Get a deposit off everyone who says they are going on the hen party. If someone is not giving a deposit there is a VERY good reason as to why and you can start sorting the maybes from the definites.
Make sure you keep an account of this on your hen party planning excel sheet as outlined above. It can get very confusing very quickly if you do not keep a good record of things from the beginning. I always recommend getting people to pay you into your bank account, putting their names as the reference. If they pay into a bank account it’s all recorded and there can be no confusion.
I would recommend getting everyone to settle in stages – first a €50 deposit and then 6 weeks before the the final balance. Believe me, I am in this game long enough, there is nothing worse than trying to pay the hotel and activities etc on the day if you are in charge. Get it all sorted out and paid prior to leaving, then you can relax and enjoy the day.
Pay all suppliers out of the same bank account and keep all receipts for everything you buy towards the Hen Party I have seen family and friends fall out over money. If you keep a good record of everything there cannot be any issues.