Looking for exciting hen party activities or hen night ideas?
Whether you are looking for a classy hen night, a cheap hen party package or just making memories for all the hens. Our ideas for hen weekend daytime activities to ensure the perfect hen do, then you'll find it here. Hen party planning and ideas for hen nights and hen activities.
Freedom Weekends have been a hen party organiser since 1996 and have an amazing range of tried and tested hen do parties and venues to help you create perfect hen weekend packages. Your bride wants an unusual and unique hen do, so take a look at our great weekend ideas
How do you make a hen night fun? Every bride wants her hen party to be remembered for the right reasons. Not a regurgitated repeat of the last one you attended, the solution is a new and unusual activity.
Cheap hen packages
Us girls know how to shop around for the best deal. When going on a hen do abroad, we want to get more Europe for our Euro. Freedom has the buying power with over 500,000 customers to negotiate package deals on your behalf.
Classy hen party ideas
How do you make a hen classy? Good news, most hen weekends have evolved from the ladette culture of the traditional hen. If your group has a level of sophistication and the brides worst nightmare is wearing L-plates with a sash.
Hen do activities at home
Are there hen do activities that come to you? Yes, and they come with perks, you save travelling time and no parking charges, plus any extra drinks are cheaper to provide at home. With the money you save on all the small things means, you have more to spend on hen activities and a complete package.
If you have a large space at home or have hired a party house for the weekend then the choice of mobile activities is huge from craft workshops, life drawing, cocktail making, butlers in the buff and many more.
Depending on the bride's personality it could be a fun idea to include a few surprises. But remember she only gets one hen night so think carefully.
Should the hen party be a surprise or arranged by the bride? With most hen weekends, the bride is commonly consulted on the basics, the date, time, invite list, and where it will start. The degree of freedom the bridesmaids get to go off piste, depends on the chances of awakening the bridezilla.
The bride will soon be paying for all food, wine and entertainment at the wedding, so whilst there's no hard and fast rule, tradition dictates that the bridesmaids and the other attendees cover the cost of the bride's place on her hen weekend. Better still watch out for the Freedom free place promotion and the bride could be paid by us!
We'd ideally say 4-6 weeks before the wedding to avoid last-minute stress or dress fittings. You should coordinate with the stag weekend and avoid a clash of dates in case mutual friends have child care arrangements. And although it is the brides last night of freedom, it should not be held the night before the wedding, a hungover bride staggering down the aisle does not make happy memories.
Traditionally, the hen night was for female family and friends. If you are planning a more raucous hen party then ask yourself; should I invite my mum and mother-in-law to my hen do? If they get on really well with your friends and throw themselves into the spirit of things, then even the most-raunchy hen night will be fun to share across generations.
We find many brides have an extra low-key hen locally with just dinner, afternoon tea, or a daytime activity. There is no doubt that memories are made for life on a hen night and sharing with everyone that is close to you will make it even more special.
However, there is a dilemma for those not close to you, perhaps your sister-in-law shouldn’t be invited if she’ll put a dampener on proceeding. Remember it is completely up to you who you invite, no pressure, a short-term grudge won’t last long.
The average cost of a UK hen weekend is £155, and £185 for a hen abroad (minus flights). But with hen activities starting from less than £30, Freedom can accommodate any budget you have. You can save money by booking a free brides place with a large group or speak with your Freedom account manager with their specialist location know. They know how to combine activities to fit your budget.
The most obvious way is old school bank transfers, but it is cumbersome making sure everyone has your bank account number, sort code and name as a reference. You’ll need multiple payments from everyone to pay deposits and a spreadsheet of payments in and payments out to suppliers. Say goodbye stress and hassle with Freedom’s individual payment system, no chasing for you, as girls pay us direct and supplier get paid on time, every time.
Hen weekends average 12-16 girls, smaller groups may face less activity choice or simply share the minimum fee. For larger groups over 20 we recommend you reserve for your best guess on numbers. The top tip is to reserve early because availability reduces and prices increase nearer the date, you certainly don’t want to miss your preferred time slot because some of the girls are noncommittal. Freedom has reserved groups up to 50 ladies before and since the attendees pay us direct you have no pressure or financial worry of people owing you money.
With so much to organise including invites, activities, accommodation, games, fancy dress and payments, you will probably want to choose a head bridesmaid and one or two others to handle everything. But it is very important after consultation that the chief bridesmaid picks the hen activities and accommodation. Too many cooks spoil the broth and before you know it, everyone gets involved; the decision making is paralysed and availability slots disappear before your eyes.
Hen party planning is no exception to the rule that one size does not fit all. Your Hen Party should be a celebration of you, and if planning it yourself is what you want to do, then what the bride wants the bride gets. But be aware like all girl’s weekends away the planning of them can be an actual nightmare. ‘That’s too expensive!’, ‘I can’t do that weekend!’, and ‘Can I let you know nearer the time?’ are the bane of every Maid of Honour’s existence. Finding the perfect hen-do destination will feel like mission impossible. The no stress and aggro answer is to get a helping hand from a hen party planning manager with years of experience. That’s where Freedom come in.
Hen Reviews
Average 4.86 out of 5 Stars From 1055 Reviews
Freedom Ltd Hen in Budapest
We are planning our Hens weekend in Budapest this October and I have only positive feedback for Zoey Bond. She was always very patient, extremely nice and very helpful. She replies immediately to all my emails which I was impressed and she also gave me comfort to trust in Freedom Weekends Ltd. 5 stars to Zoey Bond for professionalism, efficient and effective service. Will update my review upon our return from Budapest next month.
By Christa Falzon 14th October
Freedom Ltd Hen in Liverpool
Just got back from our Liverpool hen do this week which I was in charge of organising. The company made it really easy and organised the life drawing class and hotel for us. Any questions I had (and there were a few!!) I had extremely quick responses! Hotel was central and life drawing class was very well ran. I also loved that members of the party could pay their money direct to the company so I didn't have to chase the money and then pay out. Thank you for a great organised hen do!
By Joanna White 2nd September
Freedom Ltd Hen in Brighton
We had such a lovely weekend. The women running our dance class and cocktail making class were amazing. We loved both. All the activities and hotel were close together and well timed/spread out. Our hotel was best on a budget and to be honest, that’s exactly what it was. The staff were really friendly but it was budget. We decorated the room and that made a big difference and it was in such a good location at a good price. Communication was great too. Any time I called or emailed Freedom, I got a reply/answer straight away. Thank you so much xx
By Jenni Newing 19th August
Freedom Ltd Hen in Liverpool
I was on a hen do in Liverpool this weekend. It was organised by Freedom and they were so helpful, friendly and full of advice. There were 16 of us so we needed a plan. We did Save the Groom, Bottomless Drag Brunch, 2 course Mexican Meal and Nightclub VIP. We had a blast and can certainly recommend those activities AND Freedom!!!
By Lynda Hulme 12th August
Freedom Ltd Hen in Nottingham
This company organised everything for me!! If I had any queries or worries about the hen weekend I could just call Laura and everything would be dealt with. From the accommodation to the food, spa treatments everything was perfect! Would highly recommend this company for organising any hen do or weekend away!
By Patricia Cowan 29th July
Freedom Ltd Hen in Brighton
Karen and her team were amazing. Very informative, easy to deal with, and made stressful hen planning a lot easier for me. The activities all ran to plan and were as fun as advertised. Would highly recommend using this company.
By Livvy Browne 14th July
Freedom Ltd Hen in Budapest
We used Freedom Weekends to help arrange a private boat and chippendale stripper in Budapest for a hen do. Freedom Weekends were extremely responsive by both email and text in the scheduling process. When in Budapest, we had the most amazing guide for the boat tour (Szonja), who made such an effort to schedule everything to perfection (including the stripper). It was nice that Szonja came to our hotel to meet us prior to going onto the boat. Szonja was a perfect addition to the group, and it was as if she was just one of the girls, she is so kind. Szonja was also on hand for any recommendations for the remainder of our weekend, and we can’t thank her enough! She was an absolute superstar and her attention to detail was so apparent.
By Katie Mason 9th July
Freedom Ltd Hen in Liverpool
We had a fantastic time!!! The bride was so surprised with the boat trip and said it was the highlight of her whole hen do! We had such a laugh and Jamie who drove the boat for us was great! So welcoming and ensured we all had the best time.
By Nakisha Evans 29th May
Freedom Ltd Hen in Brighton
Seamless planning. Not stressful and everything we did was a good time. Bottomless brunch, dance class 90s and night club VIP table and drinks package. Thank you
By Holly Charlesworth 20th May
Freedom Ltd Hen in Essex
Freedom weekend were brilliant in helping me with a mobile chef for my friends hen weekend. Laura took ALL the pressure away from me and we all had a fantastic time. Well done and Thankyou