Best Hen Do extras

[Goostacean]

I’m my best friend’s hen is coming up in 3 weeks and she’s one of those people who goes above and beyond constantly for her friends. I am not as thoughtful (if I’m totally honest with myself!), plus work long hours and have two small children- but I want to spoil her and make sure she has a brilliant time.

Therefore am turning to the wisdom of Mumsnet; what have you done/experienced or heard of that elevates a hen do??

Looks like grown up “party bags” are becoming a thing...? Let’s assume budget is no object. Currently we’ve got brunch, spa afternoon, dinner, and the next day breakfast and a boat ride...

If you want something specific for her, what about a new robe for the spa/wearing as she is getting ready on her wedding morning/suitable for the honeymoon?

In terms of treats for everyone, alcohol really is the best option if everyone who is going is drinking.

Yeah, sorry, should have clarified. I guess I mean anything actually ON the hen do, although we should all pitch in for a gift for her too.

It can be for everyone, or just for her on the hen, or games/activities... don’t know really. I just realised on Fri night that we hadn’t even got sashes lined up, and yes, it’s cheesy and a bit trashy, but it’ll be fun to do things “properly” given the last year or so!

I’m thinking party bags to include alcohol so people can predrink in their rooms whilst getting ready

Having to pictures of her as a child can be sweet

The game where everyone brings a small gift and wraps it - I can't remember the rules now but people end up with a gift and it doesn't cost much as everyone brings one thing.

I like party bags but ideally not full of tat, which they often are at hen dos.

In home bargains and poundland they have plastic shot glasses you wear around your neck, which you can actually use. Sweets are good. Maybe disposable cameras to take photos which give some or all of to the hen as a keepsake in an album. Sweets.

Yeah, sorry, should have clarified. I guess I mean anything actually ON the hen do, although we should all pitch in for a gift for her too.

I would just check with the other people on the hen do that they’re happy to pay for all this. It all sounds really expensive already without adding extras.

Not for a hen but for a friends 50th weekend away in a cottage I did gift bags and left them on everyone's bed for when they arrived. I found some nice gift bags quite cheaply on eBay and filled them with

Tissues
Vaseline
Mints
Alkaseltzer
Eye mask
Hairband
Love hearts
Willy straw
Emery board
Popcorn
Flower garland
Mini wine
Fluffy socks
Foot mask

I would not want any tat like a party bag. The hen you have planned sounds great (and already expensive.) Just buy a nice notebook and get everyone to write something personal and stick in a photo of them with the hen. Please don't do anything else, if I was going on that hen I would be bitching about it behind your back. I would not want a disposable camera, can guarantee most people won't want to pay for it to be developed. Similarly, shot glasses...no.

Disposable cameras are obsolete in the days of smart phones aren’t they?

Tbh I don't think I'd be very happy to have to stump up yet more cash on a hen do to get a present for the bride given the whole thing is a celebration of her.

If you're paying for party bags yourself it's a nice touch. But if you're pushed for time just get a couple of bottles of Grey Goose and mixers for the rooms. Years ago (maybe 2005) I did party bags for my sister's hen do but I paid for everything myself rather than asking her other mates to add in more money.

After my hen, my bridesmaids gave me a book of photos from the night, which was really thoughtful.

One hen I went on had to buy hen a pampering gift. Write on a label a memory of hen and hen had to guess who gave her the gift.
The organiser had also done a wedding advent calender.

bride's best friend dressed up in a full gorilla suit and pretended to kidnap her (for about a minute) and we all shat our knickers.
🤣
best hen do ever

oh and we all had to wear a long blonde wig to look like the bride.
I still have the wig

We did a bespoke Cards against Humanity game after asking everyone to share a memory.

Another one we got everyone to write a funny memory of the hen down and she had to read them out and guess who sent it.

Oh and I have a fuzzy memory of post it’s with stories about the first time each person met the hen. The one from her sister was funny- she wrote that she was so nervous she’d wet herself and couldn’t stop crying (without mentioning she was 2 at the time)

What is a Willy Straw?

VIP wristbands and lanyards on Ebay from £1. Novelty but cute. Always been a hit on hen doos or big birthdays x

Surely that's more than enough for one weekend? And nobody over the age of six needs a load of tat in a party bag.
It does seem that every event has to get bigger and flashier and more expensive and there's never any end to it.

@Whingey

What is a Willy Straw?

It's a pink plastic straw with a willy on it. Incredibly juvenile I know!

To be clear I paid for the bag as the organiser, I didn't expect others to pay as they had already paid towards the weekend.

For mine my friend got some stickers from Etsy for mini prosecco bottles and they were branded for my hen with Disney on them.

Also sparkly cupcake toppers with "X's hen" on them and one of the girls made cupcakes.

We also did a mad hatter's tea party for one of my friend's hen do. We all dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland and had a murder mystery lol

Do less stuff more quality- search for hip flask bracelets on eBay and fill them with cocktail mixes
Then definitely pop in some berroca’s and ibuprofen to go with and a bar of really special chocolate

@nicknamehelp

One hen I went on had to buy hen a pampering gift. Write on a label a memory of hen and hen had to guess who gave her the gift. The organiser had also done a wedding advent calender.

We did something similar on hen dos I’ve been in (including mine), but it didn’t have to be a pampering gift, just any gift under say £5 or £10. We called it ‘secret hen’ (like secret Santa). Hen had to guess who gave what and say why it was given, so lots of stories came out. At one for example I gave my old school friend a batch of biscuits she’d always loved at my house growing up, in mine my sister recreated a particular piece of tacky jewellery I’d had as a child. Not very expensive, no extra work for the organiser, though give the attendees as much notice as possible so they can sort it! Pampering gifts might work well if the bride was in to that sort of thing.

I went on one hen do where we played pass the parcel, each layer had a little present eg a bubble bath or some chocolates. It was a fix so the bride got the final layer and there was a tacky veil or sash or something inside.

I agree you don't need to all pitch in for a gift as well as an expensive hen do especially if you are all paying for the hen to go on the weekend / night away

@Impatientwino @Whingey Not just pink! I worked in a bar popular with hen dos and can attest that they come in a whole range of colours including metallics (classy? ) and glow in the dark

To answer the OP; I don't think you need extras if you're all already paying for a naice hen-do, but the memory book with photos is a good idea.

If you mean for the hens, then yes a small party bag can be nice. Doesn't need to be alot and minimal tat if possible...

Small bottle of alcohol if everyone is drinking
Face mask (sheet masks are less messy)
Obligatory willy straw
Chocolate

If you mean a gift for the hen - a photobook that everyone can write a message in

Okay, noted regarding gift from all of us. I’ll be paying for these ideas and I’m organising the games - I’m not even planning to ask the other hens to contribute financially as I don’t want to be constrained. Lucky enough to be able to splash a bit of cash on her/the event, but want to make sure it’s well-received. I should add there are only 7-8 people going in total. (For my wedding, she and I went abroad on a mini-hen as well as my actual hen, so she’s a real star and I want to reciprocate!)

Some fabulous ideas here, thank you so much! Will make a list tonight

I agree with the photobook or memory book
for the bride, I'd definitely avoid party bags in any shape or form except drinks and chocolates, the rest would just end up in the bin.