Hen do planner: get the date sorted first
You've been made chief bridesmaid. Congratulations! Your first job is getting twelve women, three of whom have never met, to agree on a weekend. Good luck.
Whenabouts does that one job: finding the date. Make a plan, drop one link in the hen WhatsApp, and everyone taps when they're free. It shows you the date that suits the most people. No sign-up for you or the hens.
Why the date is the hardest part
Everything else hangs off it: flights, the Airbnb, the cocktail class, the deposit. Until the date's set, you're stuck. And the group chat is a terrible place to set it. Someone replies with a voice note, someone says "any weekend except the 14th (or the 21st)", and the bride's mum hasn't seen any of it.
A date poll gives you one grid with everyone's answers. No scrolling, no spreadsheet.
How it works
- Create a plan. Name it ("Soph's hen 💍"), set the date range (say May to July) choose evening, daytime or any time, and use "Which days work?" to show only weekends or the days you care about.
- Share one link. Tap the WhatsApp button or paste the link anywhere. Each hen taps the days she's free, or "maybe" if she needs to check. No account, no app, and you can invite as many friends as you like.
- Lock in the best date. Whenabouts adds it up and highlights the date that works for the most people. Once you confirm, any hen who opens the link can add it to her calendar: Google Calendar or a downloadable .ics file.
Planning a hen weekend away
Fridays and Saturdays only
For a weekend in Ibiza or a cottage in the Cotswolds, tick just Friday and Saturday under "Which days work?". Nobody marks a random Tuesday. The results show who's free on each day, so look for a Friday and Saturday next to each other where most of the hens are free, then lock in the Friday. Whenabouts picks single dates, not a weekend block, so put "Fri–Sun" in the plan name so nobody's confused.
Give the bride first dibs
Quietly check the bride's non-negotiables before you share the link. Then set the range around them. It's her do. Her dates win.
Then sort the money elsewhere
Whenabouts won't take deposits, split costs or build an itinerary. It's a date picker. Once the date's locked, use whatever you like for the rest. A spreadsheet works fine.
Hen night, not hen weekend?
For a local night out, choose evenings and set a shorter range. If the group can't agree what to do, try Spin the Plan: add a few ideas (bottomless brunch, karaoke, a paint-and-sip, the classic pub crawl), spin the wheel to pick one, then lock in a date. It saves a lot of "I'm easy babe x".
How far ahead should you plan a hen do?
Rule of thumb:
- Abroad: four to six months, so people can book leave and flights while they're still sensible prices.
- UK weekend away: three to four months.
- Night out: six to eight weeks.
Wedding season makes weekends disappear fast, so get the date poll out early.
No ads, no advertising cookies, no third-party trackers. Just the date.
Frequently asked questions
Is Whenabouts free for a hen do?
Yes. Creating a plan, sharing the link, collecting answers and locking in the date are all free.
Do the hens need to download anything?
No. There's no app and no login. They open the link in their browser and tap their dates.
Can we just look at weekends?
Yes. The "Which days work?" filter lets you show weekends only, weekdays, or individual days such as Friday and Saturday. Each date is still voted on separately.
Can people say "maybe"?
Yes. Everyone can mark a date as free or "maybe", so you'll know who needs a nudge.
Does it handle payments or the itinerary?
No. Whenabouts is just for agreeing the date. You'll need something else for deposits and the schedule.
Does it work for stag dos too?
Of course. Same link, same idea, more matching T-shirts.