There is no magic formula for making a hen do special. Primarily, it revolves around a group of ladies consuming alcohol and having fun.That said, there are plenty of suggestions and ideas for an enjoyable night out with the girls.
Planning
So, first task: the planning. You will, of course, require a bride – someone who is scheduled to get married in the foreseeable future. Omit this vital piece of criteria from your organisational duties, and it pretty much defeats the purpose.
Check that she is indeed approaching her nuptials, and then work around that.
Generally speaking, this is the role of the maid of honour; the one truly close pal who the bride chooses as her ‘chief friend’ – a sort of female version of the best man, if you will.
These two ladies are where all ideas bloom. The rest of the party will be made up of female friends and family. Men have been known to go along to a hen party but, ordinarily speaking, they are all-girl occasions. However, for the sake of impartiality, and to keep up with the changing world we live in, it was prudent to mention that they are not barred from such gatherings.
Select your group!
The ladies will take over a section of the bar to begin the festivities. Expect to see prosecco flowing by the litre, and tuneless singing as the mood of celebration increases. There may well be shots, although these aren’t strictly limited to start upon landing. At this point, many are a few tequilas in.
Karaoke is normally a weapon of choice for a hen do. We’ve all heard our favourite hits murdered by groups of out of tune drunken ladies sharing one microphone between about six, each singing in a different key.
That said, it’s about having fun – no one wants to listen to Celine Dion all night. Except, perhaps, Celine Dion fans.
When it gets to around midnight, you will find a few of the older members of the group disappear into the night.
They’ll gradually fade away, often muttering the line: “I am not as young as I used to be”. In retrospect that could be factually attributed to any living person, yet it seems to be a popular accepted exit quote.
This is why hen dos should also cater for the mum and aunts of the bride. Often, they would love to be the ones dancing on the bar holding a bottle of Sambuca at 5am, but their distant memories of that image are sadly the realities of today.
These are the ladies in the group who will generally be the only ones downstairs for breakfast at the traditional time it is served. They’ll be the ones who remember the majority of the trip too.
We all reach a certain age when we think we are 21 again in our minds. However, the cocoa and slippers time sadly comes calling sooner than we would like. Hence, somewhere in the middle of an alcohol-fuelled weekend, a typical hen do will divide into two.
In one group, there will be the young guns that don’t seem to have an ‘off’ switch and possess a high tolerance to the effects of wine. The other consists of the next generation who so dearly wish they still possessed both characteristics.
You can easily spot who falls into which camp by the ones who return home with a tan as opposed to the nocturnal party animals flying back without a liver or their overdraft intact.
The concept of a hen do is simple; one final blowout for the bride-to-be and her friends before she is wed. It’s similar to a stag party, but from the other side of the gender fence.
What happens on a hen do, stays on a hen do! Like we mentioned above, planning is crucial. You could always put a pin in a map of the Canary Islands and leave the rest to chance, but a bit of organising never hurts.
That is where we start our hen do checklist.
Hen Do checklist
1. Destination
Probably needs to be somewhere lively. If you are staying in the UK, choose one of cities where there is a Bierkeller and plan around there!
If you fancy a bit of sun and don’t think Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham or Nottingham necessarily guarantee that, then look abroad. Anywhere that still offers 18-30 holidays is probably a good place to start looking. That company don’t tend to sell many getaways in small, quaint Italian villages.
2. Sun
There’s a fairly good chance that most of the party won’t see much of this large ball of fiery gas as it’s only really visible during the day. However, not everyone is either capable of, or enjoys, drinking until 8am. With that in mind, and for those that like to catch some rays, go to a place where it’s a certainty to happen.
3. Hotel
Probably a good idea to let them know you are booking for a hen party than let them find out as the sun comes up on day one.
A lot of hotels, particularly those in popular holiday destinations, cater specifically for hen and stag parties. You will soon find out if they don’t, so choose wisely. It’s easier to book an appropriate hotel before you set off than be forced to hunt one down halfway through the weekend.
4. Hotspots
Quite possibly the simplest tick on your checklist. If you hear loud music, head in that general direction. If you see hordes of people queuing outside, then it’s a good chance that is the place to be.
We touched on this earlier, but seeking out your closest karaoke bar might be worth doing. And if you are smack in the middle of a lively party island, this could be a matter of yards from your hotel.
5. Activities
And by this, we don’t just mean drinking. There will be some members of the party who have grown quite accustomed to preserving their liver and want to see a bit of the place when they are there.
Hire a car, maybe a bike. Hell, why not book a jet-ski or a boat! Shopping is always a popular shout for a bunch of ladies – does your destination offer enough in that aspect?
6. Restaurants
When a kebab at 3am won’t quite suffice, look for a nice place to begin the evening and line the stomach. Where are the decent restaurants? Is there somewhere special to taste the best in local cuisine. When in Rome, and all that.
That pretty much covers it all as far as a checklist goes; the rest is a kind of ‘figure it out as you go along’ exercise.It might also be wise to book a day or two off work upon your return, even if it is purely to get your body clock back in sync.
What can the bierkeller offer a hen do?
As you are reading this on the Bierkeller website, we encourage you to look at what we can offer for a hen party.
For our venues, we are all about the fun.
Do you want a great night of entertainment, dancing and memories? Great. We have you covered.
Perhaps look to plan your night or weekend around a visit to one of our places? Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Nottingham are all wonderful major UK cities with plenty going on.
Our venues are in the heart of each, which makes it an accessible destination and puts you smack bang in the centre of everything that is happening.
OK, so we can’t guarantee the sun will crack the flags. But when you are partying inside, the drinks are flowing and the music is booming, you won’t care if snow is falling outside.
If a weekend abroad doesn’t tickle your fancy, then definitely have a look at what we can offer because every Bierkeller was built for a memorable night out.
We have everything; drinks aplenty, including cocktails galore, all your favourite tunes, a wonderful menu that caters for all your culinary delights, and entertainment on tap.
Give us a call, or drop us a line. Tell us where and when then leave the rest up to us and we guarantee you a night to remember.For most brides, this is a one-off event. Make it a special one.