13 Gloriously Tacky Bits of Hen Do Merchandise

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Fittingly though, it's because I've been ensconsed in hen do organisation and wedding cake making! For a single girl, weddings sure do form a large part of my life. It's cool though, because I bloomin' love them.

The last hen do gave me serious inspiration, so there will be a bounty of posts coming soon. For now I wanted to share my pick of the best hen do accessories. There are lots of different types of hen dos out there - there's the tacky, old fashioned hen, there's the classy hen, there's the crazy themed hen and the hen that doesn't even seem like a hen. I've been on most of those kinds but I have to say that I find the tackiness creeps in. Even if you're not the type of girls who want to prowl the streets in matching outfits with willy shaped accessories, a little bit of cheesiness never seems to go amiss. So even if you're only looking for a little bit of tack, some of these might help...

1. Cowboy hat 2. Bride to Be Glasses 3. Garter 4. Balloons 5. Bunny Ears 6. Willy Straws 7. L Plates 8. Pin the Tail

9. Mini Hen Hats 10. Bride to Be Kit 11. Sparkly hat 12. Ring headband 13. Bunny Ears set

Don't forget though, if you've got some pound shops near you, trawl them first. Poundland has pink sparkly cowboy hats, the 99p store has 4 tiaras for a pound. Their stock is changing all the time - they are my top tip for hen do purchasing!

Finally, if this whole post made you cringe, don't worry. I'll be doing a post on the best non-tacky hen accessories at some point, too!

14 Easy Cocktails

I personally think that cocktails are an essential part of any hen do. Or any day of the week, really. Cocktails – basically essential for getting me through life. Now, obviously the best way to have cocktails is for some handsome man (or lady) to spend ages mixing and muddling and shaking and serving it on a little square napkin but that’s not always possible. So for when you are just hanging out – say, AT A HEN DO – here are some of my favourite cocktail recipes that you can make at home.

All of these are cocktails that you literally just pour, stir and drink. No fuss, no muss. Great in jugs, too!

Woo Woo
The last hen I went to, the bride drank this in copious amounts. As I haven’t been able to go near Archers since I was a teenager, I can’t really vouch for this recipe. But if you like that peachy devil drink, you’ll probably like this.

• 1 shot Peach Schnapps e.g. Archers
• 1 shot Vodka
• Cranberry Juice, to taste.

Ferrari Jack
I think of this as kind of a blokey cocktail. But I’m a very girlie girl, and this is one of my favourites, so I don’t know what I’m talking about. Probably that it’s a cocktail that boys will like, as well as girls.

• 1 shot Amaretto
• 1 shot Jack Daniels
• Coke, to taste.

Amaretto & Cranberry
Technically this isn’t a cocktail, as cocktails have to have 3 ingredients to qualify. It is super yummy, though. Try it!

• 1 shot Amaretto
• Cranberry Juice, to taste.

White Russian
I love creamy booze but I also don't recommend mixing it with other types of booze. That way sickness lies.

• 1 shot Vodka
• 1 shot Kahlua
• Milk or cream, to serve

Black Russian
Way more up my street than White Russians and easier to make! Exactly the same as above, but instead of milk/cream, use coke.

Sangria
An awesome way to utilise cheap red wine. And it's got fruit in it, so it's healthy!

• 3 parts red wine
• 2 parts orange juice
• 1 part lemonade
• Fresh fruit slices to serve

Pimms
Fruit! Healthy! Not just for summer, either - try Winter Pimms with hot apple juice and a dash of rum, or instead of mixing with lemonade, mix with Prosecco. Classy and boozy.

• 1 part Pimms
• 3 parts lemonade
• Fresh fruit slices to serve

Sea Breeze
A classic drink - again, not my favourite (I hate grapefruit!) but it's super easy and popular.

• 1 shot Vodka
• 1 shot Grapefruit
• Cranberry Juice, to taste

Tequila Sunrise
Grenadine makes drinks look fancy, but is really inexpensive. Even though this has tequila in it (source of many a terrible hangover), this is quite a refreshing fruity drink. Well. Depending on how much tequila you use.

• 2 shots tequila
• Dash of Grenadine
• Orange Juice, to taste

Sex on the Beach
Oh, this takes me back to Lloret de Mar, 2001. Archers. Never again.

• 1 shot Vodka
• 1 shot Archers
• Equal parts Orange and Cranberry Juice, to serve

Kir Royale
Champagne cocktails seem posh, but can be pretty reasonably priced - let's face it, we really mean Cava or Prosecco when we say champagne, don't we?

• 1 shot Cassis
• Champagne, to taste

Gin Buck
Mmmmm, gin. Ginger ale is super warming - good for a winter hen!

• 2 shots gin
• Ginger Ale, to taste

Jäger bombs
I hear this drink is popular with the kids. I haven't tried it - I KNOW. But I don't like Jager or Red Bull, I feel I am not its target audience.

• 1 shot Jagermeister
• Red Bull, to taste

Punch
So, you've got a random collection of booze... and juice. Throw it together, call it punch. WIN.

Why not ask all your hens to bring a different spirit and mixer so you don’t get any doubles? Then hold your own cocktail event. You can even take it in turns making up jugs of cocktails and passing them around – an excellent way to spend an evening, don’t you think?

Location Spotlight: A Brighton Hen Do

Welcome to the first in my Location Spotlight series. There are tons of places all over the UK (and the rest of the world) that are perfect for hen dos, and so the aim of this monthly feature is to give you some tips on holding hens all over the shop based on my own experience and that of my friends.

First up is Brighton. I went to a hen do there a couple of weeks ago, which is actually what inspired me to start this blog! Brighton is MADE for hen dos. You can't move for pink cowboy hats. For real. We ran into several when we were out and about - including a group in awesomely hideous 80s bridesmaid dresses. LOVE that idea!

I think Brighton is so popular because it's a very liberal city. It's also very easy to get to - around an hour on the train from London (and Gatwick is on the same line). The only downside is that it's pricey - London prices for drinks and reasonably priced hotels/apartments are hard to find. It's doable though - and because it's such a vibrant place, you don't necessarily need to spend as much on activities as there is tons to do.


Where to stay
Brighton is very popular and so accommodation books up fast. In the summer you're looking at a 2 night minimum stay pretty much everywhere and even the shabby B&Bs are £100 a night. Book in advance, if you can! Here are some options, though...

Self catering: We stayed here - it sleeps 10 and was just off the main high street. It was perfect, I highly recommend. From £60 a weekend, based on 10 sharing.
Another friend is staying here which looks awesome. From £70 a weekend, based on 17 sharing.

Hotels: The Hilton is lovely (amazing breakfast!) and right on the seafront. From £94 a night.
On a smaller budget, Travelodge is just off the seafront and is from only £23 a night (depending when you book) and the Premier Travel Inn is from £53 a night.

Where to eat
There are tons of restaurants in Brighton, but these are some of my favourites:
Smokey's - BBQ is having a moment, but who can complain when it's this good? Huge portions, hen friendly!
Foodilic - An awesome buffet of tasty salady bits - amazing if you need some goodness after boozy badness.
Lucky Beach - mindblowing pulled pork, incredible burgers
JB's Diner - amazing diner food and boozy milkshakes
Fish & Chips on the beach - you can't not, can you?

What to do
Head to the pier for old fashioned seaside fun. There's a huge arcade on the pier and loads of rides. Or just go for a paddle, if the weather is good.

Pole dancing classes are super popular for hens now. I did it once - in Brighton - and was shockingly bad at it. No upper body strength, you see. You can do it at Bar 76 (more on that below) or book through here. But do a google - there are loads of places that offer it. It's a lot of fun, even if you're rubbish like me.

Bar 76 is a bar that seems to be designed for hen dos. They do activities such as dance classes, cocktail making and themed movie nights. We did the Coyote Ugly dance class, which is a 2 hour lesson in the day, then VIP treatment back at the bar in the evening before performing the dance ON THE BAR in front of everyone. One for the more confident of hens, but even the shyer ones amongst us loved it.

Cabaret & Strippers - A friend of mine is going to a hen do at Adonis Cabaret soon. If you want to go full on tacky and traditional, this looks PERFECT. Strippers are way more acceptable since Magic Mike, right?

Shop - Brighton is AMAZING for shopping. The Lanes are full of awesome independent shops, but if you venture towards Churchill Square you'll also find high street heaven. I don't think I've ever left Brighton without a new dress.


Best bars
Riki Tik - Reggae and cocktails
Bar 76 - Hen do heaven
The Black Dove - Great decor and yet more awesome cocktails
The Bee’s Mouth - Amazing live music
Twisted Lemon - Cheap & cheerful
Oceana - It's not big, it's not clever. But it does have a light up dancefloor!

If you have any questions about Brighton or any more suggestions, let me know in the comments!