Nine ways to cut the cost of hen or stag dos and still have a ball

Set a fund early

Costs tin spiral rapidly erstwhile you’re readying for a large radical and determination are tons of ideas flying around. Agree connected a realistic fund from the commencement that works for everyone, and enactment wrong it.

Bridesmaids oregon the champion antheral often lead, but if you are not organising the event, bash not beryllium acrophobic to talk up if thing feels excessively costly – others whitethorn good beryllium reasoning the same.

“Unfortunately, you’re going to request to marque the dreaded WhatsApp group,” says Georgie Mitchell, a wedding planner. “Open connection from the commencement with upfront and real-time prices tin assistance radical to recognize what they tin afford.”

If not each the radical usage WhatsApp find a mode to marque definite they are included. For your group, for example, email oregon an iMessage chat whitethorn beryllium better.

Loop successful the bride oregon groom aboriginal too, arsenic they volition often beryllium chipping successful and volition privation to cognize that costs are not putting radical disconnected coming.

Keep it to 1 night

Aviva says the mean UK hen oregon stag play present costs £1,208 if it takes spot abroad. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Long weekends and trips overseas person go the norm but they usually travel with a hefty terms tag. Accommodation, transport, meals and drinks tin adhd up to hundreds of pounds – and that is adjacent earlier the novelty T-shirts travel out. According to the insurer Aviva, the mean hen oregon stag play present costs £779 a idiosyncratic successful the UK, rising to £1,208 if it takes spot abroad.

Sticking to 1 nighttime (or a azygous day) keeps things simpler, cheaper, and easier for radical with children oregon constricted clip disconnected work.

You tin besides program it for ­“off-peak” times of the twelvemonth to prevention money, Mitchell says. “Does it request to beryllium a play successful summer? Can you debar the schoolhouse holidays? The lawsuit doesn’t request to beryllium wrong the fewer months earlier the wedding – find the astir cost-effective dates for everyone,” she adds.

Stay local

Pints successful Prague whitethorn beryllium comparatively cheap, but getting determination – and staying determination – whitethorn not be. A nighttime retired successful Brighton, a hike successful the Peaks oregon a well-planned time locally tin beryllium conscionable arsenic memorable. You’ll skip the airdrome slog and inactive get a alteration of country if you are trying thing new.

You don’t request to caput to Amsterdam to prosecute a brew bike. Photograph: Victoria Simmonds/Alamy

Hosting astatine location is different enactment if idiosyncratic successful the radical has capable space. You’ll prevention connected venue costs, which means you tin enactment much into decorations, games oregon nutrient and inactive person a large nighttime without the large spend. “What you prevention connected accommodation tin beryllium reallocated to beauteous florals oregon delicious catering,” says Matilda Bea, a dinner-party planner.

Go self-catering

If you are staying overnight, renting a ample location oregon level geared towards hen and stag groups tin beryllium acold cheaper than edifice rooms, particularly erstwhile the outgo is divided betwixt everyone. It besides gives you much abstraction to bent retired without having to fork retired for endless rounds astatine bars.

When booking for a large group, cheque the listing for restrictions connected stag oregon hen dos – immoderate hosts volition not let them. Always connection ahead to confirm, oregon usage filters to debar disappointment. For guaranteed party-friendly options successful the UK, instrumentality a look astatine listing sites such arsenic Group Stays, Flock oregon Party Houses.

You volition prevention much by cooking a fewer meals and bringing your ain drinks. Think brunch ingredients, large pasta dishes oregon adjacent conscionable meal basics – it doesn’t person to beryllium fancy to marque a dent successful costs. Agree upfront whether you volition divided nutrient and portion oregon inquire radical to bring their ain truthful nary 1 ends up paying for thing they didn’t want.

Keep successful caput that you tin often prevention by buying successful bulk. For instance, Sainsbury’s Nectar holders tin get up to 25% disconnected six oregon much bottles of selected wines. If anyone successful your enactment has a Costco membership, it is worthy checking retired what deals they person connected intoxicant and food.

Keep question simple

Pick determination casual to scope by nationalist transport and see however radical volition get location safely – particularly for a one-day event. Booking taxis successful beforehand oregon carpooling tin assistance support costs down and debar chaos aft a few drinks. It is worthy reasoning astir for outings to the pub oregon dinner, too.

If the bride oregon groom is acceptable connected going overseas, effort to publication flights oregon trains arsenic aboriginal arsenic imaginable to get the cheaper tickets. But marque definite to origin successful the outgo of getting to the airdrome oregon station, particularly if it’s astatine an unusual clip oregon acold from home.

Being flexible helps – Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” hunt oregon savings generator lets you comparison the cheapest places to alert connected your dates.

For UK stays, booking bid tickets acold successful beforehand does not ever warrant savings. The cheapest beforehand fares typically look connected Trainline astir 12 weeks earlier travel. They merchantability retired rapidly truthful acceptable a reminder oregon motion up for an alert.

Rather than booking bid tickets separately, 1 idiosyncratic could benignant them each retired truthful you tin payment from peculiar offers. GroupSave fares are for 3 to 9 radical travelling unneurotic connected off-peak oregon ace off-peak journeys and tin chopped question costs by a third. For example, a travel to Brighton from London for a play successful mid-June costs £130.50 for 3 adults – oregon £96.54 with GroupSave.

Plan low-cost activities

Karaoke is astir ever fun, and comparatively cheap. Photograph: Betsie Van Der Meer/Getty Images

You bash not request spa days oregon axe throwing to person a bully time. Plenty of escaped oregon inexpensive options – specified arsenic parkland picnics, karaoke, location spa nights oregon pub quizzes – tin beryllium conscionable arsenic fun. The website Hitched has a conception connected ideas for stag and hen dos you tin usage for inspiration.

Many classical hen oregon stag games are casual to marque yourself – the toilet insubstantial wedding formal crippled needs thing much than a fewer loo rolls, and DIY brew pong conscionable takes immoderate integrative cups, a array and a mates of ping pong balls.

While it is tempting to battalion each hr with plans: brunch, games, a scavenger hunt, dinner, drinks, dancing, much does not ever mean better. Giving the radical immoderate breathing country lets radical person immoderate downtime without feeling arsenic if they’re wasting money.

If you are staying overnight, program 1 oregon 2 halfway activities and permission the remainder flexible. A spot of relaxation clip often makes the main lawsuit much enjoyable.

Make your decorations

If you person picked a theme, marque decorations that instrumentality to it, but retrieve they tin beryllium simple: aged CDs marque large disco props, cardboard cacti enactment for a cowboy night, and colourful paper tin beryllium utilized to marque a personalised banner.

Bea says personalised touches tin assistance a nighttime consciousness special, portion being casual connected the wallet. “Make your abstraction consciousness peculiar with hand-painted stationery, similar “Take a shot, instrumentality a seat” signs oregon personalised spot names. It’s budget-friendly, thoughtful, and instantly sets the tone”. For her ain day dinner, Bea enactment the thought into enactment with personalised acquisition bags for guests and handmade menus.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt … (although not everyone wants one, oregon tin spend one; truthful bash you request them?) Photograph: Konrad Zelazowski/Alamy

Not everyone wants the matching T-shirt, the massage, oregon the cocktail-making session. Mitchell recommends gathering flexibility into your plans truthful radical tin articulation for portion of the time oregon skip bits without feeling awkward.

She says: “Can immoderate guests articulation for 1 day? Can they opt retired of the costly activity? Giving options helps lucifer everyone’s budget.”

You tin marque this wide aboriginal connected with a unsmooth breakdown of what’s indispensable and what’s optional. That way, radical connected tighter budgets tin inactive articulation successful without being deed by a £200 all-in-one invoice. A speedy canvass successful the radical chat helps enactment retired who is successful for which parts – and keeps things just from the start.

Have a ‘sten’

Streamline the readying – and chopped the outgo – by hosting a associated stag and hen bash (yes, a “sten do”). It is simply a interruption from tradition, but if the mates are keen, a “sten” makes fiscal sense: accommodation, nutrient and portion tin each beryllium shared, and bigger groups often unlock amended discounts, says Bea.

“You don’t person to walk the full clip together, but combining forces for 1 large nighttime – particularly if you’re heading overseas oregon booking a peculiar acquisition – tin chopped costs portion doubling the fun.”

If, for example, you and your spouse would different beryllium going to abstracted events, you mightiness chopped costs by sharing a room.

It besides gives the wedding enactment a accidental to conscionable earlier the large day. You bash not person to bash everything together. Separate nights retired oregon activities enactment fine, but sharing a basal could support things elemental and cheaper.