Pre-Wedding Party Planning

Weddings wouldn't be complete without holding the traditional bucks and hens night as the bride and groom finally say goodbye to being single and celebrate their impending vows with a night out with their closest friends and family. Commonly held a few weeks before the wedding, the bucks and hens night has traditionally been a night of misbehaving and drunkenness yet in today’s modern wedding industry the humble bucks or hens night has well and truly opened up to seemingly limitless options.

The party planning will often fall to the best man or bridesmaids to organise, although many couples are taking the reins of their own celebrations to create a perfect night for them. With this in mind, bucks and hens nights can be anything from adult games and drinking to pamper or sporting packages. Yet the key to a successful bucks or hens night is the same as organising any other kind of party – it’s all about party planning and preparation.

Planning the Party

So now that you are planning the bucks or hens night, what can you do to ensure that it is an overall success? Well the key is to listen to the guest of honour, consider who you have invited and what activities will be on the menu.

Think Outside the Box - If you are organising the party on behalf of the bride or groom, it is always suggested that you ask them what they want to do for their party (or rather, ask them what they DON’T want to do). This is their party after all so you will want to ensure that they are going to have a good time, so cater to their tastes and preferences. If they are enjoying themselves, then their guests will also.

Some popular options for bucks or hens night includes adult entertainment, sporting activities such as paintball or golfing weekends, pamper packages, cocktail bars, dinners, river cruises and gambling nights.

Consider Who Will Be There – some activities are great for any age group but in the case of the bucks or hens night, you really need to consider who will be attending and whether or not they are up for what you have planned. For instance, you can’t take the groom’s elderly uncle river rafting nor can you take his teenage brother to any bars. Cater for who will be attending either with several activities that they can chose to attend or something that is age appropriate across the board.

What to Do – if the party planning of the hens or bucks night has fallen to you, prepare some games or activities beforehand to ensure that things run smoothly with minimal awkward moments between the guests.

There are many games, both clean and not-so-clean, that can be easily played within the party and can keep the party moving and everybody involved.

Needless to say, Bucks and Hens Nights surely promise a whole lot of fun for the bride and groom and their friends. They're definitely great ways for the future husband and wife to enjoy their last night or weeks, as in some cases, of being a certified bachelor or bachelorette.

Remember that good preparation will ensure that any activities you have planned will be a success for both the guest of honour and their guests, allowing you all to make the most out of the activities and the party itself.