Earlier this year, I wrote about having a couple of hen parties to plan throughout the year. I even wrote a guide on planning a bachelorette party to help out some of you guys from my learnings. I’ve also learnt that it can be quite the undertaking, with different people, tastes, and budgets to contend with. Most importantly, it’s also really fun and super rewarding once you’re there and everyone’s having a great time. July held a new challenge in store for me in the shape of the hen do of one of my closest friends. So, here’s my guide on how to plan a hen do in Bath.
Finding Hen Do Accommodation in Bath
This was one of the more challenging parts of planning the hen do. We initially wanted to go away for the hen do, but with so many people keen to come, it became a little too ambitious. Instead, we settled on somewhere close to our hometown of Cheltenham, but that offered a little more entertainment and fun for us. We worked out rough budgets, and found a lovely old town house in the centre of Bath.
The house also has gorgeous views across the old buildings of Bath and the rolling hills of the countryside and beyond.
It had around five floors and plenty of rooms to accommodate for the whole hen party. There were a few communal rooms and two kitchens for us to prepare all our food and drinks. We decorated the whole house ready for the bride-to-be’s arrival.
She arrived in Bath ready for the hen do so we got ready to start kicking off the festivities altogether. The champagne got popping!
Activities for a Hen Do in Bath
Once the logistics of sorting out our accommodation and ensuring we found a city everyone could get to and from easily enough, the fun began. We brainstormed fun things to do and looked hen do activities in Bath. The key thing to consider here is budget and timings. We’d have loved to have gone to Bath’s Thermae Spa, but it’s not within everyone’s budget and you’re unable to reserve for large parties. Instead, we found a bunch of fun things to plan and do for the hen do in Bath.
‘This is your life…’
As several members of the bride-to-be’s family were coming to the hen do, we created a presentation. We asked everyone in the party beforehand to send across fun memories and special photos. We pulled it together in a slideshow, and settled down to watch it with champagne. It got all emotions from giggles to tears, but went down really well.
Bridal gift game
Another idea we had ahead of the Bath hen do was to ask each guest to bring with them a small token gift. The gift would be presented anonymously, but needed some meaning or sentiment attached to it. The bride-to-be would then unwrap each gift and have to guess who it was from. We had everything from the bizarre to the downright hilarious, and it made for a great hen do activity.
Mr & Mrs game
Of course, another classic hen do game. We ran through a list of questions prior to the hen do and asked the groom-to-be to record his answers. We ran through the same questions with the bride-to-be, and played back his answers. She got an uncanny amount correct, and it made for so many laughs. We added a couple of extra tasks into the mix. These were anything from tasting extremely hot chilli sauce (the groom’s favourite), to naming players from his beloved rugby team.
Night out activities
Ahead of our night out for the hen do in Bath, we all came up with a list of activities for the bride-to-be on her final fling. These involved trying to get someone else’s top to wear, being picked up, proposing to someone, and so on. It added an extra element of fun to the night out and once again got everyone involved.
Entertainment for a Hen Do in Bath
Butler in the Buff
Of course, what hen do would be a hen do without a butler in the buff? It’s a great way to get the party started. We all sat down with some dinner and drinks and our butler came in. As well as adding a little eye candy into the mix, it’s a fun way to get everyone involved. He made cocktails for us and poured drinks. You can either bring your own games or he’ll come prepared with his own for everyone to play. It’s a great icebreaker, particularly at hen dos where not everyone knows each other. Make sure to shop around for your Bath hen do butler as many companies compete.
Life drawing class
Where we thought the butler in the buff may be a little more controversial with the mothers of the bride and groom, the life drawing class excelled. Our model asked how dignified we’d like him to be and poured everyone’s drinks. Our bride-to-be was insistent on everything coming off, and so it did. We bought drawing materials and tried to mix it up. Each hen do girl had to pick a body part to draw with and a material. We then had to draw to our model’s requests. It was a really good laugh and a collaborative effort.
Gin masterclass
It’s no secret our bride-to-be loves her gin. So when thoughts turned to a cocktail masterclass, we had to find a gin class instead. Luckily for us, we discovered Sub 13. Just a short walk from our Bath townhouse, the bar caters for large parties. We started with a tasty lemon gin cocktail, and took our seats. Our host guided us through the different kinds of gin on offer and passed round samples. We then got to get into groups and make our own cocktails by choosing the botanicals to go with each gin. The host picked a winner and we got to drink them before heading on to dinner.
Food and Drink on a Hen Do in Bath
A big perk for us in getting our own accommodation complete with kitchen was the ease for being able to cook. Not everyone is able to afford to dine out for every meal across a long weekend, so we got creative in a few ways.
Cheese and wine evening
On our first night with the butler in the buff, we received a huge food delivery with all the food and drink we needed. That way, no one needed to spend any more money all weekend and all meals were looked after. For something quick and easy on our first night, we prepared a cheese and wine table. There was pretty much everything in the spread, with dozens of wine and cheese varieties and all the extras. It was simple to prepare, perfect for the butler, and affordable.
Hen do breakfast
We managed to pull off a similar scenario at breakfast the next morning for our hen do in Bath. Having ordered everything in, we made eggs, bacon, smashed avocado, and everything else you could possibly want. As well as teas, coffees, and so on, we also created a mimosa station. We had dozens of bottles of prosecco, and each hen do guest could choose their flavour. It got merry with breakfast and was a great way to start the day.
Snacks
The best thing about cooking so much in the morning is all the leftovers. To keep everyone sustained through the many glasses of prosecco, we put out snacks. Always have a few pizzas spare in the fridge, because you’ll always need them. This way, we had a very happy hen do party.
Dinner at Aqua
We all stipulated that we wanted one meal that wouldn’t be in our Bath townhouse. Aqua in central Bath received good recommendations, so we pre-booked a table. It was easy because we could all pre-pay and choose our three course menus beforehand. It was a nice venue with tasty food, and good to begin our night out.
Al fresco lunch
Feeling a little groggy after our night out on the Saturday, we rounded off our hen do in Bath with a little lunch. As Bath is such a beautiful city, it was important to go and explore a little. Particularly when the July sun is shining down. We headed out towards the iconic river and found a cute little Italian restaurant called Ponte Vecchio. Luckily, we all managed to grab a table outside and nibbled on pizza and pasta before heading home.
That’s how we planned our hen do in Bath! Do you have any other ideas? I’d love to hear what you got up to on your hen do.
