Hens Night

Hens Night: “Batchelorette Party”, or “Bridal Shower”, are some of the names for the night which celebrate the Brides last night of singledom. Traditionally, like bachelor or “stag” nights, they are held on the eve of the wedding. However, nowadays, they are held a week or two prior to the wedding to allow the bride time to “recover”!

Wedding pictures in Copenhagen

A Predictable Hens Night: the girls meet at the bride’s, or chief bridesmaid’s house, preen themselves and then head off to the bright city lights. A cocktail lounge, or two, or three, have been targeted, sometimes a little light entertainment is also arranged in the form of a strip-o-gram, then off to dance the night away. Some may end up joining the bachelor’s party, others do not make the distance! 

A Sorry Hens Night: this is when alcohol poisoning raises its ugly head. So many over do it. Having your stomach pumped, or induced vomiting must be dreadful. Chief bridesmaids should understand that it is their duty to look after the bride. These days with the increase of drinks being spiked, everyone has a moral responsibility to look after each other.

An Alternative Hens Night:

So, what are the alternatives to the traditional pub/cocktail lounge crawl and spinning disco balls? Here are a few suggestions:


– a feng shui party to balance your new home 
– a tarot party to check whether Mr Right is the one, or is he Mr Wrong? 
– learn to pole dance for a private audience with your husband 
– a karma sutra party to learn some saucy tricks, or 
– a saucy underwear party to help make your honeymoon go with a bang! 
– make your own jewellery party 
– a colour party to find out the colour clothes you should be wearing 
– have a slumber party with a twist – everyone to design a wedding/bridesmaid dress made out of toilet paper – the winning creation being selected by the bride

For those who regard themselves as slightly more discerning, or enjoy the finer things in life, perhaps they may consider:


– a murder mystery dinner party 
– a make-over and day spa party 
– a river cruise 
– a cocktail mixing lesson 
– a cookery demonstration/lesson 
– a dance class 
– a day at the races 
– a weekend abroad to lap up some last minute sun 
– a mystery flight 
– a treasure hunt 
– learn how to make your own perfume 
– a glamour photography session to produce a special calendar 
– lawnbowls with everyone dressed in pink! 
– acquiring tickets for a movie premier

For those who are sporty there are several packages that may be considered at various country clubs if the bride is into tennis, golf, archery, shooting, sailing, etc. Alternatively you may try:


– a flying lesson 
– a parachute jump 
– sky diving in tandem 
– a weekend horse riding following the trails 
– a motor racing package with circuit driving 
– paint balling

Who pays for the hen’s night?

Dependent upon the bride’s personal circumstances, she may foot the bill for some or all of the entertainment. However, it is common nowadays for everybody to chip in. Often there will be a person appointed in charge of the “kitty” (a pot of money into which everybody has placed the same amount).

Other hens night considerations:


– it is not unusual to have a theme in which everybody dresses 
– mini-bus hire is essential if drinking is involved 
– the bride is often dressed up with a wedding veil, tiara, L-plates on her back, etc. 
– if raising money for charity a “fine” system is set up for the hens night, e.g. if anybody says a word beginning with “p” they have to pay a fine 
– always do a regular head count for large parties to ensure everybody’s safety

I hope you have loads of fun on your hen’s night. I had two! Yes, I did the cocktail lounge bit, but I ended up the one looking after everybody else, putting them in taxis to ensure they got safely home. My second do was abroad – a beautiful weekend in St Malo, catching the sun, enjoying some very find seafood and just relaxing. 

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