Bachelorette Party Banners: Decor for a Well-Rounded Party

A banner is the simplest way to put a room in the party mood: cheap, quick to hang and instantly effective. More important than the design are two things that badly planned decorations regularly fall down on: the right size and a fixing that holds. We cover both here, plus a DIY guide and our insider tip, the photo garland.

The right size and fixing

Before you buy banners, take a look at the room. In small rooms, several short banners look better than one long one; in large halls, they can stretch from wall to wall or across the tables.

One trap: never shorten pre-strung banners with elastic. Once the elastic is cut, the banner can’t be pulled taut any more and just hangs there limply. So plan the right length in advance.

The fixing is just as important. Ideally, tie the banners to something solid. Sticky tape is tempting, but it comes loose over time, and nothing is sadder than decorations dropping off the wall halfway through the party.

Material: indoors or outdoors?

The material depends on the location. For garden parties and anything that might get wet or damp, plastic banners are the safe choice. Paper banners are only suitable for indoors, and if candles are involved, hang them close to the ceiling to keep the fire risk low.

As for the look: match the designs and colours to the rest of your decorations. Printed banners with lettering combine well with plain ones, and if the hen or stag do has a theme, pick that up in the banner too.

How to make a banner

A homemade banner is cheap and individual. You’ll need coloured paper or card, scissors, a pencil, a hole punch and string. Optional: glue, pens and glitter.

1. Decide on a theme or slogan and choose paper in matching colours.
2. Cut out even shapes, such as stars, hearts or letters, ideally using a template.
3. Decorate the shapes with pens or glitter as you like.
4. Punch a hole at the top of each shape.
5. Thread the shapes onto a string and knot the ends.
6. Hang up the banner, and cheers.

Insider tip: the photo garland

The secret hit at many hen and stag dos is a homemade photo garland. All you need is a length of string and a few clothes pegs; the cost is around €5 plus the prints.

Stretch the string across the room or fix it in waves along a wall and peg photos of the bride or groom onto it, ideally spanning their whole life so far, childhood pictures included. That’s a reliable source of laughter and stories. Just allow a bit of lead time, because the pictures need to be dug out and printed beforehand. Cut into heart shapes, they look even better.

Buying a bachelorette party banner

Ready-made banners often come in a complete decoration pack with balloons and streamers from around €15, which is handy because all the designs and colours match. We’ve linked a selection of popular sets for you below.