Part of planning a wedding involves planning a hen night or a stag party. The following article will give you many good ideas for hosting these parties.

If you intend to have a party to celebrate your engagement, the bride's family usually arranges this. It may be a large party for all friends and family, or a simple intimate lunch or barbecue in their garden for close relatives.

Although many girls may dream romantically of the man of their dreams, down on one knee, offering a sparkling ring in a neat square box, just as many have daydreamed about the design of ring that they will wear for the rest of their lives, and so would prefer to have some say in the style of ring they get. Thus, many potential grooms err on the side of caution and allow their fiancées to select a ring after the proposal has been accepted.

The hen night is traditionally organised by the chief bridesmaid, and is usually a somewhat quieter event than the groom's stag party - although not always! The party usually comprises of the bride, bridesmaids, and other female relatives and friends of the bride and groom.

The best man will usually organise the stag night, but he'll probably do this in consultation with the groom, to make sure that he's planning the right sort of event, and inviting the people the groom wants to attend.

So, you've finally met the love of your life, your soul mate, and you've decided to spend the rest of your lives together. The first thing you'll want to do, of course, is let the whole world know, and our handy guide to announcing your engagement will help you to do just that.

Once you have decided to marry, you may well feel that you would like the whole world to know! However, before doing this - speak to your families. It would be very upsetting for them to find out from someone else.