Hen Heaven: Afternoon Tea Weekend

When given the task of picking an activity for your best friend’s hen party or your own (if you are the party planner) there are a huge range of fun activities on offer to choose from, whether you like pampering, dancing, action or something silly. It is vital to pick something that best suits you and your girls’ partying style. That way there’s more chance of the weekend being a perfect success!

Following on from the fun of the Jubilee celebrations and with the Olympics underway most of us are feeling patriotic and proud to be British so why not pick a truly quintessential hen do and go for a civilised (or not so civilised in some cases) Afternoon Tea Experience for you and the girls.

Hen Heaven’s Afternoon Tea experiences are held in the UK’s finest hotels and include tea/ coffee, assorted sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and preserves, cakes and a glass of champagne (this may be an optional extra at some of the hotels which will incur a small fee).

The great thing about this activity is that it caters for all, so if family are attending the daytime celebrations and you would like a more refined style hen do then this is perfect. It’s an ideal way to start the weekend’s festivities as it enables everyone to relax, mingle and chat and will therefore ease everyone into the night of dancing and drinking.

Hen Heaven Afternoon Tea Weekend

Afternoon tea became fashionable in the 1880’s, whereby upper-class and society women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o’clock. If you like the sophisticated style of this you could always request that everyone dresses up in elegant Victorian outfits or opt for a Princess or British theme.

If traditional and civilised isn’t quite your thing but you like the idea of this as an activity there is always the option of adding champagne and making it more of a Sex And The City-styled affair. You could even add a cocktail making master-class afterwards and really go to town!

Afternoon Tea Hen Do’s & Dont’s

If the bride-to-be is an active party girl then this may not be the right environment for her. Although it can be adapted ultimately it doesn’t involve the hen dancing round and singing, so I would suggest doing something like a dance class if that is more her style.

Do your research into the type of hotel that you are going to. Is it a grand sophisticated hotel or a stylish contemporary one, as this may affect whether you choose to go there and the type of afternoon you would like.

Do check if there is a dress code at the hotel and if you plan on bringing fancy dress etc., check with the hotel or your dedicated party planner.

Don’t do dares at this part of the weekend. If you are in the Brighton Grand or The Ritz in London I don’t think the manager will be too happy with you running up and asking for his underwear!

Do personalise your afternoon tea hen party; this will make it a lot of fun and special for the bride-to-be.

Do make it clear to all of the girls that there might be an additional charge for extras during the afternoon such as bottles of wine. It would be a good idea to work out the best way for this to be billed in advance. If you do not want the bride to be included in the final bill, you could organise a whip round of money in advance.

Hen Heaven offers afternoon tea in London, Brighton, Bristol & Manchester. Prices start from £22 per person. Visit henheaven.co.uk or call one of the expert party planners on 01273 225 075.

1st July 2012