Hen and stag parties are considered the ‘wildest’ parties full of drinking, partying, and fun, but they don’t need to be alcohol-fuelled! Whether you’re expecting a baby before your wedding day or you just don’t do alcohol, there are hundreds of different hen party ideas that won’t involve alcohol but will involve plenty of fun, laughter and memorable moments that will get you and your guests excited for your big day. Here are a few ideas that you can incorporate into your own hen party in order to ensure that you make the most of your special time.
Days Out and In
If you don’t fancy the typical party bus, with loud music and bar hopping, there are plenty of other exciting activities that you can base your hen party around to make it just as memorable and as fun as possible. By selecting an activity or a day out to base your hen party around, you can worry less about keeping your guests entertained with minimal effort on your part. Planning a wedding is stressful enough; there is no need to add organising a hen party to that stress.
You could go old school and plan a sleepover party, like you and your friends did when you were younger, with every guest bringing along their own dish that they’ve cooked at home. This dinner party could be followed by games, karaoke, and films with freshly popped popcorn whilst sitting in your matching pyjamas!
If you’re looking for something more adrenaline-filled, you could hike to a nearby lake, beach, or forest, with a picnic packed, before rock-climbing, zip-lining or taking part in water sports like surfing, water skiing, and sailing.
Alternatively, if sports and adventure aren’t your thing, a relaxing spa day before getting a makeover and dressed up for an evening dinner at a restaurant could be the ideal way to unwind, catch-up, and get excited together for the wedding! This is the perfect way for you all to talk about wedding plans, as well as spend quality time together before the wedding.
Hen Party Themes
To ensure plenty of laughter, you could set a theme for your hen party guests – either to bring something along relating to your theme or to even dress according to the theme. These themes could be as extreme as dressing as something beginning with your name or your partner’s name, or something simple like movie stars, and musicians.
If you opt for a food theme, you could ask your guests to bring along homemade dishes that are associated with a certain food culture, such as Italian, French, or Spanish dishes! You can get really creative with these themes and choose to decorate your chosen event space with decor associated with the theme, and choose challenges or games that relate back to the theme! For example, a French theme could mean poker games Monte Carlo-style, with garlic buttered bread and ratatouille, whilst listening to some iconic French classics.
Hen Party Games
If you’re planning a hen party with guests who don’t know each other, you could start with an ice breaker game like ‘guess the baby’. This involves printing photos of everyone as a child, and trying to work out who is who! Another ice breaker game could involve placing post-it notes with celebrity or famous pairs, like Ant and Dec or Kim and Kanye on guests’ foreheads. The guests have to try and work out who their pair is, and the first to pair up are the winners. These games are bound to get everyone involved and chatting together, which means you don’t have to worry about anyone feeling left out or awkward.
Whilst there won’t be drinking games at your party, there is no reason why you can’t have other games based upon your future husband or wife – in fact, these are probably the best games to have at your hen party! Games are actually the staple to a hen party, and without alcohol, you’ll all be able to remember the hilariously embarrassing and difficult questions. Think designer dresses made out of toilet roll, wedding Pictionary or even a Mr and Mrs quiz with Mr and Mrs questions. You can find this and more on For Better For Worse, who specialise in weddings. This is particularly fun if you invite family or friends of your partner along!
There is no need to stress as your hen party guests are loved ones and friends who are coming to your hen party and wedding day to celebrate you and your partner, so you shouldn’t need to feel like you have to put on a show for them. Take our word for it that you don’t need alcohol to have fun at your hen party. By following some of these ideas, which are bound to create excitement and anticipation for your wedding day, everyone will have a ball!
*This is a collaborative post
Sounds brill ! Who needs alcohol to have a great time !