Before the Wedding

8 Action-Packed Ideas for your Hen’s Night

Pole-dancing class

Pole-dancing is a great way to keep fit, get strong and get your sexy on. Don’t be discouraged by the crazy Cirque du Soleil-style videos you’ve seen online – get your girls in there with your favourite fitness gear and get ready to work muscle groups you didn’t even know you had.

Volunteering

If you’re a bride with a cause close to your heart, volunteering could be a great way to spend time with your closest friends while giving back to the community. You can also gently ask your friends not to get you any bridal shower presents and instead make a small charitable donation to an organisation of your choice.

Bucket list

A very fun way to spend time with your bridal party would be to try to tick as many items off your bucket list as possible in the space of one day. Draw up a list of ten things you’ve always wanted to do (within reason) and see how many you can get done as a team in the space of a day.

Poker night

Getting married is always a bit of a gamble so why not have a night to celebrate that fact? Even if you’re a total beginner, poker is fun and easy to learn – in fact, you’re more likely to win until you get properly acquainted with the rules of the game. You can play for nothing, for small amounts of money or for tiny wedding favours – you make the rules!

Treasure hunt

Devise a series of challenges all over the island(s), split up into two or more teams and start your engines! Don’t forget to stoke the competitive fuel by including a prize for whoever completes the challenge successfully first.

Paintball

To give this wildly entertaining activity a wedding-flavoured twist, invite everyone attending to wear an old or ugly bridesmaid dress that they don’t plan on wearing anymore (everyone has one of these – guaranteed.) Then let the paint bullets fly to your heart’s content.

Camping

If you and your gals like being outdoors, why not pitch up some tents somewhere in the rural north and take some time to commune with the wild? Going for a hike, listening to birdsong and wind blowing through the trees, getting dirt on your face – it’s like Mother Nature’s very own spa.

Spa day

Then again, you could actually go to a spa. Okay, this is a bit of a cheat entry: the most active part of being at the spa on your end is probably lifting a glass of cucumber water to take a sip. However, it’s undoubtedly fun and relaxing – and who would turn down a deep-tissue massage after months of wedding planning? Not us, that’s for sure.