Five Fun Hens Night Party Theme Ideas

or How To Reduce the Bridesmaid’s Stress Levels

A hen’s night party is quite an undertaking. Not quite like building the Sistine Chapel, but close; I’ve never heard of anyone who found it an easy job, and know of several women who would prefer dental surgery. There’s so much to consider, so many different people to please, heaps of possibilities to choose from and all that makes it totally overwhelming.

I’m the kind of person who leaps before she looks which means I will put up my hand for a job gleefully because I always think it will be a cinch. When my best friend asked me to organise her hen’s party my reply was obviously:  “Sure, too easy.” I really leapt into the unknown that time. It turned out far too hard.

There’s the other kind of person, the wiser kind. Yes, we all hate and envy them, with their calmness and their organisational skills. They look before they leap, or sometimes even build a large bridge before leaping. They are aware of the challenges that being a hen’s party organiser brings. They cringe in advance and may secretly, yet desperately, seek for a way to weasel out of the job. Yes, it’s a job. It starts as a part-time job and towards the end seems like a full-time job with lots of overtime. And you get paid with love…well that’s if you do a good job. Don’t worry, if you fail you can always find new best friends, or live on a deserted island; there’s absolutely no pressure.

I have now been a professional hen’s party planner for a few years and have a big bag filled with tricks and, in reserve, a stress reducing arsenal. Number 1 is to think through everything in advance. Pretend you are a top-level project manager: How will you cope with seven different diets, five choices of bridesmaids’ outfits, and worst of all with bridezilla before breakfast.

Later I’ll talk you through some more tricks, but first I want to share my favourite hen’s party theme ideas with you.

Hens Party Theme Idea #1

If you’ve taken a look through our Hens Party Ideas Adelaide website   you’ve probably noticed that we have an artistic bent. That’s because we work closely together with an Adelaide based business called Art Logic www.artlogic.com.au, so we all love art and are creative girls (and boys).

The first hens party theme idea is

 

STRIPES

You may say, well this is nothing new. But I say if Cara Delvigne can do pink and white stripes, so can we. Be sure not to go near any male Zebras though, they have less control that the boys after a few beers on a Saturday night:

 

There’s not only Cara to look for inspiration for:

We’ve watched how GigiHadid, Kendall Jenner, and Rihanna have also fronted the world in stripes.

Want to stand out from the crowd? Paint your face and legs and arms with dots and stripes.

If that’s too much, try it a little subtler:

But most of all have fun,  that’s what fashion at hens parties is about.

To expand the theme, decorate your party room in stripes.

If you’re feeling brave invite one of our nude male models and paint stripes on him

When all else fails do it through your nails:

Hens Party Theme Idea #2

Time for some pirate fever.

Dress up as island girls or pirate babes and invite a pirate over to teach you the art of cocktail making.

Or you could take the Cara Delevigne approach and dress up as mermaids (well minus the wings)

If you want to rev things up a notch create some hot pirate outfits. Evoke  the times of Captain Pugwash, pirate Blackbeard or Capt Jack Sparrow. Stock up on eye patches and captains’s hats. Imagine you are  (is now 70 years old)as 2^nd pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean. You can then contend with the likes of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow 😉

Eating some pirates would be fun too, though try to avoid getting the parrot stuck in your throat, otherwise your best conversation will be “Polly want a cracker”.

 

Hens Party Theme Idea #3

Hurrah, it’s time for some Neon Joy. Let’s travel back to the 1980s for a retro theme.  Big hair, big colours, big take overs, big outfits, and shoulder pads you could land a light plane on.

You can dress up in bright neon colours and dance to the music of the 80s. Try teasing your hair out:

Take inspiration from Grease, though made in the 80’s, was set in the 50’s

Then add the right kind of make-up and be sure to let subtlety take a holiday.

You could also try some glow in the dark make up and some glow sticks as bracelets.

Then add some luminous material to decorate the body with, easy enough to make.

If you’re good with stilts and possess a sturdy pair of ankles try a pair of super high neon heels. Restraint and the 80’s were never introduced, too much of everything and you’ve got it about right.

Then you can add the neon glow party accessories.

Hens Party Theme Idea #4

What could be better than 1920’s Great Gatsby glitter? Does your hen want some glitz and glam? Then this is the perfect theme for her.

Glitter makes things nice and sparkly. You can go for glitter clothes, glitter make up and glitter accessories.

Go for a roaring 20’s party. They were pretty sparkly then. Why not invite a professional and have her teach you some of the moves (grooves, in the 20’s?) of those times.

 

Our Burlesque teacher can do that for you:

We’ve seen the likes of Kendall & Kylie Jenner all sparkled up.

You could also go for the Rihanna sparkle look.

Taylor Swift has a more reserved approach to sparkles:

Hens Party Theme Idea #5

Navy, red and white ahoy. You can start by sending out ‘hello sailor’ hens party invitations 😉

Keep it simple: navy paper with a red ribbon and a white anchor tied to it.

You could surprise the hen with sailor signs and banners and prepare some Mediterranean food.

When it comes to clothing, an easy option is to buy the same captain’s hat for everyone.

Add to that some sailor badges and it’s a brilliant start.

Of course the top has to be striped and then a red bow will stand out brilliantly. Then add some shorts and trousers and you’ll be looking pretty cute.

Good with a sewing machine? I hate you, I wish I was, but I digress.

Here’s some catwalk sailor gear to inspire you:

Kim and Khloe K definitely like the sexy sailor look:

If you’ve opted for a summer pool or beach hen’s party why not copy Gigi Hadid:

 

Rihanna’s pretty hot as a sailor too:

Don’t forget to sail with the nail:

To top it all off, invite one of our sailor boys for some life drawing and draw him in a variety of sailor poses… maybe even in the full Monty.

We think Tim Robards makes a pretty good sailor boy too.

But unfortunately he’s no longer a bachelor – he and Anna Heinrich are still an item.

Now at the start of this article I said I’d get back to the dry facts of optimal organisation.

Here are some questions should you should ask yourself or discuss with the other bridesmaids at the very outset when organising your hens party. Having everything worked out in advance will greatly reduce the need for an intravenous drip of valium.

1. What season will it be? Spring, summer, autumn or winter. Adapt the theme and clothing accordingly. Always avoid arctic survival gear parties in summer, and skimpy dresses while frolicking in the snow. Obvious you say… you’d be surprised.


2. What’s your budget? Are we talking hiring jumbo-jets for A-list celebrities, or renting a campervan? Does everyone have enough funds for the fancy dress theme? Or will you have to send the boys with brass knuckles around. Part of the fancy dress party could be creating the dresses. The organisers could gather materials and together you could make the outfits. Then dressing up becomes an activity in itself. That would be a brilliant icebreaker too.


3. What kind of style would appeal to your hen? She might hate what you love! If so, she has no taste, but it’s still her day. It’s all about her, so make sure to choose something that that doesn’t make her cringe with horror and stay in the bathroom.


4. Does she want a night in or a night out? If she wants a night out check with the pub/bar/club if they are okay with your fancy dress. You wouldn’t want to be refused at the door.


5. Memories: go creative and crafty with a memory wall filled with photos. Take photos during the event and afterwards put them all in a related scrapbook for your beloved best friend, aka, the hen.

At the outset I mentioned that you needed to think like a project planner. Not that you need steel girders for your hen’s outfit. All you need to do is think every little step of the way through and work out whether it’s feasible and how to make it happen. Does it sound like cinch? Well…it isn’t.

 

 

 

 

Five Fun Hens Night Party Theme Ideas