Friends pay price as hen party costs hit £700 each

HEN parties are becoming as expensive for guests as the weddings themselves, a survey has found.
Hen parties now take on a variety of forms  and they can last for days. Picture: Jane BarlowHen parties now take on a variety of forms  and they can last for days. Picture: Jane Barlow
Hen parties now take on a variety of forms  and they can last for days. Picture: Jane Barlow

The average cost of a hen do has risen to £185, with those held abroad spiralling to £680, including travel and hotel bills.

The stag and hen party industry is worth about £300 million a year and growing, with many brides-to-be treating the events as a mini-holiday that lasts several days rather than one night.

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Four out of ten brides-to-be said they had warned friends at least three months in advance of the hen party so they could plan ahead, while a quarter gave more than six months notice.

Two-thirds of women invited to a prenuptial knees-up said they would have to start saving well in advance.

Tiffany Wright, a “romance expert and proposal planner”, said: “With weddings getting more and more expensive as people opt to get married abroad or further afield, hen dos are now following suit.

“A hen do which used to be one night out is now a weekend or more, meaning friends have to fork out for flights, accommodation, meals … the list is never-ending.

“Hen nights are becoming like a competitive sport. More and more women feel pressured to have the ‘best hen yet’ and, as such, feel they can demand their friends fork out for it – after all, brides-to-be can always pull out the line, ‘But I’m only going to have one hen’.”

The survey, from retailer Debenhams, found hen parties often included a pampering element, such as a personal hair and beauty stylist before the big night out, costing the bride’s friends an average of £40, while most will also splash out on a £75 outfit for the evening event.

Food and drink costs another £50, while transport to and from the event is a further £20.

The biggest cost for a hen do held abroad is hotel accommodation at £210, just ahead of flights or train travel at £150.

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Overseas hen parties typically cost £150 for food and drink, while travelling abroad appears to encourage guests to spend more on new clothes, with outfits coming in at £100 and a further £40 for beauty treatments such as a fake tan or hair and make-up appointments.

Alain Mehada, of Debenhams, said: “We have seen a steady increase in inquiries from customers wanting help purchasing new outfits for hen parties.

“Often, the group of invited women may not all have seen each other for a few years and it is natural that they want to look their best.

Planning and shopping ahead is the key to getting the most for your money.”

The term “hen party” dates back to the 1800s and signified a gathering of women, but there was no link with weddings.

It was only in the 1970s, when women leaving work to get married would be dressed up on their last day and paraded around in a fake veil, that the hen-party culture seen today began to take off.

CASE STUDY

‘I didn’t want anything too extravagant’

Suzanne Mackie, who runs communications agency Hummingbird, held a low-key hen night for a group of friends at her parents’ home in Aberdeen.

The new Edinburgh bride, who married husband Robert last month, said: “I had been to lots of hen nights before which were really extravagant and I knew I didn’t want to do that.

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“I had a vintage-style tea party where we all dressed up and played a few silly games. The one extravagant thing was my friends had organised a rapping duo to write a rap for me and perform it, which was brilliant.

“I knew quite a lot of my friends from Edinburgh wouldn’t be able to make it up to Aberdeen, so we had dinner out here too.

“I’ve had to turn down invitations to hen nights before as they’ve just been too expensive – I’ve heard of people who’ve had them in Paris and Marbella.

“There was one four-day one in London which I worked out was going to cost me £600. It sounded fantastic, but I couldn’t justify it financially, so I just went down there for one day, stayed with a friend to keep costs down and met up with them for one of the activities.”