How to Plan a Bachelorette Party (or Hen Do) in 30 Days

So you've got 30 days to pull together a bachelorette weekend (or hen do, if you're UK / Ireland / AU / NZ / South Africa) and it feels like 30 isn't enough. It is — if you stop trying to plan everything at once and break it into four weekly waves. This is the timeline professional planners actually use, condensed for the maid of honour or chief bridesmaid who's also doing this around her day job.

Week 4: Lock the foundations (days 30 to 23)

Before anything else, three decisions get made: who, when, where. These are the three constraints everything else flows from, and skipping ahead without locking them is what creates the panic in week 1.

• Who's coming. Get a guest list from the bride. Ten people is the sweet spot — small enough to coordinate, big enough that the bride feels celebrated. Twelve is the upper limit before logistics get painful.
• When. A weekend roughly 6-10 weeks before the wedding. Earlier than that and the bride is still in dress-fitting mode; closer than that and she's stressed about seating charts.
• Where. Pick the city or destination based on three factors: how many of the guests can afford to travel, what the bride actually wants (ask her — surprise destinations rarely go well for adult women with budgets), and what the theme demands. A Nashville bach needs Broadway; a coastal bach needs a pool.

Send the guest list a save-the-date message this week — even if details aren't locked, knowing the dates lets people start booking time off. WhatsApp group, simple message, no fancy invite needed yet.

Week 3: Pick the theme and lock the venue (days 22 to 15)

This is when the trip starts to feel real. Now's the time to pick a theme — the aesthetic that runs through everything from outfits to decor. The theme answers questions before you have to ask them: what colours, what props, what the photos will look like.

Eight themes work for nearly every bride:

• Coastal — pearls, navy, rattan. Best for villa pools and seaside Airbnbs.
• Disco — mirror balls, sequins, hot pink. Indoor-friendly, year-round.
• Nashville — rhinestones, cowboy boots, denim. Best for actual Nashville (or Austin, Cotswolds ranch weekends).
• Tropical luxe — rattan, gold, frangipani. Villa brunches in Bali, Tulum, Sicily.
• Ski chalet — fur, mulled wine, alpine luxe. Winter weekends only.
• Vegas neon — feathers, neon, late nights. Vegas itself, or any city with day clubs.
• English garden — roses, linen, Pimm's. Cotswolds country houses.
• Parisian — silk ribbon, cream, Sancerre. Chic city weekends.

Once the theme is picked, lock the accommodation. Villa rentals book up fast — by week 3 you should be sending the booking confirmation to the group. Use Airbnb for character, hotels for ease, and always insist on at least one shared common space (kitchen, lounge, balcony) where everyone can be together.

Week 2: Shopping, outfits and itinerary (days 14 to 8)

This is where the work compresses. Three parallel tracks running this week.

1. The shopping list

Build the bachelorette shopping list — decor, outfits for the bride, group favours, drinkware, props. Aim for about 20 items across these categories. Build it on The Bach Lists in five minutes if you want a starting point that's already palette-matched to your theme; otherwise, work through the categories manually:

• Decor (about 8 items): banners, garlands, balloons, candles, table accessories, statement signage.
• Outfits (about 3 items): bride sash, bridesmaid sashes, hair accessories.
• Drinkware (about 3 items): branded flutes, cups, gold straws.
• Props (about 3 items): photo props, neon signs, balloon arches.
• Favours (about 3 items): goodie-bag fillers, hangover kits, mini gifts.

Order everything this week. Even Amazon Prime can take 5-7 days for some items, and you do NOT want a balloon arch arriving the day before.

2. Outfits

The bride needs at least three looks — daytime/casual (white linen or two-piece), going-out (white sequin or feather mini), and a "bride day" outfit that's instantly recognisable. The crew coordinates: not matching, but tonal — pinks, creams, metallics depending on theme.

3. The itinerary

Day-by-day plan, hour-by-hour. Send it to the group by end of week 2. Build in ~3 hours of buffer time per day for getting ready, eating, and the inevitable "where's my charger" delays.

Week 1: Final logistics (days 7 to 1)

The week of, you're confirming everything that's already booked, not booking new things. Specifically:

• Day 7-5: Check every booking — accommodation, restaurants, activities. Forward confirmation emails to the group chat. Print a backup copy.
• Day 4-3: Pack the bach kit (decorations, the bride's outfits, any props that need to travel). Confirm everyone's transport.
• Day 2: Buy any last-minute fresh items (flowers, fruit, ice). Make a final WhatsApp post: arrival times, transport details, what to bring, weather forecast.
• Day 1: Travel day. Decorations get put up first thing on arrival. Champagne in the fridge. Check-in photo for the group.

The five things that actually break bachelorette weekends

Five years of running these has taught us what goes wrong, and it's almost never what new MOHs worry about.

1. Money awkwardness. Sort out the cost-splitting BEFORE the trip. Apps like Splitwise or PayPal pools save weeks of "did Sarah pay you back?" texts after.
2. The over-packed itinerary. Two structured activities per day max. The bride wants to spend time with her people, not hop between scheduled events.
3. Late shoppers. If anyone in the group hasn't bought their outfit by week 1, they won't have it. Build a low-effort backup (shared Etsy link, dropshippable items).
4. The forgotten bride moment. Build in 15 minutes of one-on-one time per bridesmaid with the bride during the weekend. Even just a coffee. She'll remember it forever.
5. No one taking photos. Assign one person — usually the most extroverted — as photo captain. Otherwise everyone assumes someone else is doing it and you end up with 4 selfies and no group shots.

What to do right now

If you're at day 30 and reading this: open your phone, send a message to the bride asking her three questions — guest list, dates, vibe. That single message starts the whole process. Then pick a theme, build a shopping list, and let the timeline above carry you to the weekend.

Build your bach list in 5 minutes →