Was your hen party cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown in the UK?
While it may feel like things will never get back to normal, with a couple of vaccines being dished out right this minute, many brides are starting to think about how to rearrange their cancelled hen do.
Whether you’re a bride who just wants to finally sort out a real-life hen or a Maid-Of-Honour who needs to pin down new plans after months of uncertainty and postponing, we’ve answered all your burning questions.
Should I rearrange my cancelled hen party?
Many brides are asking themselves whether it makes sense to reschedule their hen party at all.
Especially if you and your hens lost money from the original booking or even more so if you are still concerned about how safe a relatively large gathering is at this time.
These are two of many reasons that you might choose not to reschedule your hen party at all.
- If you feel like you’ve got enough going on with reorganising an entire wedding, then it’s totally ok to decide against a rescheduled hen party.
- If you think reorganising you hen will be too much hassle, then don’t be shy about asking for help, that’s what your bridesmaids are there for.
- If you’re worried about the health of any of your hens, you could also consider having a Virtual Hen Party or you could plan an amazing hen party at home.
There are loads of ways of enjoying celebrating your last night of freedom together even if you’re not in the same room! Think cocktail-making competitions and virtual games.
You could also consider even doing a post-wedding hen party if that makes you feel a bit more relaxed. It’s your wedding so it’s up to you!
When should I start rearranging my cancelled hen party?
It’s difficult to put a date on it, but there’s no harm in starting to think about how you might like your rescheduled hen party to look like even now.
Discuss with your pals and let them know what the current plan is.
Then, once the rules in different parts of the country have been lifted you’ll be in a good position to start rebooking and getting some exciting things in the calendar!
Tip: Prioritise sorting out rearranging your wedding before your hen party. There’s so much to think about so it’s best to get the big party organised before the smaller one!
How to reschedule your hen party
- Firstly, take into account anything that you booked before that can be repurposed.
For example, did your accommodation provider allow you to rebook for a later date than originally planned? Have you got any vouchers you can redeem to rebook activities?
- Check out our Hen Party Checklist to make sure you don’t miss any vital arrangements!
If your hen party got cancelled due to Coronavirus and you’re not sure where you stand, read our article linked here to know your rights.
If you are starting from scratch then take some time to think about whether you want to rebook exactly the same hen party or do it a little differently.
Click on these handy articles to help you nail the essentials:
When will it be safe to have my hen party?
We wish we could answer this, but it’s a question that nobody really has the answer to right now.
The best way to move forward with rebooking your hen party is to work backwards from your new wedding date.
Let’s say you have rescheduled your wedding for Summer 2021.
Your best bet would be to look at potential dates that work for all your hens in early summer, when hopefully a large chunk of the population will have been vaccinated.
If you’ve pushed your wedding back to autumn/winter 2021, you’ve got a bit more room for manoeuvre.
If you rebook your hen for around September 2021 then there’s a good chance even more things will have gone back to normal by then.
When booking, check whether your suppliers have got an extended Covid-19 policy. What are their cancellation terms? Many businesses are now offering more flexible terms to give you peace of mind when booking.
Should I rebook exactly the same hen party activities?
It can be hard it know whether to create an 1:1 clone of your cancelled hen party when you reorganise it, or whether to do things a little differently.
You might find that when you try to rebook, your original plans don’t work any more, either due to social distancing restrictions or the fact that there is no availability on your new date.
You might also have a different number of hens able to attend as you had previously planned for.
Support small businesses!
Take this as an opportunity to support small businesses, if you can.
Coronavirus has taken its toll on everyone in different ways, but it has dealt small businesses a particularly hefty blow.
We’re lucky in the UK to have so many brilliant small hen party suppliers and activities and it would be a huge shame if any of them didn’t survive this.
For that reason, if you are booking new activities or accommodation for your rescheduled hen, please consider browsing our Hen Party Small Business Directory.
Maybe you can support one by booking with them for your new hen!
How to find new hen party accommodation
If your original hen party house booking was cancelled due to Covid-19, then you might need to look at finding new accommodation for your rescheduled hen do.
Have a think about the type of accommodation would suit your new hen party, especially taking into account location and any activities that may have changed.
If you want to find hen party accommodation that complies with any remaining social distancing recommendations then you might consider booking a hen party house in the countryside.
We’ve written a handy overview of different providers to help you decided who to book with.
Will Social Distancing measures affect my hen party?
This depends on when you new hen party will take place, and the current restrictions in place. activity. The best thing is to keep in touch to your activity providers and accommodation.
Reorganising a cancelled hen party was always going to be an added stress you didn’t need. If you haven’t already, try and enlist the help of your Maid-Of-Honour and bridesmaids to take some of the pressure off.
Focus on sorting out the rescheduled wedding plans first, that should be your priority as it affects more people and involves a lot more money.
Oh, and the wedding is the reason you’re having a hen do, right!
And finally, if you find that one of your hens now can’t make the rescheduled hen do, then don’t freak out.
Yes it’s a shame, but 2020 turned out to be one hell of a year and it will have affected people in different ways.
Some will be having money worries due to losing their job, others might still be suffering with mental health issues in the wake of the lockdown.
Hopefully you’ve now got a bit of an insight into how to rearrange your hen party cancelled due to Coronavirus.
If you want to chat with other brides and maids of honour who are going through the same thing, come over and join in the conversation on our Facebook page and Instagram.
You can also join our Facebook support group: Lockdown Brides.