'BRIDES-TO-BE PREFER LIFE DRAWING TO STRIPPERS THESE DAYS'

Keeping everyone happy on a hen do isn't easy but three expert party planners tell us how to avoid ruffling any feathers

- LUCY ROBINSON

For many of us, going on a hen do conjures up images of pink sashes, tinned cocktails and wild party games. But for Chloe Gilham, Samantha Spring and Emily Davis it’s just business as usual. Having established their hen party planning company Cluck seven years ago, sorting out group travel arrangements and dealing with last-minute dropouts is just part and parcel of the job.

“For research, we set aside one Saturday each month to try out the best hen party activities on offer,” says Chloe, 36. “Last weekend we enjoyed some drag bingo and dressed up as prisoners at a jailbreak-themed cocktail bar – it’s an unusual job to have.”

The trio have been privy to some drama, too. “There’s not a lot that we haven’t seen,” says Emily, 32. “One bride fell out with her sister, who was the maid of honour, because they disagreed on what they wanted from the hen party. In the end, the sister completely dropped out of the bridal party and the bride had to plan everything.”

Sometimes entire parties have been left divided after a fall-out. “Once we were asked to organise a second secret hen party because the maid of honour had become too domineering,” says Chloe. “We agreed and threw two parties – one with the maid of honour and one without. To this day, we don’t know if she ever found out.”

Despite the drama, the team at Cluck assure us that planning a hen party needn’t be stressful. “It’s about someone’s love, so it should be a happy occasion where you celebrate that person and their relationship,” explains Samantha, 35.

Here, Chloe, Emily and Samantha share their top tips for making a hen party a night to remember (for all the right reasons)…