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Hen party series – His ‘n’ Hers

My new hen party series is well underway, with lovely blogger Ellen Avants sharing her ideas for personalising a hen party and Lacey in Places writing articles ideas for games and budget planning. Today I’m sharing my own experiences of my hen party and why it’s best to share..!

Back when I celebrated my hen party in the early Noughties, my hubby and I decided to do something unusual for our stag and hen parties – we decided to celebrate together.

In those days, I’m sure that hen parties were not the big event that they are today – parents (and grandparents!) often attended the hen party, and the ones that I went to involved dinner, a few drinks, a couple of cheeky dares and a fairly early night! At one hen party, I remember that me and another hen carried on celebrating long after the bride had gone home pre-midnight!  I’m sure that there were not as many party organising companies out there, the hens didn’t go away for a weekend and the whole thing didn’t have to cost as much as the wedding!

So, with not too many options on offer for hen parties in those days and with our frugal nature, my husband-to-be and I booked ourselves in for a his ‘n’ hers celebration and invited along all of our close friends for a night of fun! The combined party lent itself well to a Girls vs Boys theme and we decided on a few activities to find out once and for all whether the boys or the girls were best.

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We kicked off with a game of Laser Quest, with the girls screaming their way around a dark arena and the boys hiding in sniper positions to sneakily pick off their opponents. After a few games, and once everyone was out of puff, we headed for dinner and a kitsch burger ‘n’ fries eating competition ensued – and I can report that this was definitely my forté! We then had a good ol’ game of bowling, which hubby always wins (although I did beat him once recently – after only 13 years of trying!) followed by a few friendly battles on the arcade machines. We finished off the evening with drinking games at a swanky bar. It was a lovely day full of activities and we both really enjoyed ourselves. Another bonus was that it was a fairy cheap event and couples could attend together. All of our friends and family got to know each other before the wedding and we all could all reminisce about the stag ‘n’ hen do on the wedding day.

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Here’s another couple of ideas for joint activities:

  1. Go-karting: I find that girls are loads better at this than the fellas ;) especially me – what’s a brake?!
  2. Old-skool sports day – head to the park and compete in skipping, egg ‘n’ spoon and sack races!
  3. Table sports – play games of pool, snooker and air hockey with forfeits for the losers
  4. Water sports - If there’s a boating lake nearby, how about a rowing race? If you’re at the coast, maybe surfing or jet-skiing could be fun, or head to the fun-pool and have a good old-fashioned swimming race – followed by a soak in the hot tub ;)

Let me know if you have any other suggestions of his ‘n’ hers ideas of things to do on a stag/hen do. Me & hubby really enjoyed our combined celebration and loved having all of our joint friends around too. The only downside was that on the way home from our party, the car ran out of petrol and we had to push it 2 miles back home in the middle of the night – that was one competition neither of us wanted to win – but it goes to show that team-work is best ;)

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Hen party series ~ ideas for personalising your party

With the summer wedding season fast approaching, I have decided to start a series of blog posts on the subject of that most important bridal tradition – the Hen Party. I will be writing a few posts of my own hen party experiences and I am also inviting other lovely bloggers to share their ideas for creating the perfect hen do. Over the coming weeks we’ll have craft tutorials, ideas for games and budget planning from Lacey in Places and this week writer Ellen Avants has shared the following article about personalising a hen party to make it extra special for the bride, bridesmaids and guests. Enjoy!

Whether you choose to take your party out of the henhouse, or keeping within the coop, a hen party is a time in which friends come together to give a bride a fun sendoff as she leaves one chapter of her life to enter the next. The possible settings are endless and, take note, themed hen parties are increasingly popular as ladies look for a way to make the night memorable. When going out for a night on the town, you can set the night apart by wearing hen tank tops, tutus or, for those who are daring, playboy bunny outfits. For a look that is both elegant and sassy, why not have partygoers pull out their favorite little black dresses? Just make sure that everyone can easily move about and is comfortable in their outfits, or else they’re in for a very long night! Of course, the bride-to-be should receive special treatment, perhaps with a telltale necklace, tiara, or a different coloured outfit that will stand out. It would be a thoughtful gift to provide some flip-flops for everyone to change into after many hours in high heels. Other common accessories for hen parties include boas, party badges, fun hats, candy rings and more. You can make the party favors practical for both the special night and everyday life – one idea is to gift your bridesmaids and favorite friends a cute little clutch with portable tissues, a stick of lip balm, a snack bar and mini hand sanitizer. Or how about a cute flask or shot glass that they can drink from? When choosing your favours, have them personalized to make your bridesmaids feel extra special.

hen party ideas for personalised event pampering spa

A more relaxing idea would be a spa party, where you can order all your ladies a monogrammed robe and engraved champagne flute; add on a pair of slippers if you’re feeling generous, and voila! A spa-themed party can be held within a luxurious establishment or even within the comfort of your own home – place a few strategically lit candles, whip up some natural face masks, have healthy snacks available and play some soothing tunes, and your home can be transformed into a relaxing haven in which a bride-to-be can unwind and laugh with her bridesmaids as she receives a manicure.

 

Throughout the planning process, always keep in mind the bride’s personal preferences. While you may think that crude toys are hilarious, don’t travel down that path if they’re likely to make her uncomfortable. If you’re weary of crossing the line, there are plenty of ways in which you can be subtly mischievous. Consider serving cheeky cookies or giving the bride the option of playing naughty games like “Never Have I Ever,” a game in which a person takes a drink every time they have experienced something that another player has never done. Have fun with photographs to create memories that will last for a lifetime!  Perhaps you and the partygoers can stage the “morning-after mug shots” in which each woman, presumably looking a little disheveled, poses in front of a blank wall with a name card—Bridesmaid, Bride-to-Be, “Maid of Dishonor”—and each photo labeled with the date of the night before. It’s playful, fun, and certainly a happy medium between the usual posed group pictures and those not permitted on the World Wide Web!

So, when planning a hen party, don’t neglect the details. After all, it is the creative touches that can elevate the night and make your bride feel like a princess. With a little bit of thought and creativity, as well as a lot of love, you can give your friend a wonderful party; and brides, return the favour with tokens of appreciation for your bridesmaids for making your big day a little more special.

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PS: I’ve been shortlisted in the Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards and I would be eternally grateful if you would stop by their page and cast your vote – I’m in the Thrifty Blog category and I’d love it if you voted for me! Thanks so much :D


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Hen parties on a budget – 5 essential tips

5 tips for planning a hen party on a budget

It’s that time of year again - Christmas came and went taking most of our bank balances with it and a year full of money-demanding events lies ahead. However, never fear - if you’ve been given the heady task of organising a hen party then you’ll be pleased to know that it doesn’t have to be a huge, expensive affair. The most important thing is to spend a bit of time with your girlfriends and make sure you send the bride-to-be off in style!

On that note, here are five ways you can be a bit thrifty with your hen party planning… 

1. Pick a creative theme. By having a theme you’re already guaranteed a few giggles and it allows you to get your crafty gloves on which saves money on an expensive outfit and dinner. One idea is a festival theme – make your own funky clothing and headpieces, create a killer playlist on spotify and BBQ some traditional festival food!

festival fairies hen party campervan tutu pettiskirt ruffle petticoat dress costume fancy

2. Find out what everyone can afford in advance. It’s good to have a budget to work to, and you won’t be giving the invitees any nasty surprises further down the line. Be firm but fair when it comes to taking budgets into account - you can’t all give up a weekend away because one person can’t afford it, but by the same token it may be an idea to go somewhere closer to home and save on travel costs.

3. If you’re looking to do anything involving activities (day or night) and/ or accommodation then book through a tour operator. Hen party companies get huge discounts which they pass on to customers, so most of the time it actually works out much cheaper than going direct to the supplier. There are also usually package extras, such as free club entry thrown in

4. Pick a cheap location. If you’re looking at going away then Eastern European destinations are great value for food and drink, and flights are usually pretty cheap. Prague, Budapest and Ljubljana all tend to be good value if you’re heading abroad. As a general rule flights are cheaper the further in advance you book them so stay organised and book early.

5. Don’t book expensive accommodation. If you’re planning a party with your girls then it can be tempting to push the boat out (after all hopefully you’ll only getting married the once.) However, what you should bear in mind is that you won’t be spending very much time there – it’s really only a place to leave your bags and lay your head at the end of a great night! So save a bit by staying in cheaper accommodation and you’ll have more to spend on shopping and drinks!

Most of all just remember to enjoy yourselves - one of the main benefits of a hen party is that you can put all the things you love doing into one memorable weekend with the girls and once the planning’s out of the way you’re free to have an incredible time!

This is a guest post written by Genevieve from hen party organisers GoHen and stag do organisers StagWeb. With years of experience, unrivalled service and excellent credentials, they’re your totally dedicated pre-nuptial platforms!

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