A send off to Remember ..Or Forget!

Every girl dreams of the perfect wedding with the love of their lives. Weddings can also be one of the most stressful things to arrange; you have to think about venues, dates, catering, invitations and about a thousand other things. The nerves and anticipation inevitably start to raise the closer you get to the big day. One thing every bachelorette needs is a proper send off with their favourite girls; be prepared for the hen party!

Although hen parties are supposed to be all good fun, they can still be just as stressful to organise. As a good friend of the bride, it’s normally your job to sort this all out for her in order for her to get on with sorting out their own wedding. So where do you start? How many of you will be going? Where will you go together? What activities should you plan? These are all questions that will be going through your head, and we’re here to help.

A typical hen do in the UK can consist of a lot of alcohol consumption, male ‘dancers’, lots (and lots) of pink attire, devil horns, fluffy hand-cuffs and possibly a few genitalia-shaped sweets. Close friends and bridesmaids want to make sure that the bride-to-be has a fantastic time, which is resolved by feeding them plenty of drink – In a lot of cases the night can end up becoming rather messy. Be ready to hit the town and stick together as a team.

For many, one night isn’t enough. Many groups want to make the most of the send-off that they’re giving their friend and decide to make a weekend of it. This sometimes helps, as it gives all the girls the opportunity to take it a little easier. The typical locations for hen weekends in the UK tend to be places such as Brighton, Blackpool, Liverpool and Manchester. These are all cities that are renowned for having a pretty crazy nightlife and atmosphere.

Some will stay sensible and resort to having a calm, relaxing time by getting pampered and massaged at a spa. Others go for a traditional bridesmaid’s luncheon, which would be hosted by the bride-to-be and/or their mother. This would take place several days before the wedding and involves the bridesmaids bringing a few gifts. Many bridesmaids wouldn’t accept that the luncheon is the onlysend off for the bride-to-be – which resolves in something like a trip to watch a ‘classy’ strip-show!

In order to make sure that the bride goes out in style, you need to tick boxes along these sorts of lines in your checklist:

–          Costumes / Custom t-shirts (pink)
–          Fluffy pink accessories
–          Smirnoff Ice
–          Limousine
–          Surprise strip-show
–          Bacardi Breezer
–          Friends who aren’t shy (nor quiet)

These are all vital aspects towards organizing the perfect hen weekend for the girls. Although the typical hen parties aren’t exactly classy, they are normally essential in order for the bride’s friends to accept that she is about to commit herself to marriage. To read Katie Fraser’s article on ‘Hen dos and don’ts’, click here.

Hen parties in the UK can differentiate from the USA, where the typical send-off would be a Bachelorette party, which inevitably involves fewer hangovers.

Whatever you do or wherever you go, the important fact is that a hen do is for the girl who’s about to get married. As long as she’s with her dearest friends, smiling and laughing, you’ve done a good job!