You think back to hen parties you’ve attended and cringe at some of the memories you have – plastering a smile on your face as you tried to chew your way through the bride’s mother’s burnt-to-a-crisp lasagne, watching Aunt Gertrude faint at the sight of a giant, vibrating adult toy or feeling bored to tears as you watched the bride open yet another gift bag of bath salts.
Thankfully, Kirstin Rowe of female entertainment company Cheeky Chicks is on hand with some handy tips to make sure that everyone enjoys the event – bride, guests and even you.
Here are Kirstin’s top tips for hosting a fabulous bachelorette party:
Think about who will be attending:
“Make sure that everyone on the guest list is of the same mindset,” says Kirstin. “If you’re not sure whether the bride’s aunt will be open to the idea of pole-dancing, it’s perfectly acceptable to host a traditional kitchen tea before the pole-dancing party. That way you can be sure that everyone will have fun and nobody will be unnecessarily embarrassed.”
Don’t feel obliged to pay for everything yourself:
“Bridesmaids often feel like they have to cover the cost of the whole event,” says Kirstin. “Remember that you’re hosting a party for one person, not 25. It’s absolutely fine to ask guests to contribute towards the entertainment.” For example, Cheeky Chicks offers salsa parties for up to 25 women for R1 400, which, if you exclude the bride, works out at just under R60 per person, rather than the maid of honour having to shell out the whole amount.
Decide what type of food will work best for the party:
Kirstin notes that for some reason, bridesmaids seem to feel like they have to provide a full meal for guests. “If you want to have a sit-down meal together, rather do this before the entertainment arrives or the party gets started,” she advises. “Getting everyone to sit down at a table while everything is in full swing can really dampen the atmosphere. Sometimes it’s easier to just have finger foods that guests can snack on during the evening.”
Think about the order of events:
For example, if you’re going to have the bride open the gifts, Kirstin recommends doing this at the beginning of the party. “Gathering everyone to watch the bride open the gifts can be tricky during the evening, and you may lose guests’ attention,” she says. “It’s also ok to leave the gift-opening for the bride to do in her own time at the end of the evening.”
Get everyone involved:
People want to be part of the action. Whether you ask each guest to bring an element of a cocktail (fruit juice, booze, garnishing and so on) and mix these up together or you ask every guest to bring a plate of food or a photo of herself with the bride, requesting that everyone contributes will make everyone feel included (and save you the hassle of doing everything).
Remember that the party can be a little bit naughty and still be tasteful:
Kirstin notes that Cheeky Chicks specialises in providing fun but tasteful entertainment and says that hosts of bachelorette parties should aim to do the same. “Even if you’re doing a traditional kitchen tea, you can introduce a little bit of a naughty element,” she says. “You could have a naughty-shaped cake or novelty straws for the drinks. Having an element that’s just a little bit risqué makes for good laughs and kick-starts conversation.”
Cheeky Chicks is a female entertainment company that offers is a range of exciting party options for women, from pole dancing to undercover adult toy demonstrations, salsa lessons, lingerie parties, Burlesque dancing, cheeky photo shoots or simply a fun evening of cocktail mixing. For more information, visit www.cheekychicks.co.za [3], email info@cheekychicks.co.za [4] or call Kirstin on 079 88 44 724.
