Organising a Hen Party at home
As Maid of Honour for one of my best friends, I had the task of organising her recent Hen Party. I was given strict instructions that it has to be a classy and sophisticated affair, which nowadays is quite far removed from the typical gathering of giggling girls prior to a wedding.
Organising a hen at home means you can add plenty of personal touches
I gave myself a few months to prepare and after searching the Internet far and wide, I was struggling for inspiration. That is until I came across “Birchbox”, which is a perfect gift for the Bride-to-be or even for the Hens! It is a subscription service where – based on your profile – you receive four to five beauty samples and one lifestyle sample each month. It is a great way to experiment with new products before the big day. There are exciting new collaborations from Lulu Guinness to Harper’s Bazaar, so you can be sure to stay on beauty trend.
After discovering this little treat for the guests, I felt as though I was beginning to gain some ground on the organising front. For the actual occasion, I finally settled on a “Hen at Home”. As a self confessed control freak, this lent itself well to my temptation to micromanage and ensure everything happened exactly the way it had been envisioned!
Fake Bake: The at home service
The only disadvantage of an “At Home Hen” in May is that you can’t control the weather. But that is normally the case for the whole year as far as British weather goes! Most of the girls attending the occasion love to feel tanned and seeing as we weren’t venturing to a hot climate for the Hen Party, I decided that we should bring the effects of the sunshine to us!
For a sun worshipper like myself the obvious solution was a spray tan. However, we have all had a bad spray tan and come out the other side looking like striped Oompa Loompas. However, I have long-been a fan of Fake Bake and read about their fantastic at home service. So there is no need to worry about the British weather as you can now enjoy a trip to the Caribbean in your living room! Just don’t forget to mix some Pina Coladas up too!
There is a choice of four tans available and the knowledgeable ‘tanners’ will advise you of the most appropriate one to chose on the basis of your skin type and colour. It is finished in 15 minutes and I was told it would not leave any curious smells. It lasted three weeks and with no patchiness; very impressive.
Canapes are perfect for a Hen at home
I would highly recommend hiring someone to cater the event as there is nothing worse than having a hostess with their head in the oven throughout (not to mention cleaning the pots after). I chose an up-and-coming company called Table Sessions. They were brilliant; we discussed the budget per person prior to the event and they were full of delicious suggestions such as Wild mushroom arancini and toasted brioche with red onion chutney, oak smoked ham and brie. We went down the canapé route which works perfectly if you have a large group as you can still interact.
At some point in your life every lady needs a “Carrie Bradshaw” moment. Since Carrie and her girls featured cupcakes on SATC they have been transformed from a birthday treat for children to a luxury item. Inspired, I unearthed Cakes by Krishanti. Krishanti creates exquisite cakes for all occasions, most notably famed for her breathtaking wedding creations!
Cakes by Krishanthi
With my Carrie cap on I wanted something bespoke and personal to celebrate the bride’s impending nuptials. I shared my ideas with Krishanti, but I was honestly blown away by her interpretation. Using the wedding theme of mint and the Bride’s soon-to-be initials, she created red velvet cupcakes which were so perfect they looked as though they should be preserved and put on display for all to see!
With the cocktails flowing, we spent the rest of the evening having a traditional ‘girls night in’ surrounded by old friends and the comforts of home. It couldn’t have been better for my bride-to-be as we gave the occasion the ultimate personal touch.
Katie partnered with the following brands for this feature: Cakes by Krishanthia: www.cakesbykrishanthi.co.uk; Fake Bake Spray Tan at Home: Book here; Birchbox: www.birchbox.com; Table Sessions for at home catering.
