Theming the Hens party adds a whole extra element of anticipation and laughs on the day, and means that your photos from the festivities are going to be even more Instagram worthy. If you choose your theme wisely, it is also a great way to make the day all about the bride-to-be…
If you’re in charge of organising the hens day, you’ll want to come up with a dress up theme that is not only easy and fun for all the girls to organise, but will also last the entire day (the animal onesie sounded like a good idea until it’s 2am and you’re in line at da club). Alternatively if you’ve got a room booked in a hotel nearby and can make a costume change before heading out for dinner and dancing, then you can go all out with your dress ups.
We’ve seen our fair share of dress ups over the years, so here is a list of our favourite hens themed dress up ideas as worn by some of our hens groups.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE HEN
Assign each team an element of the bride to be’s life! Draw inspiration from her work, hobbies, childhood, and schooling life.
E.g. she works as a nurse (SCRUBS or NAUGHTY NURSES), plays sport in her free time (NETBALL, JANE FONDA RETRO STYLE, SWEAT BANDS AND SKIRTS, ETC), used to do ballet as a kid (TUTUS, TIARAS) and went to XYZ School (SCHOOL GIRLS, HIGH SOCKS & PIG TAILS)
GOING TO THE CHAPEL
Have everyone dress up in old, 80’s daggy wedding dresses and prom frocks (head on down to Vinnies if you haven’t got one lying around). Everyone will look as (good) bad as each other and you can be sure the photos will be full of bright colours, shoulder pads, puffy skirts and taffeta galore!
DECADES AND ERA’S
Choose a decade that relates to the bride (either her favourite era, or the year she was born) and have everyone dress in get up from that era. Draw inspiration from typical fashion trends, celebrities, and sports stars. From Flapper Girls to the Spice Girls, you can create the ultimate blast from the past.
COLOURS
For something less extreme, have everyone come as the bride to be’s favourite colour, or assign a colour to each team and have them use their existing wardrobe to put together their own outfit. This is a subtle way to include the hen without requiring a full costume change before you head out.
MAD HATTERS
For an easy transition from high tea to hen’s activity to dinner, try a mad hatters theme! This can include fascinators, flower crowns, hats, and tiaras. Most girls will already have something at home they can use, and best of all they can take it off after the hen’s games have finished, in time for the fancy restaurant!
MOVIE, TV SHOW OR BOOK THEME
Get all the girls to come as a character of their choice from the hen’s favourite movie, TV show or book. You’ll probably end up with a heap of Ayra Stark’s, but that friend that always goes the extra mile and comes dressed as a White Walker will be an instant hero.
HONEYMOON HEAVEN
If the bride is about to jet off on her honeymoon to Paris, get all the girls to come wearing berets and stripes! Or if she’s taking a tropical paradise getaway, you can get colourful lei’s and grass skirts to bring a touch of the excitement. You can also choose the location of where the couple met, as long as it wasn’t down at the RSL. Actually, that could actually be the best theme of all…!
REALITY TV SHOWS
The ultimate hens party dress up is the theme of the bride’s favourite reality TV Show. From A Farmer Wants A Wife, MasterChef, MKR, The Block to The Bachelor, each theme is easy and fun to dress up as!
Great Race runs hens party themed events including Amazing Races, Survivor, Minute To Win It and more.
