So, you’re planning a Hens party. And let me guess, you’re wondering where to start?
Planning a fun Hens is no easy feat; you have countless options to consider, like the guest list, accommodation, budget and what to spend it on, food and drink, and of course, the entertainment and games. My fingers hurt just typing that list out, so I can imagine how you might feel planning it.
But I’ll let you in on a little secret… Hens party planning can actually be fun, if you know how to tackle it.
I’ve been working as a topless waiter in the Gold Coast and running a male entertainment company for over 10 years now – so you could say I’ve got a fair bit of knowledge surrounding Hens parties. Aside from having a heap of fun and meeting a lot of great people, I’ve managed to learn a large amount about how Hens parties run and how they are best organised. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. I thought it was about time I sat down and wrote out some of my tips and tricks to help organisers plan a fun and successful Hens day/night!
I’ve also included an easy to use Hens Party Checklist, Guest and Payment Tracking Sheet and a few Games and Activities print outs at the bottom of this article, which I hope you will find helpful.
So, without further ado, here are a few hints that will hopefully help you plan the perfect Hens with minimal hassle.
Accommodation
Now, accommodation is a really important option, not just for somewhere to crash out after the day’s/night’s activities, but also to ensure you can get the most out of the space.
Make sure you choose a place with a decent kitchen and a good living area for everyone to gather in. Whether it’s doing your makeup, recovering in the morning after a big night out, or hosting activities in the apartment – your Hens weekend is going to use that living area a lot! That spot will be the mingling hub for your guests, and if you hire entertainment like topless waiters or strippers, they will also be stationed in this area to keep everyone entertained and to make the most out of the space.
Hotel partying rules
Something a lot of people overlook is that most hotels have a No Party Policy – which sounds pretty boring to me. However, the majority of hotels will mention it in their terms and conditions but won’t enforce it too harshly. Gauge the vibe of the hotel when booking the accommodation while speaking to the receptionist. If the No Party Policy is firmly pushed, this probably isn’t the hotel for you and your guests. Another way is to check with friends, family and party guests if they have any recommendations based on past events in your chosen city.
To give you an example of why this is important – I’ve had two events interrupted by the fun police, where hotel security have knocked on the door and removed me from the party halfway through a booking because of loud laughter. Don’t let this be the reason the party is cut short.
Location
You also need to decide if you are doing a house party for the whole night or just pre-drinks at the house before heading out elsewhere later.
Hiring an AirBnB is definitely a great way to go if you want to party to the max without worrying too much about the noise. If it’s summer, try to pick a place with a pool or spa because they’re always loads of fun.
Don’t worry too much about getting a place within walking distance to the CBD/entertainment hub of your location, as that usually comes with a bigger price tag. No one likes walking in heels (even for short distances), so most of you will probably end up catching an uber/taxi anyway. Head slightly further out, 15-20 mins from the CBD and get a bigger and better house for less!
Accommodation suggestions in your area:
If you need more help with accommodation selections, be sure to get in contact with our friendly team as we’d be more than happy to assist.
Guest lists
These can be tricky and you need to work out logistics based on who’s coming. That is, you may need some G-rated activities for grandma or crazy out-there activities for that party animal of an aunty you have from out of town.
The Hens party guest list is typically going to consist of a bunch of people the Bride to be has grown up with, friends, work colleagues, and family – some you like and others you just have to invite anyway!
This is why the list of people will determine the activities you can do. If some of the guests are very shy and socially awkward, you may need to limit some activities – that may mean saying goodbye to strip clubs or topless waiters, and hello to High Tea, craft workshops or Sip’n’Paint.
Or perhaps they’re all party animals and don’t know the meaning of “too crazy”. Therefore, you need to book a heap of “out-there” activities like life drawing, strippers and topless waiters to run raunchy games that get everyone drinking and laughing together.
How many Topless Waiters do we book
When deciding how many waiters to book, I always suggest roughly one waiter per 10 guests, so that your waiter is able to keep up with drinks and give everyone plenty of facetime. But this will also come down to your budget.
Also, take a couple seconds to think about what attire your waiter should wear to best suit your group – whether it be underwear or long black pants – you want it to be appropriate for everyone attending. Typically, you can upgrade the waiter attire to a G-string or apron option and the likes, later in the night once your group loosens up a bit anyway.
The most typical situation is that you’ll have, involves the mums and grandmas arriving at the start of the day/night, but then heading off quite early (around 7 or 8-ish). This then gives you the opportunity to plan around that for the remaining guests, meaning that you can have some G-rated activities while grandma is there and then push the boundaries with some more adult entertainment after they’re gone. Bring out the hard alcohol, let the topless waiter/s make it into something delicious for the group and bring on the raunchy party games and shots. Now the party’s getting started.
Below is a sample timeline for different group types.
Low Key Group: Wants an easy-going night
2 pm: Check-in
3 pm: Get changed into comfortable clothes
4 pm: Early afternoon activities at the hotel/house
6 pm: Drinks and nibbles
7 pm: Get changed into night-time outfits
8 pm: Topless waiter/s arrive, run games and serve drinks
10 pm: Finish up (some of the group may want to head out and do their own thing)
Medium Troublemakers: Start slow, then turn up the volume!
2 pm: Check-in
3 pm: Get changed
4 pm: Early afternoon activities at the hotel/house
6 pm: Drinks and nibbles
7 pm: Get changed into night-time outfits
8 pm: Topless Waiter/s arrive (start in long black pants, then going into underwear), run games and serve drinks
10 pm: Striptease
11 pm: Head out, or party on at the house/hotel and go to the venues you’ve put yourselves on the guestlist for!
Party Animals: No holding back!
2 pm: Check-in
3 pm: Getting changed into comfortable clothes
4 pm: Life Drawing
6 pm: Drinks and nibbles and unwind before the main affair
7 pm: Get changed into night-time outfits and have the topless waiters arrive to runs games, etc. Start them in a towel and then move onto just a g-string
10 pm: Striptease
10.30 pm: Waiters continue to get drinks for everyone but in just a G-string or Apron!
11 pm Head out or party on at the house/hotel
Spending money
This can be an awkward topic because you’ll need to assess the guestlist to judge whether the group will be running on a tight budget or if they’re big spenders, who will likely stay out all night.
Don’t rush into booking too many expensive activities like five-star wine tours, boat cruises, day spas and the latter, then be surprised when you receive a big backlash of people saying they can’t afford it.
In my experience, people are likely to pull out last minute, which can make things super difficult. Try to get a deposit off everyone early so that if they do cancel, it won’t all come out of your pocket as the organiser (which happens far too often).
Group chat
Try to create a group chat using What’s App or Facebook Messenger and open a separate account for everyone to transfer into. In that group chat, throw in a heap of party ideas, suggestions and test the group’s willingness to spend and also their willingness to take part in certain activities.
Get Discounts
Here’s a great money-saving suggestion: Call local clubs and bars a few days beforehand and see what they can offer you. As a group of girls, most clubs will want to have you in their venue. They will typically offer you free entry and sometimes even a complimentary drink upon arrival. If you leave it until the last minute and just turn up, your whole group may have to pay an entry fee, or at the very least wait in a very long line. All of this can be avoided with a call requesting to be placed on the guest list. It’s free to do, so why not take advantage of it?
Payment Help
Open an account with your bank and put those details clearly in the group chat for everyone, then keep track of payments made and balances owing. Typically, it’s free and easy to do on your internet banking.
Track expenses
To complement your new-found knowledge about how to make your money work smarter, not harder, I’ve put together an easy-to-use spreadsheet for you to use right here:
Download Helpful Excel payment tracking spreadsheet
Sample Images
Click Images to Enlarge
Food and Drinks
The nibbles and tipples are arguably the most important element of the night, but one that often gets over-planned.
If I can impart one piece of advice, please let it be this: try not to make things too complicated.
You don’t want to spend the entire time in the kitchen cooking and washing up when you should be joining the group and playing whatever games and activities you have organised.
Party food
Trust me when I say, party pies and sausage rolls are always winners, even with fancy groups! Then provide a few nibble plates with cheese and dips, crackers, potato chips, lollies and so forth. Even if you’re having a sit-down dinner, nibbles are always handy for before and after at the house.
Our recommendations: Party pies and sausage rolls, lollies, cheese, crackers and dip, potato chips, crudités (sliced carrot, capsicum and/or celery) and grapes.
Drinks
With drinks, you’ll find some groups will prefer to just bring their own individual beer, wine, spirits, and other groups will create a kitty for you as the organiser to buy a bunch of drinks that everyone can share. In my opinion, this is the better way to go. I suggest having a collection of a few different drink varieties so there’s something for everyone (This can also be thrown in the group chat for discussion).
Our recommendations: Vodka, Malibu, Midori, Cointreau, Blue Curacao.
Mixers
Punch mixtures are a good option and there are plenty of great recipes to be found online! They make things a lot easier and it’s a fun alternative to drinking things straight 😉. They typically take only five minutes to make, then all you have to do is top up once or twice throughout the night. It eliminates the need for cleaning cocktail shakers every 2 minutes as well (bonus win).
I also suggest having a few different spirits and mixers lying around to make shots with. If it’s within your budget, have the topless waiters make and serve the drinks so you can all just drink, laugh and relax as a group.
Our recommendations: Lemonade, soda water, orange juice, tropical juice, pineapple juice, ginger ale.
Other handy items
Small Plastic 30ml Shot glasses (very handy), limes, strawberries, salt (if you have tequila), plastic cups, straws, bags of ice.
The entertainment
Now for the fun part.
The entertainment will typically consist of a combination of things; group activities, eating out, male entertainers and the house party or club/bar you end up at.
Deciding which activities to book is always a tricky task!
I suggest throwing a few ideas into your group chat and gauge the response – also ask the group to make their own suggestions. Seeing the feedback from this will help you decide the type of activities you should book. You will need to establish if you are booking G-rated entertainment or a combination of both G-rated early on and then X-rated once grandma heads off.
To give you an idea of the typical male entertainment, here are the usual options:
Topless waiter
The topless waiter/s will be the backbone of most Hens parties. They will help run the night, from suggesting and hosting the party games, to mixing up drinks and servings nibbles – all whilst being flirty and cheeky with guests. They help to get everyone involved in the activities and bring them out of their shell for universal enjoyment.
Attire for the topless waiters can either be long black dress pants, underwear, a G-string, an apron or nude! It sounds biased for me to say, but in my opinion, topless waiters are a must!
Stripper
You then have the stripper who will commonly perform a 15-minute show, available in a number of different themes (police officer, fireman, 50 shades, top gun – you name it).
You need to choose if they will be doing a strip down to a G-string or the full monty. Full monty costs extra (for obvious reasons) and you’ll definitely need to gauge the group to see if it will go down well.
Typically, you can decide on the night when the stripper arrives which option you want to go with. I suggest having the stripper come later in the evening. That way everyone has had a few drinks and they’re ready to deal with a naked man dancing around the room!
Life-drawing
Then there’s life drawing. This is more of an early activity. Yes, it’s a completely naked man but it’s pretty harmless and can be a fun activity to get the day started. It always creates plenty to talk about afterwards.
Party games are another thing to consider. Some groups will prefer easy-going games, such as bride bingo or pin the penis on the poster. Others will want to play X-rated game like Never Have I Ever with shots and lots of secrets revealed or the Band-Aid Game (definitely one of my personal favourites!) Please see Let the Games Begin! section below for instructions.
Entertainment Suggestions
Life Drawing: Naked man to draw with the group, posing in a few different positions
Male Topless Waiter/s wearing long black dress pants, towel, underwear, apron, G-string or nude
Stripper: 15 Minute G-string strip show or the full monty.
General tips for the night
Gay clubs are always a great option for Hens party groups. They have some of the best music. Plus, you and the rest of your group can party hard with a bunch of good-looking men who know how to dance without the fear of getting hit on.
Try to have several keys to get back into the hotel/house and hand them out to semi-responsible people. One person who may go home early and another who will most likely stay out all night.
Have some cold water and food sitting in the apartment for when people start arriving back. Nothing is worse than going to sleep on an empty stomach after a night out drinking – that’s my best anti-hangover suggestion. Eat before bed and drink some water!
Don’t book an early check out time. Make sure you leave plenty of time for people to sleep in and recover. Nobody wants to get up early after a big night, pack a bag and then start driving.
Try to make it a whole weekend event. Start on Friday with casual drinks, have the big night on Saturday and then a casual few drinks on Sunday afternoon before everyone departs. This gives plenty of time for everyone to enjoy themselves. Also, in the case that some guests are only available on a particular day over the weekend, they will be able to join in on at least one day of the celebrations.
Having a makeup artist come to the hotel/house to help do everyone’s makeup can also be handy early on in the day, but will depend on the budget.
Purchase ahead of time. Decorations, party games and the Hens party sash can be quite expensive if you wait until the last minute. I suggest purchasing them online approximate 1-2 weeks prior.
Running out of time? local adult stores are going to be the easiest place to grab a few supplies, but this will likely be the most expensive option.
Let the Games Begin!
At every Hens night, you need a few games to play to lighten the mood and bring everyone out of their shell!
Never Have I Ever
How to play:
- Have the guests sit around the room in a circle.
- Give each of them two playing cards.
- Then someone (usually the hen) will begin by saying “Never Have I Ever…” followed by something they may or may not have done.
- Any of the players in the circle who have done that same thing will have to throw down a card.
- The next player in the circle will then repeat the process.
- Once a player runs out of cards, they must have a shot in order to get their 2 cards back and keep playing.
Continue until you run out of things to say!
Quiz The Hen
How to play:
- Compile a list of questions that you ask the Hens soon-to-be husband before the night
- Then ask the hen each of the same questions and see if she can guess what the buck said
- If she guesses wrong, she has to have a shot! (if she’s not drinking, then marshmallows, but she can’t chew or swallow any until the game is finished)
- If she guesses right, she gets to designate a shot!
The aim is to make sure the hen drinks!
Pass The Cucumber
How to play:
- The idea of this game is for each of the guests to pass a cucumber between themselves without using their hands
- Separate the guests into 2-3 even teams, then have them line up
- Player 1 must place the cucumber between their knees and shuffle towards player 2, attempting to pass the cucumber. This will continue within the team until it gets to the last person.
- If they drop the cucumber, they must start over (between those two players).
- Whichever team gets the cucumber to the last person first, wins!
You’ll need to get creative with this game!
Find the Bandaid
You will need a topless waiter for this one…
- Blindfold the hen
- Choose somewhere on the waiter’s body to stick the bandaid.
- Keep it quiet and don’t give the hen any hints.
- She then must find the bandaid using only her hands and then remove it with her teeth (if you want to make it really challenging).
- Don’t let her peak!
- Once she finally finds the bandaid after thoroughly checking every part of the waiter’s body she can then choose another member of the group to come and try and so on and so on…
Here are some useful items to use for the night including games print outs and a checklist for your event planning.
Hens Party Checklist – Print Out
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