Woop! The Great British Bake Off is back on our TV’s, and although it’s now just about as controversial as a binned baked Alaska (miss you Mel, Sue and Mary), we still can’t help but rejoice a little bit. If you love Bake off (new and/or old) you may decide that a Great British Bake Off Hen Party is for you, something a little more… sophisticated. Everyone loves Afternoon Tea and now you have every excuse to put a GBBO spin on it - so here are our tips for throwing a Great British Bake Off themed hen party!

Time to Decorate

Everyone loves that look of the Bake Off tent, all those pastel colours, all that bunting - just wonderful. This is easy enough to copy. Think vintage, think British, think what would make Mary Berry happy. Go all out with tea pots and cake stands to really look the part. You can still make this a hen-centric party, and the usual hen party balloons, etc are still completely acceptable. 

What to Drink

Tea is a quintessential part of British nature and so, naturally, you will have tea! We all love tea, we have Earl Gray running through our veins. It's particularly satisfying when served in cute tea cups so make sure you have all the right stuff!

We also love a bit of booze at any party, a favourite for this theme would, of course, be Pimms, both British and sophisticated! 

Get the Baked Goods!

The baked goods at the Great British Bake Off Hen Party are everyone's favourite part! It's completely up to you if you decide to have baking going on at your party. Baking as a group can be a hilarious, if not messy, activity. Of course, most of you will only have one oven free at a time, so bringing pre made treats is a great shout too! You can ask each of your hens to bake something to bring something random, or you could have a theme and make it a little competition! Whatever you decide to do, you can't go wrong with baked goods.  

Party Activities

As well as eating/baking cakes, if it's sunny, it's the perfect time to have a garden party. Why not play a round of croquet? Or rounders? Being outside puts everyone in a great mood, just try not to over do it if you and the other hens are full of booze and cake... If the British weather is disappointing (as it often it) this is still just as fun inside - just be careful not to break anything!

If you need any accessories for your hen, whether you want something naughty or nice, we've got a fantastic collection on offer. Have a look at our Hen Party Essentials and really make your party pop.  

Everyone loves a Hen party, but when the night has come and gone it’s nice for your hens to have something to hold onto. Think about your childhood parties, we only ever really went for the party bags! With that in mind, here are our best hen party favours:

For the night (bits you can keep!) 

Personalised T-Shirts:

No hen party is complete without them - get the girls in uniform before you hit the town! The best part about the hen t-shirts is that you can always keep them as a reminder of a fantastic hen day/night. We allow you to customise your t-shirts in whatever way you want. Whether you want each hen to have a different top or them all to match - we have it all! 

Bridal Sashes:

If T-shirts aren’t your style maybe a sash is more to your taste? We have a massive selection of sashes for every person in your party. Get the bride and hens all sashed up and keep them after as a nice reminder!

Build a bag:

Remember those childhood party bags we spoke about earlier? Well, we’ve got the perfect grown up solution! You can pick from all of our hen night essentials and create a hen night party bag for each member of your squad! From the naughty to the nice, tailor your bag to fit the party and give everyone stuff they can enjoy on the night and in the morning.

 
After the night (to help you remember!)

A hen night memento book is the perfect way to reminisce about the fantastic night you had celebrating with your best friends! This makes a lovely gift for the bride who can cringe and delight in all the crazy antics you got up to!

Another great hen party favour for the bride is the hen night kissing lip sheet, girly and fabulous! Have all the hens make their mark with a lipstick kiss and frame this work of art as a lovely memento. 

If none of these are to your taste, be sure to check out our hen night essentials here and follow us on twitter or facebook for daily hen do updates. 

via GIPHY

Aah, after months of planning it’s finally here! We all love a hen party, when various friends and relatives gather together to celebrate the Bride’s transition into married life! But who will be attending the hen? No matter how well you think you know each girl, this is what you can expect from your bachelorette party…

(Customise your T-shirts)

The Maid of Honour Hen

She’s got the power. She’s planned this night’s every detail. Gift bags and personalised t-shirts for the squad at the ready. She’s gonna get everyone into the spirit and makes sure her best-friend is sent off in style! Someone buy this gal a drink!

The Prim and Proper Hen

Oh she DOES wish you hadn’t got the willy straws out, or the willy whistle necklace out… or... well anything willy related. Maybe she’s an old school friend, or your grandmother… either way she’s not comfortable being in the presence of the male stripper. She’s gonna have to grin and bear it of course, we all love the male strippers.

(Rainbow willy straws)

The Dirty-Minded Hen

Speaking of male strippers, this girl is the natural enemy of the prim and proper hen. She can’t get enough of the phallic novelty gags. Furthermore, she’s man hungry when you hit the club, she’s most certainly already necked half the stag do. You go girl.

The Snap-Chatting Hen

Sometimes known as the Instagram hen, or the Facebook live hen (God help us). That selfie-queen is doing her thing, slaying… of course, she’s uploading the videos of herself looking stunning while the rest of the hens are looking less than presentable. Whatever, we’ll untag when we sober up.

(Girls night out shot glass)

The ‘Too Drunk’ Hen

Where is she? Oh, that’s right… she’s at the bar getting another round of shots. Love her or hate her, she’s here to party. As much as we all hope she won’t throw up before she’s home, casualties happen… Hopefully she doesn’t get too out of control and bother the bride… keep her occupied with these fun hen party drinking accessories!

The Bridezilla

Speaking of which, she’s already a bit on edge. She isn’t supposed to be worrying about anything but she wants to make sure everyone is having a good time, and that the drunk hen hasn’t thrown up in her bag. It’s okay, treat her to some souvenirs and make sure she remembers it as one of the best nights of her life! Bag-vomit aside…

(Flashing mother of the bride sash)

The Mother of the Bride Hen

Her little girl is all grown up and leaving the nest! Okay, she’s been moved out for years, but it still feels fresh. Show this Mother Hen some respect and make sure she has a great night out! Maybe divert her eyes as her little girl has a lap dance, y’know, the usual.

The Crying Hen

Oh dear, of COURSE you’ll meet the one! No need to cry, sweetie. Okay, please stop crying. No really, put down the wine. Have any of you hens got a tissue? NO DON’T TEXT YOUR EX.

(Pink diamante handcuffs)

The Feisty Hen

Oh god, she’s taking out her earrings… no one’s even sure why she’s mad. Hopefully her rage is directed away from the party, maybe at the stag who’s trying to get a bit too friendly with the bride. We are a little bit entertained, a little bit scared. She’ll probably cool off soon, probably… At least we already have handcuffs if we need them, ey?

The Awkward Hen

Maybe she’s a work colleague, or a relative of the groom, either way, she doesn’t know many people other than the Bride, who is otherwise occupied. She’s gonna make excuses for looking at her phone, or wanting to go to the bathroom alone if you don't help her out. Remember to include EVERY hen at the party – make fast friends, become a strong squad and hit the town. (Hint: Party games are an excellent way to bond!)

For any other bits and bobs you need to entertain every type of hen, browse all our products at http://www.henstuff.co.uk!

“No, I don’t want a hen party” says the bride-to-be for at least the third time this week... 

But there’s no need to fear, don’t cancel your spa-day plans or throw away that stripper’s number the woman in work recommended. Your hopes needn’t be dashed because of your reluctant bride, half the fun of a party is if it’s a surprise, right?

Even if the bride has decided against letting you have free reign on organising a big send off from singlehood you can still celebrate, there are just some things to consider when deciding if you should throw her a surprise party:

Be respectful of the bride!
Let’s be real, she’d already said no and you might be clinging on to the dream of some middle age policeman-dressed stripper giving your best mate a lap dance to really embarrass her, but is it the right move? You’re her hens for a reason, you know her best! Make sure this party is for her, not just the bridesmaids! If she’d rather go clubbing than afternoon tea do that, if vice versa – well, you get the point. If you're planning a surprise hen party for yourself then you shouldn't do it!

Get some help!
To throw a really good surprise party, you’re going to need someone on the inside to help you out. Asking the bride’s fiancé or mum is always a good plan, most importantly, they can advise you on if it's a good idea. They can also make sure she’s free for the party you plan, and help to get the guest list perfect! They can also help you get her there without tipping her off! 

Come party prepped!
If you're gonna do it, don't give the bride time to worry about anything. Whatever you’ve planned you can have a little fun with party gifts and accessories. No matter how classy the bride is, no one can resist some novelty fun at a hen party. Why not put together some gift bags for the guests full of our Hen Do essentials? Make sure the bride stands out from the crowd though – it’s all about her!

You want the bride-to-be to be thrilled that you threw her a surprise hen party to remember – keep it fun and keep it secret, and have a fabulous time celebrating with your best friends. If you really are organising a surprise hen to make the bride-to-be happy, and you follow our advice above, you should be golden! 

If you're looking for hen do goodies to surprise the bride with, be sure to check out our Hen Night Essentials!

When you think of a Hen party, you may have dreams of doing shots in the nightclub or being surrounded by male strippers, but have you considered a fun daytime activity? Here are our top ideas for Hen Party daytime activities, so get the girls together and go have a good time!

Spa Day

You already know about this one, why? Because we all love a day pampering ourselves! With all the stress of planning a wedding a spa day is a welcome change from all the hysteria. Get the girls glowing with a day of facials and massages. A spa day is also a great hen party daytime activity after a wild hen night out!

Festivals

With festival season in full swing we couldn’t leave this one off the list! Get some booze, put on your flower crowns and listen to some awesome bands! A lot of festivals have day tickets available too, so if camping isn’t your thing or you don’t want to commit to a full weekend then you can just have an amazing day rocking out!

Afternoon Tea

 If novelty phallic accessories and ‘L plates’ aren’t for the bride-to-be, afternoon tea is a lovely hen party daytime activity. Not to mention, it’s something you won’t cringe about bringing your mother to! Lots of hotels offer this as a package so read some reviews of the local favourites and get the ‘Downton Abbey’ vibes started.

Assault Course

 Is the bride-to-be a fitness nut? An assault course is the perfect competitive hen party daytime activity. Even if she’s not really that into fitness (and let's be honest, not many of us are) an assault course can be a hilarious place for a hen party! There are tons of options from mud runs to high-ropes course so decide how daring you are and get your adrenaline running.

If you need any Hen Party essentials then make sure you check out our products - some naughty and some not, we have decorations and sashes to get your Hen Party swinging whether it's in the day or the night!