Wisdom of crowds, part 2: Hen nights

by Suw on December 1, 2007

So Kate, my Oh Matron! of Honour, and I have so far failed to come up with any ideas for what to do for my Hen Party. I’m quite clear on the fact that I do not wish to go on a pub crawl, or go out for a meal, as those are, for the first part, really rather dull and uninspiring and, for the second part, something I do all the time. I shall not be trailing round London’s seedier districts with a blow-up ball and chain attached to my ankle, devil horns perched upon my head or a fake veil entangled in my hair. Nor shall I be getting blindingly drunk, snogging a male stripper or any of the other rather rubbish things that seem to be de rigeur for Hens on their Nights.

Were it summer, I would have simply bought a couple of cases of champagne, several dozen punnets strawberries and a vat of Rhodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream, and had a civilised afternoon on a well manicured lawn playing what I believe to be the most vicious and ruthless game known to man: Croquet. As it will be early February, (that’s another thing I’m not doing – I’m not having the Hen Do the night before we wed. Oh no. Not on your nelly), it will be cold, wet and miserable, and croquet is a game not really suited to mud puddles. Before you suggest it, eXtreme Croquet is not really a variation suitable for a young lady betrothed.

I’m really not sure what to do. I had thought about doing something like a chocolate making course, or wine tasting, or having a spa day, but I don’t want to do anything too expensive. There’s nothing worse than the bride-to-be who says “Hey, I’m blowing 500 quid on a tacky Hen Weekend in some poor unsuspecting city on the Continent and I’d love it if you could blow both your holiday allowance and your savings to be there!” It’s entirely unreasonable to expect one’s friends to fork out a small fortune for one’s own entertainment, and generally speaking, spa days and the like do not come cheap.

I had thought about having it down in Dorset, but realistically speaking, I’m not sure if that’s a goer. Many of my friends are in or near London, and they’d have to either have a long journey home at the end of the day or have to spend money on a hotel. So I’m open to suggestions. It mustn’t be expensive, predictable, or involve sex toys. Other than that, I’m game.

Rachel Clarke December 1, 2007 at 6:19 pm

You could have a snowboarding/tobogganing day 😉 OK, I know it’s really nothing like you but it’s certainly not predictable1 http://www.xscape.co.uk/snow/milton-keynes/

Ewan Spence December 1, 2007 at 8:18 pm

London Dungeon…

Book out a Laserquest arena…

Finish off whatever with a SIngalongafilm at the Prince Charles Cinema off Piccadilly Circus…

Clare December 2, 2007 at 9:55 am

Suw – with half a year to go ’til my wedding, I have been having similar thoughts myself! One or two of my friends seem obsessed with strippers, so I have had to be Very Stern about that.

Anyway, my personal current first choice is a spa type event which is much less costly than I had expected. (Mostly because the place I have in mind isn’t Champneys – which rules! But breaks the bank – but a local, low-key type of a thing.) I’m not suggesting this specific one for you, but there must be similar ones in Nodnol. The Rapids, for about £25 a head, give private use of their little spa area (spa, steam room, sauna), four ‘mini treatments’ each (choose from facial, massage, etc), and a glass of buck’s fizz and some chocolate-dipped strawberries. It lasts from 4 – 7pm on a Saturday. I am keen 🙂

Steve Kane December 2, 2007 at 10:59 am

How about a private karaoke bar! My mate Rich had part of his stag do at the Lucky Voice and it was a right hoot. If nothing else, the basement premises is like a rabbit warren and you just KNOW that it used to be some kind of sex shop in days of yore.

Reasonably priced, nice bar and friendly staff.

Well, it’s an idea, OK?

Betsy Devine December 2, 2007 at 8:08 pm

How about a hotel suite with a bigscreen tv where you and hens can laugh and cry over some chick flick(s) while partaking of chocoate and vodka?

Or how about putting together a few time capsules that you will get together and open in a year, in five years, in ten years?

omykiss December 4, 2007 at 1:46 am

Try Malta … one of my work colleagues visited a few years ago … her pictures looked great ….

Suw December 6, 2007 at 1:02 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions. I quite like the spa idea – I wonder if we could find somewhere that isn’t too expensive. I’ve been to Lucky Voice and it is a lot of fun, that’s true, so that might be an idea.

Anyway, do keep them coming!

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