
What to Wear to a Hen Party | Every Dress Code Decoded
October 20, 2026The invite is where a hen weekend stops being a group-chat theory and becomes a real thing with a date on it. A good one does the jobs the WhatsApp thread never will. It makes things official. It tells everyone what they’re committing to and, crucially, what they’re paying. And it sets the tone, classy sparkle or full cowgirl chaos, before anyone’s booked a train.
Below: what your hen party invites need, wording you can lift word for word, the digital versus paper question, and when to send. Steal freely. That’s what it’s for.
What Every Hen Invite Needs
- The essentials: date(s), location, and whether it’s a day, night or full weekend.
- The money, upfront and honest: total cost per person, what it includes, deposit amount and the payment deadline.
- The plan, loosely: “brunch, an activity, dinner and dancing” is enough, keep one surprise up your sleeve for the bride.
- Practicalities: dress code or theme, what to bring (comfy shoes if there’s a dance class, we say no more), and accommodation details.
- RSVP: one named person, one deadline, one payment method. Vague invites create the exact group-chat chaos they were meant to prevent.
Hen Do Invites Wording You Can Steal
The classic:
“She said yes, now it’s our turn to celebrate her! Join us for [Bride]’s hen weekend in [City], [dates]. Brunch, surprises and dancing very much included. £[X] per person covers [what it covers], deposit of £[X] by [date] to [name]. Let me know by [date], she can’t wait to have you there.”
The short and sparkly:
“[Bride] is getting married! Hen do: [city], [dates]. The plan: gorgeous. The cost: £[X]. The deadline: [date]. Are you in?”
The weekend-away version:
“Pack your bags, we’re stealing [Bride] for one last fling before the ring. [House/City], [dates], £[X] each covering the house, two activities and a dinner to remember. Deposits by [date], full details to follow, bring your dancing shoes.”
Tweak the warmth up or down to match your group, and always include the cost even when it feels awkward, everyone plans better when nobody’s guessing.
Digital or Paper? (Honest Answer: Either)
Digital hen party invitations win on speed, cost and RSVP-chasing, a designed image dropped into the group chat plus a follow-up message does the job beautifully, and free template tools make them look professional in minutes. Paper wins on keepsake charm, lovely for the bride’s copy even if everyone else goes digital. Etsy’s hen party invitation makers cover both, personalised printed suites and editable digital templates you customise yourself, many with matching itineraries, which your inner spreadsheet will love.
When to Send Hen Party Invitations
The hen do invitations timeline that keeps everyone happy: 10 to 12 weeks ahead for a UK weekend away (people need to book trains and babysitters), 6 to 8 weeks for a single day or hen night, and 4 to 6 months for anything abroad. Deposits due two weeks after the invite lands, while enthusiasm is high, and final balances a month before the date. Send a save-the-date text even earlier if the group’s diaries are chaos, which, let’s be honest, they are.
Make It Hers: Theme and Tone
The invite is the theme’s first appearance, so let it match: blush and gold for the classy weekend, a cowboy hat motif if Last Rodeo is coming, blue gingham for a Mamma Mia moment. And one line on the invite does more for the weekend than any decoration: tell them what’s planned. “Saturday 2pm: a surprise activity, wear comfy shoes” builds more excitement than secrecy ever does. If you want the version that gets the group chat properly buzzing, plenty of our organisers write “2pm: dance class to her favourite songs, comfy shoes essential”, we come to wherever the party is, the bride dances free, and apparently the replies write themselves.
Our Top Trending Hen Party Dance Themes for 2027
Our most popular themes right now are Mamma Mia, Last Rodeo and Taylor Swift. Loads of our groups even go on to do the routine at the wedding!
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