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THEY have a reputation for being tipsy affairs.
However, brides are increasingly ditching the fizz in favour of physicality at their hen parties.
Yoga, park runs and dance classes are slowly creeping up on boozy bar crawls as the centrepiece of many weekends.
At the same time, one of the UK’s leading hen party organisers has revealed that wellness is slowly becoming “front and centre” of many a bridal party’s plans.
But perhaps the most startling change is the increased thirst for teetotal hen parties.
“While the bubble hasn’t quite burst for boozy hen parties, demand is definitely drying up,” said Matt Mavir, Managing Director of Last Night of Freedom.
“Increasingly we are getting requests for hen party activities like mocktail workshops, rather than cocktails.
“And it is becoming rarer to find a large hen party where at least one member isn’t teetotal.
“Even among our most popular hen party destinations, such as Newcastle and Liverpool – that attract thousands of hens each year due to their nightlife – we are experiencing more demand for fun that isn’t fuelled by alcohol.”
His comments come after recent polling revealed that a quarter of British women, aged 25-34, are now teetotal.
Among women aged 16-24, that figure almost doubles – suggesting teetotal hens could one day become the rule, rather than the exception.
And as the market grows, there’s now far more choice for brides-to-be who don’t want their hen party memories clouded by hellacious hangover.
“Once upon a time, a hen party consisted of drinking for two to three days with maybe an activity thrown into the mix,” added Matt, who has been organising hen parties for almost a quarter of a century.
“However, that’s changed immeasurably. Groups, especially younger brides, are far more interested in making memories rather than getting drunk.
“They want an experience they’ll always remember which is borderline impossible after ten tequilas.
“That’s why increasingly groups are instead opt for a lavish spa break in the likes of Bath and York, where they can get pampered for a few days and come home feeling revitalised – rather than reaching for the aspirin as soon as they walk through the door.
“We’ve seen a huge boom in bookings for our more holistic activities too – packages like mobile yoga and our energetic dance classes, such as those with Sashay Dance.
“And while once upon a time you would have been shocked to see a hen party crawl out of bed before noon, you often see them out doing a park run together come 9am on a Saturday, and that’s indicative of the changing attitudes.”
And another new study backs that up. According to the wedding firm Hitched, just 10 per cent of almost 1,000 people polled said they’d refuse to attend a hen weekend if it was a sober event – while almost half said they’d be happy to partake in an activity party with events like yoga or a boot camp.
