Chocolate truffles – pink and brown bridal shower by Ana Fuji. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hens nights and bridal showers are two completely different things and you can have both or just one event depending on your circumstances.
Bridal showers are normally held a week or two before the wedding , usually consisting of lots a decadent afternoon tea with beautiful cup cakes, pastries,sandwiches and of course good pot of tea. Bridal showers are often held in either the brides, or one of bridesmaids home. The guest list will include the mother of the bride, the grooms mother, the bridesmaids and often your friends that are not on the guest list( due to number restrictions).
Bridal showers are normally a get together before the wedding with a lot of formal chit chat, scones jam and cream, and maybe a glass of champagne. Sometimes there is also some receiving of gifts especially the bridal party as this saves one more item to take to the reception.
Hens night on the other hand can be quite different from a bridal shower due to the fact that you go out and about on the town. Many brides choose to have a dinner out with the mothers and their other guest, before they head out to paint the town red. The head bridesmaid will organize this and sometimes the bride wont have a clue whats install. The girls normally dress up with their bride to be or hens night sash on, thus letting everyone know what the occasion is. The local pub does not have to be on the list , a nice wine bar is often a good place to go and have some fun. Depending on finances it maybe a good idea to secure some accommodation for the night for the whole party this way no has to find there way home after a few to many beverages. You can find a lot of cheap little trinkets to jazz up hens night. Look online for little prizes for some games you may want to play. A pamper night is another good way to go with a hens night ,consisting of face masks ,manicures, pedicures , and if the accommodation has a spa make use of it and have some fun with some bubbly and friends in the spa before retiring for the night.
IDEAS FOR HENS NIGHT, There are so many choices these days so I am just going to give you a few ideas.
- Hold your hens night at one of your bridal party’s home, having your drinks, games and fun at home, to save expenses all round. Make delicious cocktails, anti pesto platters , sweet and savory nibbles. Dress the house with related theme decorations.
- Gone on a river cruise, these are fantastic in the warmer weather and can be something a little different. Depending where you are you should be able to get a cruise for $30-$50 a head (payable by guests) . Many cruise operators will provide supper and a bar.
- Rent a beach house that accommodates sleeping for all guests.
- Hold a theme night, Dressing up is always fun, so let your imagination run away and think of a theme you would like. Here are some themes that are fun; Dress in the colour of the bridal party; vintage party- ops shops are great place to find some old retro clothing; hero theme, come dressed as your hero. Something old , new borrowed and blue is fantastic for a hens night.
Hens night games; games are always fun, it doesn’t matter how old you are so here are a few ideas
SEARCH THE PURSE. this is a simple game, write yourself a list of 8 – 10 items)
you could have in your handbag, than ask your guests if they have the first item on your list, hence they search and so on. The girl with the most items wins. A few suggestions for items are; comb, lipstick, a baby photo, nail file, a store receipt; a shopping list, keys, paracetamol; phone, chewing gum
BLIND GIRLS DRAWING; this can be hilarious especially after a few glasses of wine. Give your guests a blind fold, piece of paper and a pencil. Now get them to draw a bride starting with a circle (for a face and this is sometimes a feat in itself)
add eyes, nose mouth etc, once the face is done get your guests to add a beautiful dress and head piece. Now take the blind folds off to have a great laugh, and of course the best one wins. Another even more funnier thing to draw is a penis, starting at the head and working down. If you dont want to use blindfolds get your guests to hold the paper on their heads, the results will have you in fits of laughter.
TRUTH AND LIES; An easy one that needs nothing but guests, get each guest in turn to tell 3 things about themselves, 2 being true and one false other guest need to guess which one is a lie.
WEDDING CARRY ON; This can be quite a bit of fun, starting with the bride, she will start a sentence such as “”While I was shopping for my wedding I bought a………”" the next guest repeats and adds one more item to the list, see who has a good memory, guest will drop out once they get the order wrong or forget an item.
GIFT IDEAS; Gifts for your guests dont have to be expensive, there are in stores online and in local shopping centres that have an amazing array of gifts to cater for your hens night. Gifts can include; mini soaps, incense, a willy straw, in fact anything”" willy”" is always a laugh, and there is not much you cant get in the willy theme, you just need to look. If you are not planning on playing games, then a small bounty bag is a good way to say thank you to your guest, it can be filled with a few small items that suit you theme of the night.