Hen dos, hen nights and whole hen weekends: UK-voice wording the maid of honour can copy straight into the invite.
Hen do wording carries more logistics than any other invitation: dates, costs, the itinerary, what to pack, what to wear, and which parts are a surprise for the bride. Copy the example closest to your plan, swap in your names and cities, and send each hen her own private link; the yeses and per-day replies sort themselves while the group chat stays for the memes.
Afternoon tea, bottomless brunch and spa days: celebration with a booking attached.
Tea, cake and the bride-to-be. An afternoon tea for Charlotte Bennett’s hen do. Saturday 25 April 2026, 2pm The Willow Rooms, 14 Milsom Street, Bath Finger sandwiches, far too much cake and a prosecco upgrade for those inclined. £35 per person; the bride goes free. We’ve got her covered. RSVP by 10 April so we can book the long table.
Bottomless brunch, bottomless gossip. A hen brunch for the lovely Emma Clarke! Saturday 13 June 2026, 12pm The Florist, King Street, Manchester Ninety minutes of fizz, pancakes and toasts to the bride-to-be. £40 a head covers brunch and Emma’s share. Reply by 29 May. The table books at final numbers.
Calm before the veil. A spa day for bride-to-be Sophie Marsh. Saturday 7 March 2026, 10am to 4pm The Fairfield Spa, Harrogate Robes, treatments and absolutely no wedding-admin talk allowed. £85 covers your treatment and lunch; dinner after is optional and split. RSVP by 20 February. Spa slots are limited.
Weekends away need the dates, the beats and the money on the invitation. Hens are booking trains off the back of it.
Pack your wellies and your dancing shoes. Lucy Whitfield’s hen weekend! Friday 15, Sunday 17 May 2026 Rosemary Cottage, Bourton-on-the-Water, the Cotswolds Friday: arrivals and a big cottage supper · Saturday: walk, prosecco picnic, night out in Cheltenham · Sunday: recovery brunch About £150 each covers the cottage and Saturday dinner. RSVP to each day by 17 April. The cottage books at final numbers.
She’s getting married. We’re getting the sea air. A Brighton hen weekend for Poppy Lane! Saturday 4, Sunday 5 July 2026 Home base: The Regency House, Brunswick Square, Brighton Beach morning, cocktail-making class at 4:00, dinner and dancing in the Lanes. £120 a head covers the stay and the class. Reply by 19 June, and tell us about any dietary requirements.
One last fling before the ring: Edinburgh edition. Hannah Fraser’s hen weekend · 18–20 September 2026 Friday: arrivals and supper in Stockbridge · Saturday: Old Town wander, afternoon tea, ceilidh night · Sunday: brunch and farewells Home base: 22 Dundas Street, Edinburgh Around £180 each for the flat and Saturday. RSVP by 21 August so we can confirm the ceilidh numbers.
One evening, full volume. The wording just needs the meeting point, the plan and the dress code.
One night. One bride. No sensible shoes. Georgia Hart’s hen night! Saturday 8 August 2026, 7pm start First stop: The Alchemy Bar, Greek Street, Leeds Cocktails, dinner and dancing until they turn the lights on. Wear black; the bride wears white. £30 kitty covers the bride’s night. RSVP by 24 July.
Fancy dress is not optional. A 90s-themed hen night for Jess Butler! Saturday 10 October 2026, 6.30pm Meet at The Old Crown, Digbeth, Birmingham Scrunchies, double denim and a playlist of absolute bangers. Prizes for full commitment; forfeits for jeans-and-a-nice-top. Reply by 25 September so your sash is ready.
She said yes. Now she’s saying it into a microphone. Karaoke hen night for Amy Dawson! Friday 20 November 2026, 7.30pm The Song Rooms, Poland Street, Soho, London Private room, song list open for requests, duet with the bride mandatory. £25 a head covers the room and the first round. RSVP by 6 November.
When the maid of honour is organising, the invitation speaks in her voice, and keeps the bride’s surprises safe.
Hens, assemble. I’m Claire, Olivia’s maid of honour, and I’m delighted to report her hen do is GO. Save the weekend of 12–14 June 2026; we’re off to Cornwall. Full plan, cost and packing list to follow. For now, just tell me you’re in. Reply by 20 March so I can hold the house. And remember: nothing on the main group chat.
This one’s a secret. Ruby thinks she’s coming to a quiet dinner. She is not. A surprise hen party for Ruby Nash! Saturday 16 May 2026. Hens arrive 6.30pm sharp; Ruby arrives at 7:00 The Glasshouse, Ouseburn, Newcastle Decorations, prosecco and the slideshow are handled; you just arrive on time. RSVP to me (Beth, maid of honour) by 1 May, and not a word to Ruby.
The hen do, fully organised. You’re welcome. For the bride-to-be, Alice Warren: Saturday 5 September 2026 11:00 flower-crown workshop · 1:00 long lunch · 4:00 back to the flat to change · 8:00 dancing Start point: 9 Park Row, Bristol £60 covers the workshop, lunch and Alice’s day. Reply by 21 August with any dietary requirements. Then all you have to do is turn up.
Whichever tone you choose, every hen party invitation needs the same bones: who, what, when, where, and when to reply.
Trains, annual leave and childcare all hang on the dates. Put them at the top: for a weekend, the full range, and for a night out, the day and the start time.
Awkward to write, far worse to spring on people. State the per-head figure and exactly what it covers (“£150 covers the cottage and Saturday dinner”) and whether the bride’s share is included in it.
Friday supper, Saturday activity, Sunday brunch, with times. Hens who can only make part of the weekend need to know which parts exist before they can say yes to any of them.
If there’s a theme, a colour rule or a sash situation, say so up front: “wear black; the bride wears white” or “prizes for full commitment.” Nobody should discover the dress code at the door.
Label anything the bride doesn’t know (“the piano bar she hasn’t heard about yet”) and say where chatter is safe. “Nothing on the main group chat” has saved a thousand surprises.
“RSVP by 17 April: the cottage books at final numbers” turns a polite request into a real one. Tie the date to the booking and the replies actually arrive.
Where the wording goes next: designs, guides and the rest of the library.
Wording etiquette for hen party invitations, answered plainly.
Six things: the bride’s name, the dates, the meeting point or home base, the per-head cost and exactly what it covers, the itinerary beats, and a reply-by date tied to the bookings. Add the dress code or theme if there is one, and say plainly which parts are a surprise for the bride.
Whichever matches the plan: a hen night is one evening, a hen weekend is the full trip away, and “hen do” covers everything in between. They’re all the same celebration at different sizes, and if your crowd says “bachelorette party,” the wording works the same; just swap the word and keep the plan.
UK convention: the hens split the shared costs between them and cover the bride’s share, so she pays for nothing. Travel to the destination is usually each hen’s own. Whatever you decide, put the maths on the invitation. A stated £150 is far kinder than a mystery bill after the weekend.
Two to three months for a weekend away, so hens can book trains, time off and childcare; three to four weeks is enough for a single night out. Collect replies well before anything books. The cottage, the van and the spa all confirm at final numbers.
The bride decides, never the group chat. A common compromise: mums and aunties join the daytime part, the afternoon tea or the meal, and the evening carries on without them. If the do is split like that, put both parts on the invitation so everyone knows which they’re warmly expected at.
Copy an example, make it yours in minutes, and hit send. Every RSVP tracks itself on one live dashboard, and only you ever see the guest list.