Decorations

You can let your creativity and imagination run wild here! I’ve just added some ideas to keep things purse friendly as, like much to do with hen' do’s, decorations can quickly eat into your budget if you’re not careful.

  1. Do your research. Different hen do venues have different rules, e.g. no blu tac, glitter etc. Check before you checkout

  2. Pick one focal room. For maximum impact for minimal investment, pick one key room to be the focus of the decorations. You can then add small touches throughout

  3. Have a consistent colour scheme. Don’t worry about everything being “hen do” branded (as this often pushes the price up). Simply use the same colour throughout to create impact

  4. Think smart. Pretty much anywhere you go will have glasses, plates, cups etc. so don’t worry about buying these - it’s just an unnecessary expenditure that you’ll only use once

  5. Mix the old and the new. Wow pieces alongside sentimental, homemade items creates a more personal feel

  6. Have fun! Pick a theme for added inspiration - from a village fete to a penis party, anything goes!

Top tips

  • Balloons. Cheap, cheerful, and go a long way. I’d recommend buying one pack of hen do specific ones, and then bolstering up with plain balloons that tie into your colour scheme (you can’t go wrong with white, pink, gold and silver). Dot around your hen do venue and then create a larger arrangement in your chosen key space

  • Tissue paper pom poms. These are good fun, and lots gathered together create great impact. Plus, they aren’t expensive

  • Banners. You can splurge a little here, and there’s such a wide range of options available which can be personalised to the bride. Ginger Ray have some lovely ones. Again, feature in your main room and in the entrance to create a bit of wow upon arrival

  • Flowers. Sounds obvious, but you don’t often see fresh flowers at hen do’s. Roses are a great choice. They’re the flower of love, come in an array of colours, are cheap and last. If you’re doing a spring hen do, daffodils are a good option with bunches available for as little as 99p

  • Sweets. Bowls of sweets dotted around the house are an easy and tasty way to boost your decorations. Just go with your colour scheme. Pink for example gives you shrimps, love hearts and (everyone’s favourite) Percy Pigs. There were even “Percy loves Penny” sweets available at one point. Keep your eyes peeled for fun touches like this

  • Photos. Ask all your guests to send you their favourite pictures of them and the bride. Feel free to theme, e.g. oldest, funniest, nicest etc. You can use these to create banners of photos - simply attach to brown string with little pegs and hang in the main room

Inspiration

Goodie bags can also be used to bolster your decorations.

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Yes, there are such things as professional table scapers (I am not one of them) and if you’d like to spend your hen do budget on this, crack on. But here are five table scaping tips from me to you. Go as small or as big as you like!

  1. Stick to your colour scheme. Again, don’t worry about being hen do specific. Matching table covers, napkins etc. will do the trick

  2. Add a bit of glitz. Anything from metallic confetti to fairy lights will work

  3. Incorporate nature. From a statement bouquet to wild flowers and fresh herbs in jam jars, these additions will add a bit of texture to your design

  4. Personalise. Add handwritten place names. They look pretty, and it helps to have a seating plan for all meals to avoid awkwardness

  5. Enjoy yourself. Get creative with it, from ribbons around the stems of glasses to trinkets linked to the bride dotted around. Just avoid anything too high - you want people to be able to see and chat to each other

Table scaping

The bride to be’s room

It’s nice to add some little extra touches to the bride to be’s room, and you’ll already have a good foundation in the way of sweets and flowers.

A bride-to-be banner over the bed or a “bride’s room” sign on the door are simple additions they’ll appreciate.

You could fill the room with balloons for initial impact, but that could drive the bride bonkers after a time!