Hen Night for my Cousin

Hi Guys it is Monday !!
Grant Thompson here again from www.popthefizz.co.uk and now the new and exciting www.destinationbarcrawl.co.uk I will come back to this later.

What a weekend!!!
I have arranged a lot of Hen Nights in my time probably in the thousands but at the weekend I was Serious Nervous. I put together a weekend in Leeds for my Cousins Hen Party. Pressure !! Even though you I have arranged Stag and Hen nights for my friends before I doubled, tripled and quadrupled check every little details of the weekend. Funnily enough in the end it went amazingly well and to be honest is common trend for the way hen nights have been booking over the last 8-12 months.

I thought I would run you through what she booked so you can have a look at a few things in leeds but also get an idea of the structure of a typical hen weekend.

Leeds, well what a city,  The last time I was there we booked out the www.clubclassbus.com for the night and partied till the cows came home but this was my cousins weekend and she is a little, I am pleased to say more refined than me, even though looking at the photos and her dress code your mind may deceived.

As most Hen Parties will tell you, as well as having a great time it is still important to get the Hen dressed up in things she might not normally wear.
The trade mark sash, the crazy head wear and the veil. I was really pleased to see Hen Accessories, always put a smile on your face and gets the hen party in the mood to party.

 
The ladies came from the whole of the uk  and desending onto leeds on Friday Night with hen in toe, Pop the Fizz got them a cracking deal at +Marriott, a two night stay. The benefit of the Marriot Leeds is definitely the Spa facilities. Check out the hotel Leeds Marriot 

What is good about the Marriot !!

• Great central Leeds location so you can wobble home after one to many.
• Lovely big rooms, great for two girls to share with enough space for your clothes.
  This is actually before the weekend had started just a perfect chance for a mother to get a bit of shut eye before she brings back her youth and hits the tiles!!


• It has spa facilities so the hen party over the weekend can enjoy a spa, steam room sauna and use of the pool. I always fine with a hangover a nice dip in the pool or a steam room helps.  
• It is a reputable hotel chain, so the fear of not know where you are going or what is going to be like is dispelled straight away.

All this helps people, especially hen nights to feel comfortable and really let themselves go on a Hen night, which is what it is all about.

So Friday Night we got them booked into Leeds Revolution Bar for Cocktail Making Master Class

Hen Party love it!!!!    Interaction with cocktails always help on the first night.

 

Then, after learning about cocktails , mixing, making and drinking cocktails the whole Hen night wobbled through town to be greeted and looked after by +Oceana, Leeds  

I did not get any more details after that haha.

 

Saturday was all about recovery, spa day in the hotel spa and visit to Leeds Harvey Nics for a glass of  champagne and a little shopping.

The Saturday Afternoon was a hen Weekend favourite. The Dancing Class.

The Ladies on the Hen chose Beyoncé style  " All the Single Ladies "

This is a perfect hen Activity not just for leeds but we do it through the whole of the country. It is a great options as once you have learnt this dance routine you can replay the show on your wedding day before or after the first dance. It will be a giggle and something different form the normal on +WeddingTrendy UK +Wedding Ideas +Brides Magazine  @bridesupnorth I will video it for you it will be priceless.

This is a 2 hour activity and great fun.

 

Once the dancing had finished we got the ladies booked into a Nightclub so they had a guest list sorted for the end of the night. Tiger Tiger Leeds @

 

The positive of this style of hen nights booking are below.

• Booked a decent hotel so every one is happy as soon as they arrive and when they get back on an evening after a couple of sherberts.
• Book an activity for the Friday and the Saturday. This gives people a focus and allows them to look forward to something other than drinking haha
• Book a guest list for both nights. Not every one might take you up on this but it give the groups an extra option if they want to carry the party on. This is important if you have a large group of ages so if people want to go back early they can other can
• Not to complicated but also gives you scope to add the more personal details of your time together as a hen night.
• This hen night played games like mr and mrs and the wedding balloon Game, More hen night games follow with the link http://really.uktv.co.uk/love-and-marriage/article/top-ten-hen-party-games/
• When through an agent so it allowed people to pay independently and the company to keep track of things.
• Found a central location that has easy access from all areas

And finally always make sure you get a photo opportunity with the future mother in law that s if she has been invited haha

 

 

So what did my Cousin book with me, well her chief bridesmaid Leah!!

1. Accommodation
2. Cocktail making experience
3. Guest list into a top nightclub
4. Dancing class Beyoncé "All the single Ladies" perfect for a hen night
5. Guest list in a second nightclub

Follow us on twitter @popthefizz or on facebook for all hen ideas and suggestions and advice!!

 

 

 

On another point of interested we have just linked up with a bar crawl company in Newcastle www.destinationbarcrawl.co.uk  check out some of the photos from last weekends bar crawls. it is great to see large groups having such a great time in Newcastle.

                                                                            
 
                                                                                





Follow these guys on twitter to catch up and keep up with all the fun frolics and parties in Newcastle @destinationbarc

This week we will be picking cities through the country and coming up with the best 3 stag and hen products on the market at the moment as well as the things you  might want to stay away from.

Thanks again for the time you have spent reading my blog and if you want to any info get in touch.

 

Stag Help

Stag Help 

Here I am again Grant Thompson from Pop the Fizz. 

Over the past 12 years I have arranged ten of thousands of Stag and Hen Weekends through out the world. I am producing a little guide to help you gain a step up when starting to plan a Stag party.  

At Pop the Fizz we organise parties for a living,  and the first and most important point is to make the process STRESS FREE. I am sure you will all agree!!

There has been checklists and articles written before not not my ME! so check this one out.

The blog today is for the best man !! 

It will allow you to create the perfect send off for your best friend, funnily enough as I am writing this my best friend is contemplating getting engaged to his girlfriend so I will be blogging through the whole process as we go along. I have planned stag do in the past for friends but none for my BEST FRIEND, sorry for all those I have done before I still love you !!
Over the past few months I have found the press including TV want to get more involved in Stag and Hen Weekends, recording groups away and finding out the ins and out that go on. DOnt watch these programmes as every one knows "what goes on tour stays on tour" 

This Blog over the next couple of weeks will help in different areas 

• Check list to make sure you you are organised  
• Give you an idea on different Stag locations through out the world 
• Give you an idea on what Stag activities you can do in certain places 
• Give you options on +FancyDressShack.co.uk for the Group and the Stag 

• Good Hotel Options +Hotel Direct 
• And much more day to day things I find.

Well lets crack on with the checklist 

• Like most male groups you might have been planning this for a while and i am sure in the pub you have heard the line " when i get married i want to go to ?? " well this is your chance to sort that our for him. 
• You should have as little involvement from the future wife other than maybe " I will look after him, or, don't you worry he will be safe hands!" 
• Get together a small group of friends and met up preferably over a pint, to get your practice in, discuss location options. Bare these in mind when doing this. 
• What is different from organising a Stag night from a Hen night, is that you take the choice away from the Stag. It has nothing to do with him. You are in control. So with in mind pick a suitable location with your small group of friends.
• Ask him who he would like to invite Very important as you need to know if the Brides father will be invited. It is important to get the guest list organised early 

1. If his future wife will not give his passport over you must make sure it is some where this is not needed.
2. Try and get a budget so every one can come but bearing in mind who he has invited from the point above.
3. How many days are you looking to go away for. A good point to think about, if he has only invited a small group of close friend he may be planning a home leg for the masses closer to the event so you can get away for a little longer with out upsetting people. 

• Create a face book page and email thread for those not on email so you can invite and confirm people who will be attending as well as opening the streams of Banter. 
• Contact a Stag Company to get ideas such as www.popthefizz.co.uk they will help you with advise on areas you may not know. They can also put in place payment plans that can ease the constant chasing of money from the rest of stag group. All stag companies need to be paid in general one month before but can put in payment plans to get guys to pay each money or when ever they like, but they chase this for you.
• Have a list of tasks you would like him to complete while you are away, such as Drinking a pint from some ones shoe, Wearing tutu or dress for the day and so on. 
• This leads on to Themes for the day make sure you as the best man pack the Stags outfits for the few days you are away. As an example I had "Only gay in the village" for the airport, we also have airport drinking games http://www.kgbanswers.co.uk/what-are-the-rules-to-the-airport-drinking-game/2073218, "Borat mankini" for the second day and "A Smurf" for the third day. 
• Take photos but they are never to be published and shall always be kept private to be used for banter and examples for future stags do with in the group. 
• Try and arrange either an event or an activity to participate in so you will not have three or 4 solid days on the drink. Honestly this is a good idea as it bonds the group together and allows every one a rest even if only for a couple of hours check out www.popthefizz.co.uk  for some water based activities. A simple football game is always a good cheap option.
  
• Other Day time options are things like Pub Golf as it lends itself to a theme. http://pubgolf.co.uk/rules.htm 
• Make sure that you have all the medical requirements or conditions of the whole group. If you think this is not necessary check out stag and hen stories on tomorrows blog and find out about my Stag Do
  
• Decide on a stripper and plan when wear and what she is wearing
  
• Try and have a plan of action for each day and an itinerary so you have meeting point as say the morning afternoon and evening, so if people what to do there own thing they can step out and rejoin at  certain times.
  
• Make sure no one logs onto Facebook over the weekend and adds things as in most cases the future wife will also be friends with this individual and might get annoyed with what she has seen. I am talking  form personal reference here when my friend decided to post photos of me getting lead around a bar on my hands and knees by a stripper. Not Good !!!!!!!
• Give one telephone number to the future wife so she can get in touch at some point over the weekend, for peace of mind. I would not let the stag keep this phone and generally with +Fancydress247.com there are no pockets, so carry a bum bag for him.
  
• If you pick a overseas stag location please do a little research with sites like +TripAdvisor  or similar so you know what you can get away with as a Stag group.
  
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Well there is a lot in this blog and I hope you find it useful in the planning of the Stag do. I am here to help if you have any questions or ideas. 

+GQ Magazine +Nuts +Men's Fitness +MensHealthRussia @FHM

Hen Help

Hi there, my name is Grant Thompson and I am the Managing Director at Pop The Fizz, the leading provider of Stag/Hen do’s in the UK! With 12 years of experience, I firmly believe that I know exactly how to make your Stag/Hen the memorable occasion it should be and that’s why I wanna let you guys know the easiest, best and most importantly STRESS FREE way of organising you’re Stag or Hen.

Think of this as a checklist for you guys organising and co-ordinating any Bride/Groom’s big send off! These are all great source’s for the Hen’s! +Brides Magazine +Brides +Brides in Bloom + and that’s exactly what I’m writing about today, how to create the perfect Hen party. Don’t fear gentlemen, I’ll be posting my Stag version tomorrow, but for now, take a peak at this +Groom Speeches +Groomsmen Gifts +Groom Formal Hire +Groomsmen Factory 

• First of all, get a group of 3 or 4 of the Bride’s closest friends to create a council for the hen.
• Create the guestlist! Obviously this is entirely up to you guys, but to get the numbers organised early is vitally important.
• Create a contact pack for each person, with everyone’s e-mail, phone number and Facebook listed… TOP HINT! Creating a Facebook event also makes communication and delivering information much easier
• Create a budget that everyone can stretch to… Make sure nobody is left out, if this is an issue. Then invite more people! The more people that turn up, the bigger the discount that Pop The Fizz will give per head!
• Make sure the decision making is done only by the council and the hen, or else it can become chaotic! And this is where it can become stressful… Remember this is meant to be fun!
• Location, location, location. The great thing about Pop The Fizz is that we tailor make every single aspect of the Hen do to your taste, we know everything there is to know about the Hen do world and the location is vitally important. Our friendly and efficient customer service means that we will ensure that you girls are going to the right place for your wants and we pride ourselves on you guys having a good time! So whether it be a big, loud and exciting girls trip to Newcastle or a more intimate and personal affair in a classic and grand setting such as Edinburgh or York, Pop The Fizz will make sure it goes off without a hitch.
• Decide on fancy dress or a theme for the weekend +Fancydress247.com  +FancyDressShack.co.uk +FancyDressCostumes.co.uk  it does not have to horrible or over the top. it can be tasteful and fun. This is a great way to start up conversations with in the group if every one does not know each other and also brings the Hen party together as one group.
• Make any surprises, personal to the bride and as obvious as it may sound…. Keep it a secret and make sure she doesn’t find out!
• Make sure all the travel/logistics are organised, double check everything and enjoy!
  
  
  Below are a few options for your Hen Weekend.
  Please come back tomorrow and have a read of the Stag List as I am sure you will pass the info on to your other half!!!!

+Discovering London +Edinburgh Festival Fringe +Discover Northern Ireland +Newquay, Cornwall +Bournemouth Sevens Festival +Bournemouth  +Glasgow City +Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre