No-one wants to look tight when you’re supposed to be lavishing gifts and glory and fun on your best friend.

Sometimes though it’s got to be done (and no-one can really complain about penny watching these days.) So – here are some tips on planning a fabulous hen party on a budget.

Don’t pay for what you can get free. The main thing here is venue. You’ve got 6-12 girls involved. Between them, you can almost definitely come up with a great hen party venue – someone’s house / country house?

If you don’t want to be cooped up hens all evening, then at least consider partying in for the early bit of the hen night before going on to the main event.

There’s plenty of entertainment you can get to come to you: pamper parties (masseurs etc, naked butlers, poker pros, bar staff… and try looking up something called ‘milky moments’!

Saving money on gifts for the hen and all the usual accessories is easy. The best way to get hold of a special gift without paying a lot is to go personalised.

You can get personalised hen gifts like personalised champagne, bathrobes, personalised sash (a must) – you can find these and a bunch of other ideas through the link above.

If you are staying in – another thing you’ll want to decide on is a theme! Go for a classic like nurses, cowgirls or schoolgirls, or try something more personal to the hen (something around her nationality for example…).

Check out this excellent article on planning a hen party on a budget.

Herds of stags and flocks of hens will be raiding major UK cities and towns over the next few weeks as preparations begin for August weddings (Brits’ preferred month to get hitched).

This year couples are turning their back on jet-setting weekends abroad, with 84% of brides and grooms choosing to party their last days of being single in the UK – the top destination being London. On average men will be forking out £740 on stag parties, which is more than double the £324 women are spending on a hen night, according to a new lifestyle index by Travelodge.

The poll of 4,000 adults found men will attend on average two stag events this year, costing an average of £370.21 each time. The biggest expense of £120 going on travelling and accommodation followed by £107 being spent on an outfit and gimmicks for the groom while the customary stripper accounting for £57.93. A total of £85.63 will be splashed out on food and drinks.

In comparison, women will only go on one hen night this year, at a cost of just £323.41. Just over £111 of that will be spent on accommodation and travelling to and from the party with £94.04 being shelled out on embarrassing outfits and props for the bride-to-be. Food and drink will cost another £68.21 and almost £50 will be spent on entertainment for the night.

Further findings revealed just over half (55%) of hens and stags are happy to part with their hard earned cash to celebrate their friend’s last night of freedom. Fifty four per cent of Brits think stag and hen parties are getting too expensive and 19% admit they can’t really afford it but feel guilty if they don’t go.

Further findings revealed just over half (55%) of hens and are happy to part with their hard earned cash to celebrate their friend’s last night of freedom. Fifty four per cent of Brits think stag and hen parties are getting too expensive and 19% admit they can’t really afford it but feel guilty if they don’t go.

1. Sex and the City hen night theme is a great hen night theme; you can make mouth-watering Cosmopolitan cocktails and pull out your most fabulous frocks. Order a load of sugary fluffy cupcakes covered in thick icing and generally be fabulous. You could get everyone to chip in a fiver and buy your hen a pair of beautiful shoes, Carrie style, or an amazing dress.

2. Where is your hen from? You could do a hen night theme around whichever area your hen originates from (providing it is somewhere different to where you live!). For example: if your hen night has any Scottish blood, you could get everyone to wear tartan – and arrange a stripper to come and do his thang, wearing nothing but a kilt! You could serve scottish smoked salmon blinis for hors d’oeuvres, and have Whisky sour cocktails before arranging more activities 

3. School girl hen night theme. Always a winner – get everyone to drag out their old school uniforms (or you can buy cheap and fun hen night costumes here) and wear their hair in pigtails. Get some sexy stockings and suspenders and you are off and away. You can get loads of school party food, like doughnuts, jam rings and hula hoops and give everyone going away goodie party bags. There are loads of clubs that do school disco night – you can party the night away and feel very sexy and naughty. 

4. Play boy bunny hen night theme: Get people to wear play boy ears and sexy fishnet stockings and tease all the lads. Playboy bunny theme – make it sexy and glam and very naughty; why not get an ann summers representative to come and give some mind blowing oral sex techniques, or get the hen party to go to a city bar for all the singletons; you’ll get lots of attention. You could even rock up in a limousine for extra style. Or you could hire out the VIP room at a top club. Warn them you are going to be a hen party first – they’ll probably make extra allowances for the fact you might be more raucous and rowdy than most! 

5. Heroes hen night theme: Get all the hens to dress up as their hero / heroine. Best costume wins a prize. You could give each hero / heroine a superpower which you could use in a game – ie supergirl has the power to get men’s phone numbers – send her packing and see how many she comes back with! 

6. Bad taste hen night theme bad taste hen night theme party – great for getting everyone to let go and break the ice. Or get everyone to dress up in bad taste gear – as something which starts with the initial of the hen’s name. If the hen’s name is Olivia, you could tell everyone to dress up as something inappropriate beginning with O. (Be careful; you don’t want to do a Prince Harry who got in a whole load of trouble for dressing up as a Nazi!)