Appropriate spend for hen do guests

lika_86

Why can't people just have a night out anymore?

It's all very well wanting to go away and stuff but the costs start to spiral once someone suggests that everyone buy the bride to be's meal or get her a spa treatment....

Also, then you've got to factor in the cost of the wedding - travel, possibly accommodation, present, potentially a new dress or pair of shoes.

Its easy to end up spending upwards of £400 on someone else's wedding!

girl_withno_name

In the list... cocktail making, 2 Course Meal, "VIP Club entry", hotel accommodation and then spa the next day (foot treatment, choice of a face or hand mask, 1 additional 30 Minute beauty treatment, lunch and chocolate fondue)

We've priced on a package site for now, which I know may not be the cheapest way forward anyway!

My issues are that the hotel will be difficult to avoid for people as we're going to a different city and with it potentially being all packaged up then it might end up "do it all or do nothing", plus people close might feel obliged to attend everything anyway and that's a lot of money!

I'm starting to think this could all be replicated at home for less - I'd be willing to offer my house for the night, but I'm not sure if that'd be too close to home for the hen!

cats2012

girl_withno_name wrote: »

I'm starting to think this could all be replicated at home for less - I'd be willing to offer my house for the night, but I'm not sure if that'd be too close to home for the hen!

If it helps - this is exactly what I did. It was actually my house because OH had his stag the same weekend anyway, but it could have been a friend's. It meant I had 11 friends come and my Mum and OH's Mum join for the evening meal, whereas if we'd had hotel costs as well I expect at leats 2/3 girls simply couldn't have afforded it and the Mums just wouldn't have been there at all.

Was absolutely worth being close to home to have everyone there!

girl_withno_name

cats2012 wrote: »

If it helps - this is exactly what I did. It was actually my house because OH had his stag the same weekend anyway, but it could have been a friend's. It meant I had 11 friends come and my Mum and OH's Mum join for the evening meal, whereas if we'd had hotel costs as well I expect at leats 2/3 girls simply couldn't have afforded it and the Mums just wouldn't have been there at all.

Was absolutely worth being close to home to have everyone there!

What did you do meal-wise out of interest?

Was thinking we could ask around for anyone with pink throws / cushions / pillows / sheets to use to decorate the living and dining room, buy or make some pink cupcakes, get a beautician for treatment, make our own cocktails, maybe sort some SingStar or other games (murder mystery or something)

But would this be big and "out" enough, hmmm...

cord123

I think budget is all relative to the people going... my brother went to a stag in vegas which cost him near on £1k all in.... but they are all city *ankers! ahem...
I organised my sisters hen for £150 which inlcuded absolutely all food, drink, activities, accomadtion and travel xx

mrs_B_5

I had a sleepover for my hen do Everyone came & stayed at our flat, we had the x-box kinect, a takeaway & plenty of girly giggles! I thoroughly enjoyed myself & some of the girls even said it was one of the best nights they'd had in a long time despite being skeptical about it!

catmonkey85

You need to ask the bride if she would be happy with that - my concern would be sleeping arrangements as I think it's better if you can all stay over and some of my friends wouldn't want to stay on the floor! I would have been happy to just stay in, but the Maid of Honour wouldn't have it!

For my hen do, we hired a cottage which worked out cheaper than a hotel and meant we could do Friday night games and Sat breakfast / lunch / dinner there (thus cutting costs). We didn't have an activity (cocktail making etc) but it didn't feel like we'd missed out on anything. So cost was £80 cottage for 2 nights and the night out - plus a £20 each kitty for all food and drink.

I've been on another hen do where we did the spa thing for £75 each which would have been way too much except for we all stayed at her Mum's house. It would have been too expensive with hotel costs on top!

I think it's good to not have too much planned - then you're trying to cram lots in when us girls are more than happy to just chill out and gossip!

I think you can do free cocktail making at Revolution??

girl_withno_name

I think that we'll need to ask the bride, whatever we decide! I could put some people up but you're right - that wouldn't be everyone and, although the majority live locally, it would be good to not worry about getting home at the end of the night (may as well have gone out else!)

I think I looked at the cocktail making at Revolution before and there was a cost (about £35 I think)

floss2

Me & 3 best friends went on a spa-break for my hen-do, with Spabreak Direct (would recommend them!) which cost about £100 each with hotel, dinner & treatments, and then I had a meal out in town with my work & less-close friends a couple of weeks before the wedding.

I would be embarassed to ask people to spend that amount of money.

Funky_Bold_Ribena

A limo does not make anything 'special'. What makes anything special is being with the right people. So - talk to the people she is inviting and ask them what their budget is and then find something that suits.

It's not rocket science, or is it?