Planning a hen party is one of the the most fun parts of being a bridesmaid, it's your special job to throw your bestie one final hurrah with the girls before the big day. One of the trickiest parts of planning the perfect hen party is figuring out the budget. While a weekend away complete with spa treatments, a four course meal and a cocktail making class sounds like a fabulous idea, it can end up costing quite a lot. It's a lovely gesture to spoil the bride, but what will really spoil things for her is if people pull out because they can’t afford it. Here, we've done the research and broken down the costs for each element of a typical hen party, so you can work out something that will work for everyone and balance the hen party budget.
How to Calculate the Cost of the Hen Party
In Ireland the typical cost of a hen party per person ranges from €120 to over €400 depending on the elements involved in the event. Wondering how it can cost so much and vary so widely? Read on...
Most hen parties follow a typical formula: an activity, a meal and drinks, usually followed by dancing the night away. The additional options you might want to consider and include in the budget are:
- Travel costs (taxis, trains, flights)
- Accomodation
- Making it a two-night event - extra night's accomodation, meal and drinks
- Contribution for the bride's costs
- Food (self-catering)
- Drinks and snacks
- Decor and accessories for the party
- Themed outfit
- Goodie bag (find out what to put inside here!)
- Gift for the bride (optional)
- Prizes for games
- Contingency fund
Many hotels offer packages with a night's stay, dinner and an activity so while they may initially seem more expensive, when you put the elements together those kinds of deals can end up being pretty good value.
Before you Start - Consider your Guests
It's important to take into consideration those who will be attending, and keep costs in mind through each part of the planning process. This then has to be balanced with what the bride wants. Not everyone has the same spending power, going to the wedding will cost quite a bit, especially if it's a destination wedding, and of course many girls will have more than one wedding or hen party to attend, so it's worth taking a temperature check with the bride's inner circle to see what kind of budget is realistic to get as many key people on board as possible.
The Activity
Depending on what type of activity you choose:
- Spa/Nail Treatments can start anywhere from €25 - €120 per person
- Cocktail Making class from €25 per person
- Cookery Class from €45 - €75 per person
- Dance Class from €15 - €35 per person
- Craft Classes from €30 per person
- Afternoon Tea from €25 - €55 per person
(We have a whole list of hen party ideas here as well as alternative hen party ideas here!)
The Meal
Depending on where you choose, many restaurants offer a special set menu or an early bird menu from which you can choose from, and might also have some fabulous private dining spaces for your group. From €30 - €70 per person
The Drinks
This is optional but sometimes hen parties choose to have a drinks in the location/hotel or organise drinks in the accomodation if you're heading out on the town. Budget €10-€15 per person per drink or bottle of bubbles.
Transport
If you're heading away, make sure to organise transport such as taxis or minibuses to take people from location to location, and make sure to include this in the budget so that it is paid for in advance, so there are no surprises on the day (there's nothing worse than being hit up for "extras") It will be easier to keep the whole group together, everyone can enjoy a drink (or two!) and reduces the risk of losing any guests along the way! Allow €10 - €20 per person
Cost of Hen Party Accommodation
Deciding whether to stay local for a one-day event or head away for the weekend will be one of the biggest factors in the cost of the hen. If heading away for the weekend your options are a hotel, B&B, hostel, Airbnb, self catering and glamping.
- Hotel from €80 - €250
- B&B from €60 - €90
- Self Catering from €60 - €90
- Hostel: €40 -€60
- Glamping from €60 - €180 per person for two nights (many glamping sites require exclusive hire or a 2-night booking in high season)
Is Breakfast Included?
Breakfast is usually included if staying over in a hotel, but doublecheck it is part of your package. If going for a self-catering option then it's usually easiest to organise a grocery shop for all the essentials (nothing worse than hungry, hungover hens!) for this, allow €10 - €15 euro per person.
Paying for the Bride
Many hen parties put money towards paying for the bride. It's a sweet gesture, but it should never be an obligation. To do this, divide the per person cost of the hen party by the number of those attending to work out an acceptable contribution from each guest for the hen.
- Depends on the final cost and number of guests but usually around 10% of the final cost, any extra is usually paid for by the bridesmaids.
Decor and Other Extras to Consider...
- Decor, personalised T-shirts, accessories all add up, so don't go too wild if costing this into the budget.
- It is not required, but many hen parties do give gifts to the bride so factor this in.
- If planning a themed fancy dress hen party remember guests will have to spend extra money on a costume.
- When it comes to hen party games, it's fun to incentivise your guests with prizes for the winners such as a snipe of bubbles or a little trophy!
- Hen party goodie bags with everything from accessories to hangover cures and treats are becoming very popular but can add serious cost.
Better Have a Contingency Budget
Allow for a small contingency budget by adding €10 to everyone's costs (make sure to tell them you're adding it in for unexpected extras) if it's not needed on the night you can use it to buy a round of drinks.
So what's the Typical Cost of a Hen Party?
So, there you can see how it all tots up and how the typical spend on a hen party is between €120 - €400 - this includes an activity, one evening meal, a drinks token if you're heading out on the town, a portion to pay for the bride and a small contingency.
Costs will obviously vary from each group of pals and depends on how much everyone is prepared to spend to celebrate this occasion so this is just an overview of the most popular ideas to give you a starting point.
When you do decide on the plan and have final costs, let everyone on the guest list know the break down of the final costs. You can still keep some surprises until the day, but if people are handing over a couple of hundred euro, they will want to know what it's being spent on.
We also have a great list of where to buy non-tacky accessories, as well our ultimate hen party playlist, and be sure to check out our amazing recommended hen party suppliers here!
