If you cover off this checklist, you’re in for a memorable time, ladies! Bridesmaids, read on …

• 1. A superb venue

  Be it a penthouse apartment rented for the night, a happening night club, the coolest bar in town, or a bridesmaids’ lounge room, a special location for the festivities is a must. Planning is key here – you can’t expect to just turn up at a bar or club with 20-odd women and be accommodated in comfort and style. Contact the functions manager of the venue well ahead of time to see if you can be designated your own area, or have a private room put aside for your occasion.

• 2. Fun entertainment

  Whether she’s a fan of strippers, shirtless waiters, a group cooking class, karaoke, SingStar, a life-drawing session, wine tasting, or the day spa, the occasion will run most smoothly with a focus. Choose entertainment that will appeal to the hen (not just the bridesmaids!) and add an additional surprise element exclusively for the bride-to-be – for example, hire a professional hair and make-up artist to glam her up for the night.

• 3. Delicious food and wine

  Eat well, drink plenty, and be merry … with dinner at one of her favourite restaurants (book the private dining room to make it extra-special); or delicious cocktails made at home (check out cocktail recipes here like a Grand Margarita or Carrie’s Cosmopolitan); or sitting down to a meal you’ve just cooked yourselves under the guidance of a private chef; or a buffet at one of the bridesmaids’ houses where everyone brings a pot luck dish.

• 4. A couple of games and/or dressing up

  Not every bride-to-be will appreciate being made to don a veil, but some will revel in being the centre of the attention! You can buy all sorts of fun hen’s accessories here, from boas to badges to tiaras. And even if she’s not into playing ‘pin the penis on the guy’, there’s nothing like a cheeky game of ‘truth or dare’ or putting her on the spot to respond to funny Q&As that her fiancé has previously answered.

• 5. A suitably giggly hen!

  If the bride-to-be is having a blast, it follows that her guests will get in the spirit too! So when planning her big day or night out, listen to what she really wants to do – something that suits her personality and interests. There’s nothing more disappointing than a yawning hen, and there’s no point her squirming aboard ‘Strippers Afloat’ when she’d rather be boogying at the pub!