We Planned 10 Hen Parties to See What £250, £400 & £750 Gets You

If you're wondering how much a hen party costs, you're not the only one.

There isn't really a standard answer. A hen weekend can be surprisingly affordable, or it can get very expensive very quickly.

A £250 budget might sound impossible when you see some of the hens on Instagram. It isn't. Equally, £750 can disappear faster than you'd expect once you start adding flights, taxis and dinners.

So we wanted to see what those numbers actually look like.

We planned 10 different hens and worked out how we'd spend £250, £400 and £750 per person.

The budgets include the whole weekend, including accommodation, travel, food, drinks and activities. We've also allowed something for the bride and those little expenses that always seem to appear along the way.

These are examples rather than exact prices. Your destination and dates will make a difference, but if you're trying to work out what sort of hen you can afford, this should give you a much better starting point.

So, how much does a hen party cost?

Here's our rough guide.

The important thing is that these figures include everything.

When someone says, "Let's keep it to £400 each", find out what that actually means.

Does it include travel? Is the bride's share being covered? Are drinks included? What about taxis?

It is much easier to have that conversation before anyone starts booking.

What should you include in a hen party budget?

Before choosing activities, work out the costs you're going to have whatever happens.

Accommodation is the obvious one. Then there's getting everyone there and feeding them once they arrive.

After that, you can see what's left for the fun stuff.

We'd allow money for:

• Accommodation
• Travel
• Food
• Drinks
• Activities
• Local transport
• Bride's share
• Games and extras
• A small contingency

That last one matters.

There is almost always something you didn't think about. Maybe it's a taxi back from dinner. Maybe someone needs to buy lunch at the station. Either way, having a little buffer is much nicer than having to ask everyone for another £12 on Sunday morning.

A £250 Hen Party Budget

Can you really plan a hen weekend for £250?

Yes.

You just need to be realistic about what the money is doing.

If you're spending £150 on accommodation, you're already more than halfway through your budget. That doesn't leave much room for fancy dinners and expensive activities.

For £250, we'd keep things simple and make the weekend itself the experience.

Example £250 hen budget

You could have a really lovely weekend on that budget.

Think Friday night in a shared house, with takeaway and drinks while everyone settles in. Saturday could be your main activity, followed by dinner and a night out or a games night.

Sunday doesn't need much planning. Have breakfast, go for a walk, find a nice coffee shop, then head home.

Sometimes less is more.

£250 Hen Idea #1: The Cosy Cottage Hen

This is one of our favourite ways to make a smaller budget work.

Find somewhere comfortable where everyone can stay together. It doesn't need to be fancy, and there are often affordable cottages around the UK if you're flexible about location and dates.

Make Friday night part of the hen rather than treating it as the night before the "real" weekend.

Put some music on, get the drinks out and order something easy for dinner.

Then play a few games and stay up far too late.

On Saturday, spend your money on one thing that the bride will genuinely enjoy. It could be a workshop, a fun activity or a nice meal.

You don't need to fill the rest of the day. In fact, we'd avoid it.

Some of the best bits of a hen happen when nobody is rushing to the next booking.

£250 Hen Idea #2: The Affordable City Hen

A city hen can work on £250, but you'll need to choose carefully.

Look for accommodation that's well connected rather than paying a premium to stay right in the middle of everything.

Then pick one paid experience.

The rest of the weekend can be about exploring, eating somewhere casual and enjoying the city.

For example, you might arrive Friday afternoon and have dinner at the accommodation. Saturday could be breakfast, a morning exploring, your main activity and then dinner and drinks.

That's enough.

The mistake would be trying to book something for every hour.

Brunch. Afternoon tea. Cocktail class. Dinner. Club. Taxi home.

It sounds fun when you're booking it. It is considerably less fun when everyone is checking the time because you have another reservation in 20 minutes.

£250 Hen Idea #3: The DIY Hen

If you have access to a house or garden, you can make £250 go much further.

This is where we'd put more of the budget into food and atmosphere.

A good breakfast. Drinks in the fridge. Something nice for dinner. A few decorations that make the room feel special.

Then choose one activity.

The rest can be free.

A garden game. A playlist. A photo challenge. A Mr & Mrs-style quiz. Sitting around the table talking until midnight.

You don't need to spend money every time you want everyone to have fun.

A £400 Hen Party Budget

Is £400 enough for a hen weekend?

Absolutely.

For us, £400 is probably the most comfortable middle ground.

You can afford better accommodation without having to cut everything else back. There's room for a proper activity and a nice dinner too.

Example £400 hen budget

This gives you enough breathing room to make the weekend feel special.

It also means you don't have to say yes to everything, and that's a good thing.

£400 Hen Idea #4: The Chic City Weekend

For a bride who wants something stylish without going all-out luxury, this is where we'd put the money.

Choose somewhere lovely to stay. A boutique hotel in the city centre can be worth spending a little more on if it means you're close to dinner, drinks and everything you've planned.

Book one activity that everyone will enjoy.

Then spend a little more on dinner.

Friday can be relaxed. Saturday is your main day. Sunday can be slow.

We'd deliberately leave a gap in the Saturday afternoon.

Use it to get ready together. Go for a drink. Take some photos. Have a nap if that's what everyone needs.

A hen doesn't have to feel like a school trip.

£400 Hen Idea #5: The Foodie Hen

If the bride is happiest around a dinner table, listen to her.

You don't need to force in a dance class or cocktail-making session just because it happens to be a popular hen activity.

Spend the money on food.

A great dinner can be the main event. Add a lovely brunch the next morning, or book a food experience if that feels more like her.

This is also a good option for a group that isn't particularly interested in dressing up or clubbing.

The weekend can simply revolve around eating somewhere delicious and having time together.

There's nothing wrong with that.

£400 Hen Idea #6: The Fun-Focused Hen

Not every hen needs to feel luxurious.

Sometimes the best atmosphere comes from having a really good theme and letting everyone get involved.

Pick a colour and give everyone a dress code. Maybe the bride wears white while everyone else sticks to pink, black or whatever fits the theme. Then put together a playlist.

You could spend a little on decorations and some games, then use the rest of the budget for one big activity and dinner.

It gives the weekend a sense of occasion without requiring a huge amount of extra spending.

And because everyone knows the theme before they arrive, half the fun starts before the hen even begins.

A £750 Hen Party Budget

What can you get for £750?

Quite a lot.

But this is where we'd actually become more careful with the spending.

Once the budget gets bigger, it's tempting to keep adding things.

Private transfers sound good. Then there's a boat trip. Then a spa. Then someone finds a beautiful restaurant.

Suddenly you've spent £750 and haven't even thought about the bride.

Instead, we'd choose a few things that really matter and make those feel special.

Example £750 hen budget

At this level, you're paying for better experiences rather than simply adding more of them.

£750 Hen Idea #7: The Luxury UK Hen

You don't need to fly anywhere for a luxury hen.

Find somewhere beautiful and let the accommodation do some of the work.

A gorgeous countryside hotel or house can give the weekend that special feeling before you've booked a single activity.

Friday could be dinner and drinks.

Saturday might include breakfast, a spa treatment or another experience, followed by a relaxed afternoon and a really good dinner.

Sunday is for taking your time.

This is the kind of hen where you don't need to be rushing from one booking to the next.

£750 Hen Idea #8: The European City Break

A £750 budget can make a European hen possible, but don't look at the flight price and assume that's the cost of the trip.

It isn't.

You need to think about luggage, transfers, accommodation and everything you'll spend once you arrive.

It's worth comparing city break prices as a package too, rather than automatically booking the flight and hotel separately.

Then there are the things you don't plan for.

The taxi someone needs after dinner. The extra round of drinks. The coffee everyone wants at the airport.

Our advice is simple:

Work out the full cost before booking the flights.

If the numbers work, great.

If they don't, choose somewhere closer.

£750 Hen Idea #9: The Mediterranean Hen

If the bride dreams of sunshine, this is where we'd spend the money.

Rather than booking five different activities, choose one standout experience.

It could be a boat day. It could be an incredible dinner. It could simply be a beautiful villa with a pool where everyone can relax.

The point is to make the destination itself part of the hen.

You don't need to spend every afternoon somewhere else.

Give everyone time to sit down, have a drink and actually enjoy being there.

£750 Hen Idea #10: The Full Weekend

This is the hen for a group that wants a little bit of everything.

You've got enough room in the budget for good accommodation, comfortable travel and some memorable plans.

You can make Friday feel special rather than treating it as an arrival night. Saturday can have your main activity and dinner. Sunday can be slower.

Even with £750, we'd still leave some gaps.

Nobody wants to spend three days checking the time.

Where should you spend more money?

If you've got room in the budget, we'd put it towards things you'll actually notice.

Accommodation

You're going to spend a lot of time there.

A great place to stay can make the whole weekend feel better.

One memorable experience

Pick something the bride will talk about afterwards.

It doesn't have to be the most expensive option.

Food

A really good meal is often money well spent.

Transport

Nobody gets excited about booking a minibus.

Everyone appreciates one when there are 14 people trying to get home after dinner.

The bride

This doesn't mean buying her a mountain of personalised things.

It could simply mean covering her share of the weekend and making sure she doesn't have to organise anything herself.

What wouldn't we spend loads on?

Decorations.

There, we said it.

A few thoughtful details can completely transform a space. You don't need to spend hundreds of pounds making everything personalised.

The same goes for activities.

If everyone is already having a great time at the house, you don't need to leave it just because there's an empty space in the itinerary.

Save the money for something you'll genuinely enjoy.

How much should the bride pay?

There's no single rule.

Some groups cover the bride's whole weekend. Others split the accommodation and activities but let her pay for her travel or meals.

Some brides will want to pay their own way.

Whatever you decide, talk about it before you start booking.

And be specific.

If the group is covering the bride, does that include her accommodation? Her dinner? Her drinks? Her travel?

It sounds obvious, but agreeing this early saves a lot of awkwardness later.

How to plan a hen when everyone has a different budget

This is one of the trickiest parts of planning a hen.

One person might be perfectly happy spending £750. Another might need to stay closer to £250.

That doesn't mean you can't plan something everyone will enjoy.

Start by finding out what people can genuinely afford.

Don't ask, "Is everyone okay with £500?"

People can feel awkward saying no.

Instead, give the group a few realistic options.

Once you know where the group sits, plan from there.

The best budget is the one everyone can actually enjoy.

The easiest way to work out your hen party budget

If you're currently staring at a spreadsheet and wondering how you've somehow created 27 tabs, we get it.

Our free Hen Party Budget Calculator makes it much easier.

Add your group size and estimated costs. You can then see what your weekend could cost per person and adjust the numbers as you plan.

It's much easier to make decisions when you can see the whole picture.

£250 vs £400 vs £750: Which budget is best?

£250

A great choice if keeping costs down matters most.

You'll need to prioritise, but there's no reason the weekend can't be brilliant.

£400

Probably our favourite all-round option.

There's enough money for a proper weekend away without every decision becoming a financial debate.

£750

Ideal if you're planning something luxurious or heading abroad.

Just remember that a bigger budget doesn't mean you need a bigger itinerary.

The best hen isn't necessarily the most expensive

It's easy to look at other hens online and feel like you're falling behind.

Someone has booked a villa. Someone else has hired a boat. Another group appears to have personalised everything.

Good for them.

Your hen doesn't need to look like anyone else's.

A £250 weekend where everyone can relax and enjoy themselves is much better than a £750 weekend where half the group is worrying about what they've spent.

Think about the bride first.

What would she actually love?

Then look at what the group can comfortably afford.

Once you know those two things, planning becomes much easier.

New in at The Hen Planner

Sorting the little extras too? Here are a few of the newest additions to the shop.

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Bride Embroidered Oversized Tote Bag

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Bride & Bridesmaid Feather Dressing Gown

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Handmade Pink Floral Bridal Tiara & Matching Earrings Set

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Let's Party LED Neon Sign

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Rose Gold Bride to Be Foil Balloon

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Pink & Red Act Surprised Bridesmaid Proposal Candle

Ready to plan your hen?

Start with the numbers.

And if you're still at the very beginning, have a look through our Hen Weekend Planning Guide or explore our hen party games for the fun part.

Because planning a hen doesn't have to be chaotic.

It just needs a plan. 🤍