Planning together
Who pays for the hens party?
There's no fixed rule, but there is a fair way to do it. Here's how to agree it with the group, and a calculator that works out who owes whom.
The short answer
The bride usually doesn't pay for her own hens party. Her share of the accommodation, meals and activities is split between the guests, and everyone else pays an equal share of the rest. That includes whoever is organising it: running the weekend is a lot of work, but it isn't a reason to pay more, or less.
Agree it before anyone books
Money arguments on a group weekend usually start with something nobody said out loud. Before the first deposit goes down, tell the group three things:
- roughly what it will cost each person, all in;
- that the bride's share is split between everyone;
- how and when people will pay back whoever paid upfront.
Saying it early lets anyone who can't stretch to it say so quietly, while there's still time to change the plan.
When not everyone comes to everything
If some guests miss a night or skip an activity, they shouldn't pay for it. Split each cost between the people who were there. The calculator below shares every cost between everyone who's paying, which suits most weekends. For anything only some people shared, the way to keep it straight is to note who each cost was for at the time.
Work out who owes whom
This calculator needs JavaScript. Here's the example it starts with: Guest 1 paid $1,200 for the house and Guest 2 paid $480 for dinner. The bride doesn't pay, so the three guests owe $560 each. Guest 3 pays Guest 1 $560, and Guest 2 pays Guest 1 $80.
The bucks party works the same way
The groom usually doesn't pay for his own bucks party either. Mark him as not paying and the calculator splits his share between everyone else.
Planning the real trip?
waddlio keeps the receipts as you go, splits each one between the people who were there, and tells everyone what to settle at the end. Joining a trip is free.
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