Photo by The Wedding Designer

The best hen’s days are, let’s face it, one giant movable party on legs. It can be a challenge to organise the best hen’s party ever, but we’re up for it, if you are! Here are a few tips to help you plan an event to remember.

A morning full of activity

Plan a surprise activity for the morning. Using up some energy in healthy exercise gets everyone bonding and is a sure way to feel virtuous before all the debauchery to come! Book some surfing lessons, a ride along the beach or something like a round of golf depending on the level of challenge your group is up for. Is there something your bride has always wanted to have a go at, but hasn’t quite got around to? Now’s the time!

Pace yourselves girls

Or should that be brace yourselves, girls? The important thing is not to peak too soon. You don’t want to be known for the hen’s day in Newcastle that ran out of steam mid-afternoon. Here are two ways to avoid this disaster:

– Don’t start with the alcohol too early on. If there’s going to be a drink or two at lunchtime, make sure everyone knows they’ll need to be on their toes for the afternoon’s activities.

– Alternatively, give everyone an excuse to sneak a quiet snooze by scheduling beauty treatments in early afternoon. The snoozes will pass completely unnoticed when you’re in massage heaven, or a hair stylist’s skilled hands. You’ll leave your various treatments with a spring in your step and raring to go!

An afternoon mystery

When you’re all beautiful and pampered, it’s time to head off on a magical mystery quest. Hand out clues and send small teams off in search of answers! You can do this on foot or in cars. Eventually everyone should end up in the same place to find you and a couple of mates serenely waiting with a prize for the winner and a booby prize for the tail-end Charlies.

Early evening entertainment

While you’re sipping on a cuppa, or a cocktail if it’s that time of day, you’ll be watching the door for the extra-special stripper-gram delivery – yes it’s time to start embarrassing the bride!

Get everyone to vote on how well she handles it and depending on the result give her L or P plates to wear, or make her put on a special Bride-to-Be T-shirt.

Bring on the games

Everyone can get involved in games with an equal chance of winning prizes. It’s up to you whether everyone gets to share penalties too, or whether these are reserved for the bride. Perhaps you could put it to a vote on the night. The bride is sure to be in a minority!

Have a list of bridal challenges at the ready, so people can vote on what she does next. Typical tasks might see her getting up to slaughter a song, asking strangers (male of course) for items of clothing, asking them for a dance or collecting kisses!

Hen’s night quizzes

Having a selection of quizzes up your sleeve is a great idea for quieter moments. You don’t have to be quizmaster, other people are generally happy to take a turn at asking questions too. Here are some ideas:

Bride. How well does everyone know the bride? Talk to everyone in the hen’s party in advance and ask for one thing they know about the bride – the more obscure the better. That way there’s a fair chance everyone finds out something new about the bride. At the end ask the bride to reveal something about herself that no one has yet mentioned.

How well does she know her husband-to-be? Plenty of opportunity for her to make mistakes here! You’ll have got the answers from him in advance. If he’s a bit shy, ask one of his mates to do the questioning for you. You want to know things like :

What she does that really annoys him.

Where did he go to school/what was his first job.

What’s he afraid of.

What fantasy outfit he’d like her to dress up in.

Cheers!

Take a look at our directory listings for things to do on a hen’s day in Newcastle, just make sure you’ve enough energy left to dance the night away and don’t forget to pack some headache pills for the morning after the night before!

Utter the words ‘hen’s day’ and they generally bring to mind an image of a group of young women out on the town and dressed to be noticed, sometimes accessorised with everything from ‘L’ plates to big pink wigs.

That can be fun, but it’s not every bride’s cup of tea. Which creates a bit of a dilemma if you’ve been asked to organise a hen’s party for a mate who definitely doesn’t want to make a spectacle of herself. At Hunter Bride, we’ve been thinking about how we’d go about organising an elegant Newcastle hen’s day, and here’s what we’ve come up with.

Stay together to play together

Book everyone an overnight stay at a classy hotel. Getting ready for your evening out after a day’s fun is just that bit more special when everyone’s in the same place and popping in and out of each other’s rooms, especially when the champagne has already started flowing!

Spa’s the word!

We suggest you start the day with some serious pampering for everyone at a day spa. Make sure that everyone can have their hair done too if they want. Of course you don’t all have to do the same thing or have the same treatment.

Relaxation time in between treatments is a perfect opportunity to slip in a couple of quizzes. Fair enough your mate isn’t keen on being a public spectacle, but there’s no way she’s going to get away without some private embarrassment right?

Surf’s up?

Alternatively, if you think your group would be up for something more active, why not book a morning’s group surfing lesson at one of Newcastle’s highly rated surf beaches? You could follow that with hairdos and manicures at a spa and then skip straight to afternoon tea below.

Artistic pleasures

If you decide to splurge at the spa, after three or four hours you’ll probably be feeling a little peckish. Why not show off your newly buffed skin, fabulous hair and nails over a light (very light) lunch and then take in one of Newcastle’s many arts and culture venues?

Afternoon tea

If you’ve stuck to the light lunch regime, after filling up on culture it’s time to reward yourselves with a proper English tea – think tiny sandwiches and elegant bites of cake, along with another glass of champagne!

Fine dining

A brief rest in your hotel rooms might be called for, followed by leisurely preparation for the evening ahead. Once you’re all dressed up and ready to go, let a limousine collect you and whisk you off to one of Newcastle’s many fine restaurants for a wonderful meal.

Once again, you can slip a few games and quizzes in between courses. While mindful of your mate’s wishes, quizzes such as asking everyone a series of ‘true or false’ questions about the bride, or asking her a few questions the groom has supplied the answers to, are likely to go down well. At this point in the evening you might even produce some accessories such as feather boas for everyone to wear. Make sure to give your mate the pick of colours rather than landing her with the pink one! (But if she’s brave enough to pick it, give her a big thumbs up!).

Dance the night away

Then it’s on to one of Newcastle’s party venues to dance the night away before your patient chauffeur carries you all safely back to your hotel for what’s left of the night hours.

Here’s to your party planning!

While you don’t have to stick to our blueprint, we hope we’ve given you some useful ideas you can adapt for your party. For even more inspiration, why not check out Hunter Bride’s listings to help you organise a truly elegant Newcastle hen’s day?

Being asked to organise a hen party is both a privilege and a responsibility, because once the delight simmers down a little, you might find yourself wondering where to start.

There are so many ways to organise a hen party that we recommend you first decide on what to rule out. The easiest way to do this is to list what you know the bride would absolutely hate. We think its fine to embarrass her a little (or quite a bit!) but we draw the line at making her uncomfortable. This might mean strippers are out. Or not!

One of the best ways to get everyone in a party mood is to incorporate a few games into whatever hen’s night activities you decide on. Here are a few tips for holding a hen’s night to remember, including hen’s night quiz questions that are sure to get everyone laughing.

Mums and aunts

It’s not unknown for mums, aunts and even future mothers-in-law to be present for at least part of a hen party. If this is the case, and depending on the personalities involved, it might be wise to give them an idea what to expect – and keep any strippers for after they leave!

Share the blushes!

While the bride is the target (whoops, “focus”) of the evening’s events, remember everyone else is there to have a good time too. Games and quizzes, prizes and penalties should involve everyone.

Theme and dress code

A theme isn’t absolutely required but it can simplify the rest of the planning. Ask the bride if she has any preferences, as we know some hens love to do something they wouldn’t normally contemplate! Has your bride-to-be ever expressed a late night wish to be a cowgirl and ride that bar-room bronco for the evening? Now’s your chance to remind her!

Alternatively you could dress as a group of cheeky nurses or sailor girls. Ramp up the ‘look-at-me’ factor by making the bride wear L plates (or P plates!) and raucous colours that stand out from everyone else.

Hen’s night quizzes

Quizzes are an excellent way to break the ice, especially if there are people present who haven’t met before. We recommend the first quiz be fairly gentle. This lets people relax and get into the spirit of things before you ask them to own up to the craziest place they ever had sex. Here are some quiz ideas, starting with an easy ice-breaker:

1) Bride and groom

Find out how well everyone knows the bride and groom, or not! Ask fairly easy questions about them, to start with. How tall is each person? What’s their favourite colour? What’s their song? How did they meet? What did they think about each other when they first met?

Where did they grow up? Where did they go to school? There are plenty of similar ‘lifestyle’ type questions you can add to this list, and there are no penalties involved – yet.

2) How well does she know him?

This one’s for the bride, and although she should know the answers, there’s plenty of opportunity for blushes and hilarity when she gets things wrong. Penalties should definitely apply at this stage!

3) Other questions for the bride can include:

What possession of the groom’s would she throw out, given half a chance?

What does he do that really annoys her?

Who steals the bed covers?

Who snores the worst?

What’s his favourite fantasy outfit?

4) General questions for everyone might be:

What/who would you take to a desert island?

What would you name a son/daughter?

What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?

5) True/False questions

Read out some ‘facts’ about the bride, some true some not so much. The hens have to guess, and the one who gets the most right answers wins a prize. The worst offender has to down a drink of some kind or do a challenge.

Talking of challenges…

Don’t forget to organise a list of dares or tasks for the bride. From having a go at karaoke, to a solo dance, to collecting men’s clothing, there are plenty of ways to embarrass a bride!

One last piece of advice

We hope this article helps you plan a great hen’s night entertainment and ask some funny hen’s night quiz questions. Our last piece of advice is to get organised with games and questions well in advance, so everything flows easily on the night. Although you’re in charge, which means you’ll need to retain some semblance of sanity, you are there to enjoy yourself as well!

Hens Night Games

Organising a hen night is a lot of fun, but it can also be quite a lot of work. As a bridesmaid, or the person who has been put in charge of the night, you will be responsible for a group of women who may not know each other very well. A bit of forward planning of some games and ice-breakers is a great way to make sure everyone is having as much fun as possible.

When planning the games remember to keep them lighthearted and fun. There is a good chance the guests will be drinking and having fun already so don’t be too strict and take the fun out of it if they are. However if there are a lot of people who don’t know each other then there is also a good chance that you will need a few ice-breakers to get everyone in the mood for a great night.

Before settling on the games you plan to play keep in mind the guest list. Is the hen’s mum or granny going to be there? What about the future mother-in-law? If so, it might be a good idea to save the rude or naughty games until after the older ladies have left for the evening to avoid any awkward moments.

Check out our list below for ideas on games that are either family-friendly or a little bit naughty:

Pin the Penis

This game can be bought from most party shops that have a hen night section. It is just what you might imagine by the name … it is a version of pin the tail on the donkey but instead the main picture is of a man and you have to pin the … err, you get the idea. It is a hilarious game to both play and watch.

The Bride and Groom Quiz

This is a good one to play throughout dinner, as it doesn’t involve anyone needing to stand up or move around. Before the night, prepare a list of questions so you can quiz your guests on how well they know the bride and groom. Ask questions such as: How they met, their birthday dates, their favourite song together etc. This is a nice family friendly game so if Granny is around she will probably enjoy this.

Hens Night Out

The Secrets of Marriage Gift Bag

On the invitation to the hen night, ask your guests to bring an item to be placed into a gift bag for the bride. This item is something that will help her in her future marriage. It can be as simple as a piece of advice written on a scrap of paper, to something as elaborate as fancy underwear for the honeymoon. You will find people bring all sorts of different gifts; from hilarious advice, to rude and funny gifts to sweet ideas. As you watch the bride-to-be open each item you will be moved from fits of laughter to tears and back again.

The Brides Challenge

An oldie but a goodie. Prepare a list of challenges or dares for the hen to complete throughout the course of the evening. Challenges can be to collect another mans phone number (preferably written on her arm or another body part), to score a free drink from a barman or free entry to a club, to propose to a stranger or to sing a karaoke song. Even thinking up the challenges and putting the list together can have you laughing. Print a copy of the dares for each guest so they can keep tabs on whether the hen is fulfilling her duties.

With a little planning in advance, and sticking to some of the advice listed above, you should be able to organise a hens night that is not only fun but runs smoothly as well. Enjoy the night!

Being put in charge of a hen party can be a daunting task. Not only are you in charge of making sure the bride-to-be has a great night, but you are also in charge of herding the group of hens that are there to help celebrate!

One way to keep everything running smoothly on the night is to have as much planned and prepared in advance. This means have venues picked, menus chosen and any themes or games set.

Choosing a theme should be one of the first things you do because once you have decided on a theme for the night you will be surprised at how easily all the other choices fall into place. Even the venue can be worked around the theme. Have you chosen a Western Style theme? Then look for travelling rodeos, country music nights at the local pub or even travel to a small town that is putting on a barndance.

Alternatively you might already know what your hen wants to do for the night so choosing a theme to suit the activity can sometimes be easier. For example, if she wants to have a pole dancing lesson you might want to make the theme ‘Showgirls’ and really ham up the feather boas and fishnet stockings!

If you are looking for an affordable way to theme the night, try visiting a $2 shop or the Base Warehouse. Browse the dress-up aisles and see what they have for a decent price. You will be amazed at the selection of hats, wigs and party costumes available.

Another way to decide on a theme is to think about what the husband-to-be does for a living and create a fun night based around that. A friend of mine was getting married to a pilot, so her bridesmaids dressed her and themselves as Sexy Air Hostesses for a funny night out.

Still stuck for ideas? Consider some of these options:

Cowgirls & Indians – think big cowgirl hats and flannel shirts, or feathers stuck in the hair and tassels.

Sailors – the perfect theme for an afternoon on a boat. Some guests can choose to dress up as pirates if they prefer!

Cops & Robbers – Tell half the guests the theme is cops and the other half it is robbers. Laugh at everyone’s surprise when they turn up! Plan some group games with cops as one team and robbers as the other and see if good or bad win the night.

Saints and Sinners – Another good option if you are planning to go pole dancing or taking a ride on one of the male dancer boats. Tell your guests to dress in what they are comfortable in, or to be cheeky, tell everyone to come as a saint and dress the hen as a sinner!

We hope we have helped make your planning easier. Enjoy!

Hen’s Nights in Newcastle

So your good friends wedding is approaching and you’ve been put in charge of the fun part … the hen’s night! The best part about organising a hen’s night is the many options available these days. And lets face it, as long as you have the girls together you are pretty much guaranteed a good night no matter what the venue!

A good destination for a girl’s night out is Newcastle. There are bars, pubs and restaurants, or if you want something a bit quieter it is easy to find a place to be pampered. Enjoy a relaxing weekend with the girls at the beach or take in the nightlife in the city centre.

If you have been given the job of organising the night, try to keep in mind these two important points before you begin planning.

1 – Make sure you organise something the hen will enjoy. Remember the night is for her so if she really hates something – strippers for example – don’t hire strippers just because you think it would be funny.

2 – Keep your guests budget/financial situation in mind. It might not be feasible to organise something extravagant without first checking if your guests can afford it. It is also worth keeping in mind if the guests will be paying for accommodation at the actual wedding within the next week or two, as they may not want to spend too much in the lead up to the big day.

Now, where to start? It is always a fun idea to have a theme for a hen’s night. Maybe try something that is meaningful to the hen. For example, if her fiancé is a police officer get your friends to turn up in cops and robbers outfits. If she is an avid tennis player, have everyone bring a racquet and sweatbands. You could also choose a theme that is relevant to the venue for the night.

A great place in Newcastle for themed hen’s nights is the comedy/music restaurant called Kavon. The restaurant itself is full of vampires, demons and ghouls and is a great night for a laugh. They encourage hens nights and even have deals where if you get a group of 11 or more people you not only get a discount on the set meal, but the hen dines for free! And to make life easy, there is a section on the website to create your own invitations which Kavon’s will automatically fill in with details of the restaurant and what time the show starts.

If this kind of restaurant isn’t your thing, choose a venue of your choice and decorate the table with fun stuff that you can find at any party store or $2 shop. Just check with the restaurant first that they don’t mind if you decorate the place. Also give them a heads up you are booking for a hen’s night so they can place your table in an appropriate spot within the restaurant. The last thing a couple want while they are trying to have a romantic dinner is a rowdy table of ten hens next to them!

Newcastle has some lovely beaches on offer, so if it is something you think your hen would enjoy, why don’t you look into a holiday house on the beach for the ultimate girls weekend away. You could have something that is nearby the city for the nightlife or just create the party with your friends in the house. There are at home pamper businesses that service the Newcastle area, and you could spice things up by organising a topless waiter to serve your dinner or even have a tarot card reader to give the girls a laugh.

Of course not all hen’s nights have to include glasses of bubbly. If the hen you are organising for is more interested in relaxing, try one of the many day spas around Newcastle. Book in for a group pedicure and then take your group to a movie in the evening.

As long as the girls are together having a fun, stress free evening, your hen will be happy with whatever you organise. Have fun!