What to Wear to a Hen Party & Hen Party Outfits

Your Guide to Hen Party Style

If you’re heading off on a hen party then we’re sure you’ll want to make every effort to look your best.

But choosing the right hen party outfit can be tricky if you’re out with girls you don’t know in a city you may never have been to before.

That’s why we’ve put together this short guide to help.  It will give you lots of ideas to make sure you can keep your individual style and stand out from the crowd without looking out of place.

If you’re looking for fancy dress ideas or themes then check out our 10 Killer Hen Party Themes article.

We’ve broken the guide down in to a few important areas for you to consider:

• Travel
• During the day & Activities
• Fancy Dress & T-shirts
• Themes
• Night time style

We’ve also pulled together a great selection of hen party accessories, from dressing the bride to making your venue look extra special or keepsakes for your hen party we’ve picked the best.  And what’s great is that it’s all sold through Amazon – we’ve just compiled the very best for you to look at.

What to wear to a hen party

Travel

The key to travelling to your hen party destination is simple: Comfort.

Wear clothes that you’re relaxed in – you don’t want anything digging in or rubbing when you may be travelling for a good few hours.

Try to wear a few layers so you can add or take away depending on the temperature.  This is especially true if you’re travelling abroad – it may be snowing in Britain but warm where you’re heading.

Wear comfortable shoes – travelling always involves walking around airports or stations or city centres looking for the hotel.

Take a handbag that zips or wear clothes where you can safely store travel documents and your valuables.  Tourists in any city, including the UK, are easy prey for thieves.

If you want to make a good impression on other hen party attendees then take a quick change of shoes and top in your hand luggage or some good accessories to dress up your outfit.

During the day & activities

Similar to travelling, comfort is a key consideration as you may be up early and out all day.

Think about what you’re going to be doing.  If you’re heading in to the city to do some shopping then smart casual is fine.
If you’re doing an activity then make sure to ask the organiser if you’ll need any special clothing – most specialist kit is provided during activities but you’ll need to know about general type of clothing.  Don’t forget to take a change of clothing if you’re going to end up wet or dirty during your activity.

Fancy Dress

This is probably the most controversial part of any hen night.  Some people are fine with dressing up but others can find it a real trauma.
Our advice is to avoid fancy dress:

• It puts pressure on people who may not want to take part
• City centre bars and restaurants are clamping down on it so you’re more likely to be refused entry to places
• It easily identifies you as a hen party, making you more likely to end up in trouble or a victim of crime

If you do go in fancy dress then our advice is:

• Get on the guest list for clubs and pubs and let them know about the fancy dress to avoid any problems
• Same goes for restaurants
• Don’t spend a lot on fancy dress outfits and wear other appropriate clothing underneath so you can take the fancy dress off if needed.
• Be considerate to others – you may think dressing the bride up as a giant penis is hilarious but Saturday afternoon shoppers won’t.

If you really want fancy dress then check out our Top 10 Hen Party Fancy Dress Ideas.

If you don’t want fancy dress but do want something to make your hens feel special then what about a  hen party theme…

Theme

A theme is a great way for your hen party to have something in common but not necessarily to stand out as a hen party.
It also gives your hen party a lot more freedom in how they interpret it – so if you chose ‘pink’ as your theme your hens can go all out with pink outfits or just accessorise an outfit with pink jewellery.  Don’t underestimate how much more comfortable this makes people feel.
The theme you choose is entirely up to you (classy or cheesy) but the more individual to your bride you can make it the better it’ll be; does she have a favourite colour, what about a movie that you could pick a theme from, or a favourite item of clothing?
Here’s a few general suggestions:

• Pink
• Sparkle – diamonds, sequins anything that glitters!
• Animals – butterflies, birds, tigers are all easy to find on outfits and jewellery
• Red carpet glamour
• Maxi dresses (summer only choice this!)
• Leather
• Little Black Dress

Night time style

If you’re not going in fancy dress or your theme still means you have to choose an outfit then here’s a few things to consider for your hen night:

• If you’re feeling out of touch with what’s in style then pick up a couple of glossy magazines
• If shopping is part of your hen party then pick an outfit with input from the rest of the group.  But always have a back up in case you don’t get anything!
• Make reservations at clubs and pubs (it saves queuing anyway) and ask about dress code/style
• Take a look at photo galleries online for places you’ll be visiting to get an idea of what the style is.
• If anybody on the hen party is from the city you’re visiting then ask them about what’s appropriate for a night out.
• Take a range of clothing from dress down chic to full on glamour so you can be sure you’ve got it covered.
• The most important thing about the hen night is that you Enjoy Yourself!  Yes, outfits are important but celebrating with your friends is why you’re really there so relax, be confident and have fun.

We also highly recommend you read our article on hen party safety, written with help from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust it’s packed with useful, practical advice to help keep your hen party safe.

Ready to start organising your hen party?  Then read our in depth Hen Party City Guides.