Organising hen party

[Catbell82]

This is the first time I'm organising a hen party so maybe this is normal. There's only 10 of us including the bride to be so I thought it would be fairly easy. We all agreed on the date and activity in January and I told everyone how much it would cost and everyone all confirmed their agreement. So I booked it, paid for it and then sent a message asking the others to reimburse me. I then had messages from 5 of them saying things like 'oh have you paid already? This month is tight for me' and 'I didn't realise we would have to pay now, can I pay you at the end of the month?'. I thought it would be fairly obvious that payment would have to be made at the time of booking. Anyway I wasn't going to fall out with them over it so I said payment at the end of the month would be fine. We are now in Feb and only 1 of the 5 have paid me back so far. I sent a message to the other 4 yesterday but so far none of them have replied. The hen do is next month but I'm not willing to sub anyone until then. AIBU? or is this normal?

@SC215
It is more than £50.

The cost was already agreed before it was booked and this person already said they would pay me by the end of January. I’m not sure why I would pay for it all upfront and then give people a few paydays to pay me back? Most people get paid once a month so that would mean I am potentially out of pocket for months. - I cannot afford to sub everyone & they all agreed to the cost & it being booked

Tell her you are sorry but you cannot afford to sub her any longer as you have bills to pay yourself so she has until x date to pay or you will be forced to cancel her booking but she can, of course, try and add herself back onto the booking when she has the funds. The moment she involved the bride, is the moment she’d have lost any sympathy from me.

But you implied in your OP that you didn't actually say to them when they needed to pay:

I thought it would be fairly obvious that payment would have to be made at the time of booking.

It's not obvious unless you actually say what needs paying and by what date. They might not have realised that it all needed paying upfront. Depending on what it is, they might have assumed that they would only need to pay a deposit and pay the rest on the day or nearer to the time.

It's not fair that you should sub anyone no, but you only agreed on the plans in January and the hen do is next month? So potentially 2 pay days to budget for it. That's pretty last minute for a hen do. Sounds like the person who hasn't paid yet is either a cheeky fucker, or agreed to it to go with the flow and has overstretched themselves.

If you ever book a hen do in the future, give people a bit more notice and get money off people before you book.

You definitely shouldn’t have to sub people and they are totally out of order experience you to but unfortunately people can be a total nightmare about this sort of thing. In the past I’ve set out a clear payment schedule and sent reminders. I’d do this in advance of when I need to pay so I’m not out of pocket. Make sure you factor in cash for everything (e.g. food and drink) so there’s no mucking about when you get there.

If this person couldn't afford to go on the hen do they really should have just said that at the outset, not allowed OP to book it and the leave her out of pocket for weeks on end.
Hopefully you will get your money OP but I reckon there's a good chance you won't get it until the last minute. I have had my fingers burned like this a few times, I never volunteer to organise group stuff now for this reason. There's always one who doesn't cough up when asked and leaves you feeling really awkward.
Message her privately and say you need money by Friday, you've already paid and you can't afford to subsidise her any longer.