This is a guest post by Tash Rosehill whose wedding we featured on Smashing The Glass last May
Hands up if you’re planning a hen do (or bachelorette party!) right now? Chances are, if you’re in wedding mode, you’re also in hen mode. If you’re like me and having a bumper year, you have a wedding or hen do almost every weekend during the summer months.
Where to start?
The first thing to think about, unsurprisingly, is the hen herself! What type of things does she like to do? Is she more artsy than outdoorsy? Does she prefer a can of coke over a champagne? Is her Instagram more restaurants than raves? Take a few of her favourite things and try and think up a couple of activities that she might find interesting.
Breaking the ice
If you’re planning a hen, or going on one, you may be worried about bringing different groups of friends together. This is where hen games come in, yes they are cringe but they are supposed to be, so embrace it! Hen games are a great way to help everyone get to know each other a bit more and start the drinking off as well (if you haven’t already!)
A Memory Book
A lot of hens also make a hen book, which is a lovely little memory for the bride-to-be, filled with memories. This could be a traditional book with messages, pictures and even recipes, or something entirely different! You could make a collage-style canvas out of the pictures, or get photos, drawings, or messages printed onto pretty much anything!
Hen Game ideas
- Toilet paper wedding dress – Divide the hens into 2 teams, give them several toilet paper rolls and get them to construct a dress on a model. Make sure the bride is one of the models (or gets to choose the winner!)
- Cads About Matrimony – if you love Cards Against Humanity – you’ll love the wedding version! You can always instigate a drinking game element too – download and print off here: http://cadsaboutmatrimony.com/product/cads-about-matrimony/
- Mr & Mrs – Q&A where the bride and groom answer questions about each other – sometimes done as a video. If the bride gets it wrong, she has to drink! (I know this is an oldie but always goes down well)
- Dare necklace – get everyone in the hen party (and maybe mummy hen too!) to submit some dares. Write these on card, number them from nice to naughty, fold over, hole punch and thread a ribbon through to create a necklace. The bride can complete some/all of the dares during the course of the hen do to win a prize!
Decor and theme ideas
You might find it helpful to theme the hen weekend or each part of it around things in the hen’s life. For example, I’ve planned a Doctors and Nurses themed hen for a Doctor, been on a safari night for another hen (it was where her now-husband proposed) and completed political hen games for a hen obsessed with current affairs.
Don’t forget the little touches – decorating the venue and yourselves with photos, banners, or even just willy confetti all add to the spirit of the hen do. Sashes, personalised t-shirts, temporary tattoos and even a bouquet made of willies (yes – its a REAL thing and yes, I have bought it for a hen do!) amplify the silliness.
Particularly memorable activities include
– Flower crown making with real flowers, including succulents for a plant-loving bride to be
– Clay pigeon shooting for a bride with a soft spot for the countryside
– Pottery painting for a religious hen do
– Old school sports day activities for a down-to-earth outdoorsy bride
– Foreplay lesson for a bride that wasn’t so prudish
– Life drawing (organised by my friends for my own fabulous hen do!)
Where to go?
Obviously the choices are endless! However there are a huge range of places to go that would suit any budget. The first thing you have to do is think about who is going on the hen. Is everyone up for travelling somewhere? Great! Are there a few mums or mummies-to-be? You have to think of everyone as well as the hen. If you’re cash strapped, maybe release some funds by keeping the hen do local.
I’ve planned a few hens with activities on Saturday and Sunday that don’t involve staying over and it works just as well – bear in mind that you should organise beds for those coming in from out of town. If you do decide to stay over somewhere, a house or apartment is always a good idea. It means you can keep costs down by having an activity there, and doing drinks and even dinner there. Remember to look for a space that has a good-sized communal area. Airbnb is a fantastic place to start looking, as they have places to stay in most areas, and certainly most cities.
There are numerous sites around to help you with planning, and they are generally good to get some ideas from, but as a rule they can actually be a bit more expensive. So my biggest piece of advice would be to plan the structure of the day and then activities that could fit within that.
Keep it stress free…
It can obviously be quite stressful, planning a perfect weekend for a group of girls with different expectations, some that you may not have even met before. If you are asked or volunteer to plan a hen do, make sure that you have someone else reliable to plan it with – splitting up tasks is the way to go.
Make it very clear upfront to the other hens about how much the hen do is costing – i’ve always tried to make sure that most food, drink and travel is included in the budget as well so no one has to worry about spending even more, as we all know how expensive hens can be.
Go with your gut – you know your friend, and so she’s sure to love whatever you plan.
And finally…
Just remember that you could be anywhere, doing anything – all the bride wants is to spend some time with her best girls. As long as you keep that, and her in mind whilst planning and on the weekend itself, you’re sure to have a fab time.
Good luck!
About the author: I’m Tash, in my first year of marriage, and lucky enough to have my wedding featured on Smashing The Glass. I’m still wedding and event obsessed, helping my mum and sister plan their weddings just a few months after my own, and giving tons of advice to family, friends and work colleagues. I’ve planned 5 hen do’s in as many months this year alone – relying on my Art Director’s attention to detail and obsessive nature to try and pull off fab weekends for some of my closest family and friends.
