The tradition of the hen night is as ancient and deep rooted as the tradition of marriage itself. In days gone by all the females from future wedding party, including all of the bride to be’s family and friends gathered together at the house of one of the bridesmaids or even at the brides home to celebrate the forthcoming wedding.

The hen party entertained the bride with tales of married life and gave her advice and helped prepare her for her future as a wife. It was customary to offer the bride small token gifts to accompany her on her journey through married life, and overall the festivities were decidedly modest and low-key.

However in these modern times, the avant-garde bride expects something very different from her hen night, with the hen night celebrations occasionally requiring as much planning as the wedding or the honeymoon! Modern hen nights are exciting and entertaining, and often incorporate travel abroad or overnight hotel stays in popular towns and cities across the country. Games such as bridal bingo are quite common.

Usually, after some general ideas from the bride to be, the Chief Bridesmaid is allocated the responsibility of arranging and co-ordinating the hen night, organising the venue, hen party invitations and any other requirements for the celebrations, for example any activities that need equipment or accessories, such as the bridal bingo mentioned earlier.

On the brides part, her hen night will form part of her future wedding memoirs which she will treasure forever, so whether the plan is for an intimate get together with close friends, a night of touring bars in and clubs in a chauffeur driven limousine, or a week of non-stop partying in sunnier climes, the overall aim should be to make certain that the hen has a good time.