It’s true, I can’t fudge it.
I’m now in my late 20s and the wedding years are definitely upon me. Don’t get me wrong, the prospect of seeing my friends tie the knot and starting the next stage in my life is very exciting. While the associated ‘hen dos’ are great fun. But as a PR professional, a natural organiser and a lover of lists, being a bridesmaid for the first time this summer and the prospect of helping to run a hen weekend made this occasion very different.
Champers at the ready; organising a hen do isn't that dissimilar form organising a press party, there's just more butterflies involved
When you think about it, surely organising a hen party couldn’t be easier when you run events and organise people for a living? Plus, I was lucky; the other two bridesmaids are an event organiser and a creative. A perfect team? Well yes, it was a great weekend and I loved working with the other bridesmaids to create a memorable weekend for my best friend. But despite the relevant skills it was still much more stressful than I’d expected.
It got me thinking — what makes organising a party for friends so different to organising a press party, for example? Surely very little – all the same skills are applicable; organisation, drinks, chatter and generally having a good time, while ensuring that the main event (the client or hen) has a fantastic time. And yet the butterflies in my stomach were far more active than in my professional life. Perhaps I was more worried that people would hold me personally accountable as I couldn’t hide behind the brand? Or that I didn’t know the ‘audience’ as well as I would on a professional occasion having not met many of them before? Or maybe it was the separation between work and pleasure and, indeed, the blurring on this occasion that made it harder.
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