How not to be left out of pocket when organising a Stag or Hen weekend
Being asked to be best man or maid of honour (chief bridesmaid) to one of your best friend’s wedding is an honour in itself and you have every right to be both proud and humbled to have been given that important role. But it is an important role that carries not only some measure of authority but also a large measure of responsibility and this responsibility is not only confined to the wedding preparations and the big day itself; you will probably be given the task of organising the hen or stag party.
This particular task can often cause you more stress than the wedding day itself. Stag and Hen nights are no longer ‘nights’ these days. They are more likely to be Stag and Hen weekends or even weeks: they rarely happen locally. Who wants to spend a weekend in their hometown? Now people want to travel further afield, sometimes it seems the further the better, and the options they have varied from wild nights in a foreign city to more energetic and adventurous pastimes such as provided by Kippure Adventure: and they all costs money: money you are going to have to collect. Once you have made all the arrangements and bookings etc., all there remains to be done is to collect the money from all the partygoers. However, because the actual date of the hen or stag party is often some months in the future, the need to pay for the festivities often slips out of the minds of some of the guests, so you need a plan to focus their thoughts on paying.
When you book a hen or stag party you’ll have to pay a deposit, so the best way to focus people’s minds on this is to ask all your people for a deposit too. A deposit will not only concentrate their minds but also will ease the pressure on your bank account and discourage any last minute cancellations. Constantly having to chase those forgetful ones can sometimes cause tension and bad feelings between you and the stragglers. To avoid this happening put things down in writing. Provide a breakdown of the costs, so everyone knows where the money is going. Detail the cost of accommodation, meals and planned activities and any other expenses they will need to be aware of. Then suggest a payment plan. If there are three months between the time the deposit has been made and the departure date, suggest a monthly payment of one-third of the remaining costs. To remind them of their obligations, why not open a group message in Facebook messenger and write a small post each month keeping people informed and reminding them of the approaching event date.
Of course, there may be one or two people who will still fall behind with their payments. In those cases, a gentle reminder in an e-mail may be required to nudge their memory. There may even be the odd occasion when people take advantage of your good nature and ignore the gentle hints you have been giving out. In cases like these, you may have to take a sterner line reminding them of their obligations. But, by making things as transparent as you can and suggesting easy ways to pay, you should avoid any unpleasant situations. After all, as you are the one who has organised the hen or stag party weekend away, there should not be any reason why you should be out of pocket at the end of it all.