Hen Etiquette Dilemmas – To Gift or Not To Gift

By the time of the hen party, you’ll have probably chosen wedding favours for your guests, presents for your in-laws, gifts for bridesmaids – and it’s then that the question hits you: should you also buy gifts for your hens? Or is that one expense too far?

Don’t panic!

First of all, if you can’t afford a celebrity-style hen party, don’t panic! Your hens are your best friends – they know you inside-out, they love you and just being part of your special girls’ day will be an amazing memory they’ll treasure.

No matter your wedding budget, money is always going to a limited resource so you need to think about what will make the best memories for you. You shouldn’t feel under any pressure to spend more.

However, if you’d like to, here are some ideas to help you spoil your hens with something that matches the theme of your party and reminds them how much you’ve valued their friendship over the years.

The Survival Kit

If you’re keeping it low-key with a sleepover, why not make goodie-bags for your girls with all the props they’ll need for the night: games, challenges, eyemasks, painkillers for the morning – the choice is endless. If you decide to do an activity like life drawing, you could include some cheeky join-the-dot books too.

A lovely idea is to include an empty photo frame and then make sure you get a great group shot of your gang early on in the evening (when you’re still looking your best!). Quickly email the photo to your other half and have them get some copies express printed while you’re partying all night. In the morning, give the photo to all your hens as a memento of your big night in.

The Pamper Pack

You can’t beat an afternoon getting pampered with the girls! If you’re going to a spa for the hen do, let the feeling last with a little hamper of luxury bath oils or skin treatments for each hen.

Personalise each hamper with a short, handwritten note about your favourite memory with each hen. They’ll cherish the note and can keep it with the hamper, which they can re-use for other body care products or trinkets in future.

The Travel Bag

If you’re all off for a glamorous time in the sun, embrace the jet-setting lifestyle by giving your girls designer jewellery boxes or jewellery rolls before you head off to transport all your finest accessories. Weddings are all about the bling, so bring the shiny spirit into your time together.

For bonus best-bride-to-be-ever points, you could pre-load the boxes with matching earrings or a carefully chosen bracelet charm that symbolises your friendship with each hen.

Whatever you decide, remember that the hen party is about celebrating the bride-to-be and your closest girlfriends – there are no wrong decisions, just lots of fun to be had!