To Bridal Shower, Hens Night or both?? We thought we would talk about Hens Nights and Bridal Showers as the two seem to get a little confused or even mismatched.
Traditionally a Bridal Shower is almost like an Engagement Party but only for the bride to have the women in her life to shower her in gifts and love, comparing to a Hens Night which is traditionally “the last single night” and has a bigger focus on “partying it up”. Some brides choose either or, and some do both! We hope the following blog can help you decide what works best for you and maybe give you some ideas as to how to celebrate.
THE HEN’S NIGHT
We’ve all seen the typical “Hen’s Night”, whether it be in the movies or in real life - either way we all know how wild they can get. A night full of penis straws, strippers, sexual connotations and a tonne of drinking, or shall we say “celebrating”. Traditionally treated as the last hurrah before settling down into married life, the Hen’s Night is your night to go wild.
Some things often seen at a typical Hen’s Night party:
Penis straws (along with cups, whistles, hats, bags…)
Bride and Bridesmaid pink sashes
Tiaras
Sex-related games
Matching outfit/themes
Male strippers
Limousines
Whilst we love your classic Hens Night celebration, it’s definitely not for everyone. There are plenty of fun nights to be had with the girls regardless of the pink sashes and penis straws. Below are a few of our suggestions to have a last hoorah without the penis straws, strippers and deep regret:
Winery Tour
Boozey Brunch
Wine and Paint night (or any type of craft with beverages)
The Races
Party Boat Cruise
Pole Dance Class
Sleep Over Party – home with wine, pizza, movies and truth or dare.
Weekend city-escape or holiday in nearby location
Cocktail making course
Sky diving (why not?!)
Pub Crawl
THE BRIDAL SHOWER
Traditionally a Bridal Shower was held to shower the bride to be with gifts and love by the females in her life, especially the mothers of bride and groom along with bridal party. However, in most recent years many simply loosely use the term, so as to make the distinction that this is not the wild Hen’s Night type of occasion, but rather a much more civilised affair! The giving of gifts is obviously still a fabulous addition but certainly not a must have.
Older generations of family and friends
High Tea
Crafternoon
Invitation making or DIY items for your wedding
Spa Day
Shopping Day
Makeup class
Weekend away
They may seem like they need to be separate but we also love the idea of combining the two! Especially if you have a team of bridesmaids who are travelling from afar or maybe have guests arriving for the wedding week and wish to have everyone attend! Why not adventure out with the older family and friends for a high tea (or pre-drinks as you will) and follow this up with your closer buddies to dance the night away! Few combinations we think work amazingly:
Boozey Brunch --> Cocktail Class
Craft at someones home --> Party Boat Cruise
Spa Day --> Pub Crawl (or other way around as a recuperation!)
Winery Tour --> Pole Dance Class
Weekend Away --> well.. this in itself is a whole lot of celebration!
Who Organises?
Completely up to you! Traditionally the maid of honour is there to organise the pre-wedding parties and celebrations although if you are like me and want to plan everything for yourself – why not?
If you are someone who loves a surprise and feel that the wedding itself is causing you too many headaches, leave it up to the maid of honour or bridal party! Considering they are your best of friends, they will love showering you in surpirises – alhough be sure to make it clear whether or not strippers are a yay or nay ;)
Who Pays?
This is something which should be communicated clearly but it is also something which should be thought about prior to communicating. If you as the bride are in a position where you can pay for it all – why not! Spoil your gals as they will be spoiling you for your wedding day! Alternatively, you could ask the parents, partner or even the bridal party!
What we think works the best and fairest is when the total price is divided by everyone and pre-paid. If you were to advise everyone that they need to pitch in $80, they will completely understand and comes across much better than asking your bridal party to come up with $300-$400 after possibly already having to pay for their own dress, shoes, accommodation and hair/makeup.
Who is invited?
Depending on who is paying will depend on who you may or may not invite. If you are covering it all and can afford to invite anyone and everyone then go for it! if however you are having everyone pay their own way, the invite can be sent out although we can’t guarantee everyone will take part. A Bridal Shower or Hens Night is definitely your opportunity, just like the engagement party, to invite those who you may have had to miss on the wedding invite list.
Now go, have fun and enjoy some time with your girls! any excuse will do!
Emily x
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