It’s party time in our wedding series, as guest blogger, Kate Hyde, takes us through her top tips for planning a great henparty. Kate recently appeared on the Irish version of Dragon’s Den, representing her fantastic business, Henparty.ie. Lads, take note!

The Henparty, next to the Wedding day, is the most important day in a girls life. Even better than a birthday, a Henparty is the final send off for the Bride-to-be. Henparties can be extremely well planned and competitive affairs. Gone are the days of a ‘knees up’ in the local pub and a taxi home. Instead women are chartering yachts, enjoying cookery demos, spending weekends at activity centres and more. What was just a night out five years ago has turned into something much more.

Essentially there are five key elements to a typical Irish Henparty– an afternoon activity, a meal, games and dressing up, pubs/clubs and accommodation. And like weddings, despite the recession - Henparties are here to stay with most women, no matter how small or large the budget, going to huge effort to organise the perfect Hen. So the pressure on the bridesmaids to organise ‘the best Henparty ever’ can be fierce. Follow these steps and you are guaranteed a Hen night to remember!

•    Always remember all attention must be on the Hen herself. It is her big night and nothing, including stunning outfits or hissy fits, must detract attention from her.
•    What the Hen wants the Hen gets – including ridiculous outfits, childish games and repetitive stories from school and college.
•    Make sure the restaurant booked is ‘Hen friendly’. Otherwise you may be asked to leave when you turn up with the blow-up-man and 20 bunny outfits.
•    Having the Henparty too close to the wedding is asking for trouble. Breakouts, dark circles under the eyes and the possibility of repetitive-strain-injury from the dance floor are problems the bride could do without on her Big Day.
•    Book accommodation before booking anything else. Availability may be gone when you eventually get around to it and imagine breaking that piece of news to ‘Hen-zilla’.
•    Never book a stripper for a Hen with a shy disposition, a fear of baby oil or elderly relatives present.
•    Think carefully before inviting a man to a Henparty, even if he is a good friend. Tales of wedding night corsets, bikini waxes and ‘feathers versus hat’ conversations will simply bore him.
•    Be mindful of budgets in today’s climate. Asking guests to pay for full day spa outings or helicopter rides could put them in financial difficulty. And no Henparty is worth selling a body organ.
•    Again, we are in a recession people. Be sure to ring service providers ahead of time. Tell them it is a group booking and ask what sort of deal can they offer. Even Nightclubs are prepared to offer incentives to Henparties.
•    What goes on Henparty stays on Henparty. No matter how much you want to tell everyone at work about the antics back at the hotel at the end of the night – don’t. Its just not cricket ladies.
•    Guilt is not a reason to ask your mother to the Henparty. Guilt is what you will feel when she is being revived by paramedics. If your mother isn’t down with Beyonce or shots at the bar then don’t ask her to the Hen. Have a Kitchen Party instead.
•    Money problems at a Henparty are as old as the flood. Have one person in charge of all things financial on the night and make sure no-one goes home without paying. Yes! It does happen!

Kate has just released her new book “How to henparty - The Essential Guide“.