The Haute Hens Night

If wearing a flashing tiara and a sash declaring your bride-to-be status isn’t your style, fear not – your hens night can still be a celebration to remember. By taking inspiration from elements of your wedding, you can create a unique hens night uniform, writes Lara Bailey.

There are two types of brides-to-be in the world: those who love the ‘traditional’ hens attire, complete with pink feather boas, phallic representations aplenty and cheeky accessories like bunny ears, and those who’d like to break from the conventional hens get-ups for something a little more personal.

Chances are you’ve been to a hens nights where hot pink tutus and bridesmaids badges have been the ensemble of choice, as well as one that has been tailored to the tastes of the bride-to-be. If you’ve decided a theme with a difference is right for you, it’s time to begin the process of determining what your group will wear for your hens night!

COLOURFUL HENS

An easy way to get inspired is to think about the colours that are involved in your wedding. There are plenty of ways you can go with this idea, so you can put your personal spin on it.

You can think laterally: for example, if your invitations, decorations and bridesmaids’ dresses will be gold, you can embrace the hue for your hens and ask all your invitees to dress in their sparkly best.

Alternatively, if you’re going for a classic black and white theme, you can have a practice run of your wedding day by dressing top-to-toe in white while your hens wear darker hues – a theme that will make for some great photos. You could even dress in bright red while everybody else wears a more subdued shade so you still stand out, even without a penis-adorned headband on!

HONEYMOON HENS

Another fun source of inspiration for your hens night is your honeymoon. Jetting off to Hawaii with your husband post-wedding? Why not get everyone to don leis and hula skirts and head off to a bar with great cocktails for a night of dancing?

If the first stop on your honeymoon will be Paris, you could have all of your hens dress up in their finest clothes to indulge in a sumptuous Parisian feast before popping open some Champagne and getting the party started!

For those heading to Italy, gather the girls for wine and antipasto at the beach (all dressed in your sexiest red, naturally) before hitting the town, or enlist everyone to dress in their glitziest, gaudiest threads if Vegas will be an important pit stop on your honeymoon.

While you don’t have to link your pre- and post-wedding celebrations, taking your cue from your honeymoon can be a way to tie everything together if you’re stuck for ideas for your hens night.

THEMATIC HENS

The theme of your wedding is revealed early; generally through your invitations or save the date cards. Any motifs related to your wedding can be useful when it comes to determining the best way to approach your hens night.

If, for instance, you’ll be saying your vows beachside, why not get your hens dressed up in breezy maxi dresses and flower crowns? Or, for anyone who will wed in a garden, you can invite your hens to high tea in their finest floral gowns and hats before celebrating well into the night.

For those having a sophisticated and serious wedding, it’s unlikely the usual hens night accoutrement will make the grade (unless you want to let loose before the big day, of course!). If this is the case for you, you can simply ask your hens to wear formal dresses in dramatic colours that will ensure you make a statement on the dance floor and provide a point of difference among the other party-goers at your hens night destination.

UNIQUE HENS

Just because you may wish to forego the fluoro pink feather boas and cowboy hats, doesn’t mean your hens night has to be devoid of novelty. A bunch of ladies on the town dressed similarly will always attract attention from fellow revellers, and if you’re quite keen on being the centre of attention, all it takes is a little planning.

If you play netball, you could enlist your friends (best to pick the ones who aren’t shy!) to dress up in a netball skirt and bib to kickstart some serious fun on a city pub crawl, or alternatively if golf is more your thing, a bunch of women in golfing attire hitting up the bar will be sure to attract attention!

Similarly, footy fans can ask their hens to wear a jersey of their favourite team (recommended only if you’ll be visiting pubs, not nightclubs). This is sure to inspire strangers to strike up a conversation with you all though, so be prepared for plenty of comments if you go down this road.

However you decide to dress up on your hens night, it’s worth thinking early about what theme you’d like to run with, as this fun and relaxing night with your friends should be an enjoyable lead-up to your wedding day. Let your colour scheme, honeymoon destination, wedding day theme or simply a beloved hobby guide you to determining how you’ll all dress up, and you’re sure to have a hens night to remember.