Start saving for your hen and stag do

bride in front of bride to be balloons with a veil on

According to a study by Hotels.com®, 2022 is the year to go bigger and bolder than ever when it comes to planning your hen/sten/stag do - we're all making up for lost time over the past two years!

After 2020/21 nearlyweds had to reschedule a stag or hen party, this year revellers are using more holiday days and spending more money than ever to celebrate their friend's final months of unmarried life in style.

The study found the average pre-wedding celebration now costs a whopping £242 compared to the more subtle cost of £150 in 2012. Nearly 47% of those surveyed believe that these pre-wedding celebrations have become more extravagant over the last decade, with 46% of travellers believing it's because people have been saving up and have larger budgets to spend on these special occasions over the pandemic.

group of guys and girls taking a selfie

To help those attending a stag/sten/hen do to control their spending in 2022, Hotels.com has partnered with financial expert Ellie Austin-Williams to provide her top tips and tricks to help travellers save money in 2022.

1. Get rewarded
When booking stag or hen dos, make the most of reward schemes. On Hotels.com you get a stamp for every night stayed at a property, collect 10 stamps and you get a reward night***, which will equate to the average value of the previous 10 stamps (excluding taxes and fees). An easy way to make savings, especially when booking in bulk.

2. Pair yourself up
When it comes to booking hotel rooms, you can save money even if you don't know the other hens or stags well. Speak to the chief organiser to see if they can pair you up rather than booking solo. That way, instead of paying the cost of an entire suite yourself you can book a twin room and halve the price.

mixed group of men and women taking a self on a hotel roof in a foreign country

3. WFH – 'Work from Hotel'
Whether it's a staycation or a sunny, seaside break, make the most of remote working where possible. Travel there early in the morning or overnight and work from the hotel, so that you don't need to take an extended amount of time off work to travel. Your annual leave is as valuable as your money!

4. Be an early booking bird
Most things in life cost less when you plan ahead so if you've got dates pencilled in the diary for hen/stag dos, make it a priority to book accommodation and travel as soon as plans are confirmed. That way, you can take advantage of any early booking discounts and you've got more time to save.

5. Divide and conquer
Nobody needs triple the number of outfits, shampoo, or sun cream, than the days you are away for. Rather than buying new outfits, toiletries and paying for extra luggage for a weekend trip, join forces with other attendees to decide who will bring what and reduce overpacking. Discuss outfit swaps you can coordinate across the time away and save yourself both space and cash.

Ellie Austin-Williams, the founder of This Girl Talks Money, comments: "This year people are finding they have more hen and stag dos than ever before, having had so many postponed during the pandemic, and they are coming back, bigger and better than ever before. I am not surprised that Hotels.com has found pre-pandemic dos were more domestic focused whereas now, brides and grooms to-be are opting for far flung destinations such as Marbella, Miami and even New York. The pressure that increasingly extravagant parties can place on your bank account can be stressful, so looking for ways to keep costs down and make the most of that valuable annual leave is key".

To find your perfect somewhere for your next stag/sten or hen do visit www.hotels.com

***Exclusions apply. Reward night worth the average price of the previous 10. Taxes/fees payable on each Reward Night redeemed. See T&Cs https://uk.hotels.com/customer_care/terms_conditions.html

 

Back to previous page

You may also be interested in

New app launches to simplify one of marriage’s biggest admin headaches

New app launches to simplify one of marriage’s biggest admin headaches

Changing your name after marriage can mean updating details with countless organisations, from banks and subscriptions to official documents and employers. New app Name Change Navigator aims to make the process easier, guiding newlyweds through each step from one platform. Founded by Rebecca Dainton, Head of Product at Flutter UK & Ireland, the app was created to reduce the stress and mental load associated with name changes. It supports a range of naming journeys, including traditional surname changes, double-barrelling, blended surnames and other choices following marriage, civil partnership, divorce or personal identity changes. The launch comes as younger generations increasingly rethink traditional naming conventions, with technology offering a more streamlined approach to this often-overlooked part of newlywed life.

READ ARTICLE

Something borrowed, something blue’ is out – but 1 in 4 Brits still value wedding cards

Something borrowed, something blue’ is out – but 1 in 4 Brits still value wedding cards

New research from Moonpig reveals the top wedding card writing confessions. A whopping 30% of Brits admit to defaulting to a safe "congratulations!" because they simply can't think of anything else to say. This is followed by recycling the same message for different couples (11%) and signing a card without knowing what your partner has written (8%). What's more, when stuck for words, one in 10 (8%) admit to turning to AI for inspiration - this rises to one in seven (14%) among 25–34-year-olds. Brits are not alone in facing this wedding card conundrum. More than half of Brits (55%) admit they have struggled with at least one aspect of wedding message writing. Nearly one in four find wedding cards (23%) or guest-book messages (24%) difficult, while one in five (20%) hit writer's block when preparing the all-important wedding speech.

READ ARTICLE

The YouGov Big Survey on Weddings

The YouGov Big Survey on Weddings

The journey that begins with "will you marry me" and ends with "I do" transforms a couple's lives in multiple ways, but it also involves a huge number of decisions, as planning a wedding is no mean feat. Every guest will have an opinion on what a wedding should be like: from what's classy and tacky, to which traditions should be followed and which can be discarded. To help prospective couples get a grip on what these potential guests hope to see in a wedding, YouGov's new Big Survey on Weddings examines all these key debates about what should and shouldn't feature on the big day, including looking at the decisions that brides and grooms would make themselves. The study is part a Big Surveys project: a series of in-depth surveys on British society. It was conducted between 7-9 August 2026, with a sample of 1,784 adults in the UK aged 18 and above.

READ ARTICLE

Brits are swapping the 'big day' for the 'right day' as searches for intimate wedding venues soar

Brits are swapping the 'big day' for the 'right day' as searches for intimate wedding venues soar

Couples are increasingly choosing quality time over large guest lists, with new search data revealing a growing demand for intimate weddings and stylish registry office ceremonies. According to Google search data analysed by Suit Direct, searches for "small intimate wedding venues near me" have increased by 86% year-on-year, while interest in "micro wedding packages" has risen 23% over the past three months, suggesting more couples are opting for meaningful celebrations that prioritise the experience over extravagance. For many, the legal ceremony is no longer just the paperwork before the "real" wedding. Instead, couples are dressing for the occasion, hiring photographers and celebrating afterwards with an intimate meal or party, proving you don't need a 200-person guest list to make the day feel special.

READ ARTICLE

Follow Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine on YouTube

VISIT SITE

Submit your wedding to be featured in Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine

VISIT SITE

Subscribe to Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine for free

VISIT SITE

Blackwell Grange Hotel

VISIT SITE