Hen night ideas – Magazine Monday

I thought thinking of hen night ideas would be easy. Dinner, drinks, dancing – sorted! But no… as chief bridesmaid, I have been put in charge of planning a night to remember for the hen and her best friends (all mid 20s) and our mums (late 50s). I had no idea how hard it was to think of activities that will keep everyone happy…

Ghost The Musical is now playing at the Piccadilly Theatre in London

“That’s exactly why we chose to see a London show,” says Wedding Ideas’ Sandra, who’s just come back from hen weekend in the capital. “We watched Ghost at the Piccadilly Theatre and it was perfect for every age group. We went to the matineé, too, so it meant that those with children could leave after the performance and still be home by bed time.” But the fun didn’t stop there… “After the show, we went back to the hotel, threw on our glad rags and rushed off to see the Dreamboys at One Nightclub in Leicester Square. This was an incredible place. After a buffet meal and the sexy performance, the venue turned into a nightclub with different floors playing different genres of music – again meaning every age group could find a type of music that suited them. Overall two amazing activities for around £100 – great value.”

“I’ve done Dirty Dancing lessons in Brighton, pub crawls in Bath, a James Bond themed night in Taunton and paintballing on the Isle of Wight,” says Deputy Editor Jade. “All of them were great hen night ideas but they had their bad points. The dressing up was fun but not everyone did it and that definitely had an impact on the night. The Dirty Dancing lessons were great but some girls felt self conscious as dancing was not their strong point. And paintballing on the Isle of Wight was amazing – until the bride found green bruises on the tops of her arms, impossible to hide in a strapless gown. Bad times!”

And what about going abroad? I can’t think of anything better than catching some rays on a Mediterranean beach but with a tight budget and people’s annual leave to consider, I don’t think a weekend away is a viable option for most of them. Plus I don’t fancy chasing up large amounts of cash or (worse still) paying for it myself until everyone coughs up!

After a quick search on the top UK hen websites, I like the look of the following packages…