’s night…but it will also be a night you’ll want to remember. images-2

Organising the best hens party ever

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I sure do wish I had known all of this before I organised a hens party. When you are organising a hens party there is a lot to think about (or in most cases a lot to stress about) and naturally you want it to be the best send off into married life for your bestie. So here at GoBananas we have come up with some tips to help create the most memorable party that your hen is bragging about for years. These are tips relating to the early stages of the party planning.

  1. Pick a date and send out invites early. As most weddings are during the summer months it means that you are competing with many other groups to secure bookings so get in early so people have it in the calendar. At Gobananas we have noticed that numbers tend to drop by about 10-20%, so keep that in mind when you are organising the activities. A good idea here as well is sending out a primarily invitation to save the date and also get an idea of budget. Ask them what they are happy spending.
  1. Listen to your Hen!! I know that this is a fun time and it is easy to get carried away with activities that may embarrass your hen, but if she is not into it then she won’t enjoy it. What we mean is if she is not into having a stripper give her a lap dance in a skimpy g-string – then don’t get her one. Save yourself the money and do something she will enjoy.
  1. Don’t have too many chiefs – you can’t please everyone. Please the bride and involve the other bridesmaids, they know the hen too and they may have some fantastic ideas. Then just keep the rest of the group in the loop, so that they know what the plan is and can decide if they wish to participate. If they are a good friend they will be there!
  1. Budget – keep in mind that every ones budget may be very different. Some groups may be happy spending $150 per person, other groups are more like $50-60per person. Keep this in mind when organising activities and whether do to a day or a weekend away. Perhaps consult the bride – she knows the people coming and roughly disposable income. The more expensive your plans are the more people will drop off. At Gobananas we find that people spend anything from $60-$250pp on the hens party.
  1. Create a theme. If you have a fun theme for the night it is easier to plan the whole thing, from the decorations to the activities and the outfits. Check out our article on hens themes and get inspired. Do keep in mind however that you dress theme may restrict what activities you are able to do. Ie. Fine dining restaurants aren’t going to be too keen on a naughty nurse sitting in the main dining room.  Also themes can put the budget up as well so think about that as well.
  1. Do something special. This should be a memorable event and you want your party guests to be talking about it for ages but don’t go overboard. If you have too many events you may find that you are rushing too much and well we all know how a bunch of ladies get once they have had some drinks and they are catching up with friends. Also make sure you plan the activities so that the raunchy stuff or the stuff that involves the most drinking happens later in the day, that way you can drop the mother in law off on the way or any under ages.
  1. Share the cost. You should not feel bad about expecting all of the guests to pay their way for the day. But do keep this in mind when planning the activities, not everyone can afford to do a day at the spa followed by 5 star dining so keep to a budget (but don’t be a tight arse either) A good idea would be to set up an account and ask everyone to pay a month in advance that way you’re not still chasing people on the wedding day and it’s not awkward when someone turns up in a brand new dress but hasn’t paid for their part of the party.
  1. Ensure that at some point of the day you are eating. Especially if the hens party is starting activities early in the morning, you don’t want to have people or the whole group turned away from activities because Aunt Mary has done a bit too much celebrating and hitting the champagne a bit hard.
  1. Plays games or at least one game. If you are looking for game ideas then check out our website. Games keep things fun and keep people laughing.

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So if you have a party to organise in Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga or anywhere else in New Zealand than make life easier on yourself and give us a call on 09 280 3964.