36 of the best hen party ideas for budget celebrations

Is it just us or are hen dos becoming more extravagant and expensive? If you’re looking for hen party ideas that won’t break the bank, we’ve got you. Sticking to a budget isn’t easy, but with a little creativity, you can achieve a celebration that’s both fun and cheap (without looking cheap).

Organising a hen party can be difficult when it involves sticking to a budget and keeping people happy. Our guide has plenty of ideas, activities, and tips so you, the bride, and the hens can enjoy the celebration stress-free. Mix and match as many of our suggestions as you like to create your perfect hen on a budget.

The main things to focus on to plan a successful hen do are:

• Prioritising what the bride likes

• Gauging a budget from attendees

• Picking activities that everyone will enjoy

Don’t discount the idea of a good old-fashioned sleepover – there’s a reason we all loved them as teens. A simple sleepover at a nominated hen’s house can save a lot of money on accommodation. You can also choose a more relaxed dress code or opt for a pyjama party for ultimate comfort.

This leaves the rest of your budget for splashing out on hen do activities, party games, food, drinks, and decorations.

There are so many hen party games that are either cheap or free, here’s a roundup of our favourites:

Don’t forget to spruce up the house for optimal photo opportunities. Here are some decoration ideas for a range of themes and budgets:

Pro tip: ask around the invited hens or check out charity shops for items like flower vases, cake stands, crockery, glasses, and even a retro drinks trolley.

Food & drink-themed parties 

For a daytime hen party, you can book an activity based around food or drink. This is ideal for a foodie bride and can be an easy way for the group to bond and learn something new. 

2. Pot luck dinner £ £ £ £

Get each hen to bring a dish of their choice for at-home hen parties. Make sure there’s a selection of main dishes, sides, snacks, dips, and desserts. It’s budget-friendly, easy, and everyone gets to try something new.

3. Bottomless brunch £ £ £ £

With a bottomless brunch, you’ll get between 90 minutes and two hours for a meal and limitless drinks. It’s great value for money, but if you have members who don’t drink, you might want to find places that offer non-alcoholic options for a lower price. 

This activity also falls under our themed category, as you can find themed options like Beyonce Drag, 90s Baby, Abba, and Taylor Swift.

4. Brewery tour £ £ £ £ 

Beer-loving brides will revel in touring a local brewery or distillery. Tours are usually around two hours, in which time you’ll get to sample some product and maybe even a sit-down meal.

Money-saving tip: check out voucher sites like Groupon and Wowcher to find deals on hen do activities like classes, tours, and experiences.

5. Cookery class £ £ £ £

Cooking classes are a great way for the whole group to learn a new recipe, some skills, and have fun. They’re ideal for all levels of cooking and can be a great bonding exercise. As well as specific cuisines like Indian, Italian, or Thai, you could opt for pasta-making or pizza-making. 

6. Cocktail-making class £ £ £ £

Try your hand at mixology with a cocktail class. Classes usually last around two hours, in which time you’ll make several drinks that you get to taste and enjoy.

Money-saving option: buy a cocktail-making kit for a DIY version that you can do at home.

7. Chocolate-making class £ £ £ £

Another variation on a cooking class is making your own chocolate. Making chocolate can get very messy, but is a lot of fun and ends in a very tasty takeaway treat.

8. Afternoon tea £ £ £ £

Keep it classy with afternoon tea at a nearby restaurant or hotel. Spend a couple of hours enjoying finger sandwiches, mini quiches, cakes, and tea with everyone in their finest outfits.

9. Wine & cheese tasting £ £ £ £

Wine tasting and cheese tasting (or a combined session) is an easy way to add a boujee element to the hen do. 

10. Hire a chef £ £ £ £

Got some extra wiggle room in the budget? Splash out on a private chef who will come to you and cook up a professional meal for everyone.

You might also like: 24 DIY Christmas decorations: how to be festive on a budget

Outdoor & physical activities

There are plenty of hen activities that don’t have to rely on drinking for fun. If you’re celebrating in the spring or summertime, why not head outdoors to enjoy the weather? 

11. Go hiking £ £ £ £

Get back to basics and head into nature for a bride who loves hiking. This one is all about organisation: find a beautiful spot, plan a good route (that everyone can do), and sort out transportation. As long as all the hens have the right equipment, you’ll get some fantastic pictures and make great memories.

12. Yoga class £ £ £ £

Yoga classes are perfect for a hen party that’s more toned down and zen. Yogi brides will relish the opportunity to focus on some mindful exercise that is easily adaptable for all levels and bodies.

13. Go Ape £ £ £ £

Go Ape is a classic group activity day with all sorts of activities and challenges for outdoor fun and games. With 35 locations in the UK, it’s easy to find one near you, plus you’ll get a group discount for bookings of 10+ people. Choose from activities like axe throwing, ziplining, segway rides, and more. 

14. Trampolining £ £ £ £

Find your local indoor leisure centre and book out a room for some fun cardio. Sign up for lessons to learn some basic tricks (and work up an appetite for food afterwards).

15. Treasure hunt £ £ £ £

Make your own treasure hunt based on personal clues about the bride and fun challenges or pay a company to make one for you. Split up into teams and get hunting to complete the challenge first.

16. Golf Fang £ £ £ £

Previously known as ghetto golf and sometimes junkyard golf, think of this activity as crazy golf with cocktails and a DJ. The colourful indoor activity has something new round every corner, with a fun atmosphere ideal for a hen weekend.

17. Paintballing £ £ £ £

For the competitive bride, paintballing is all about teamwork, ruthlessness, and adrenaline. It’s messy and a little painful, so make sure you’re not planning to get dressed up and show some skin immediately afterwards.

18. Zorbing £ £ £ £

Zorbing is high energy and lots of fun, where you get to be like a hamster in a big, cushioned ball. Choose from freefall downhill or playing games and activities like football.

19. Paddleboarding £ £ £ £

Water sports are a great option to explore, even if you don’t live by the coast. Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) can be done on a river or barrage and will include a lesson and games or races. You can opt for packages that include some drinks afterwards or SUP yoga as part of the session.

20. Pole dancing class £ £ £ £

You might be surprised how much fun – and work! – pole dancing can be. Hire a professional pole dancing teacher and learn a full sequence to a song over the course of an hour or two.

Themed parties

Does the bride love a certain movie or book? Make the whole hen do about it.

21. Pub quiz £ £ £ £

Attend or organise a pub quiz based around the bride’s favourite topic. You can find themed pub quizzes for a variety of topics in your area, but for something more niche, why not organise your own? 

22. Arcade afternoon £ £ £ £

Head to the arcades for gamer brides – you could even rent out an arcade that’s on the smaller side. Pool your cash and get it converted into coins ready for an afternoon of play.

23. Dance class £ £ £ £

Learn a routine to 90s dance hits, a Britney classic, iconic moves from Dirty Dancing, and more. It’s ideal for working up an appetite and getting in the party spirit.

24. Fancy dress bar crawl £ £ £ £

Get back to basics with a good old-fashioned bar crawl, but dressed up. Whether it’s Barbie, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or Pokemon, the dress code is whatever the bride loves.

25. Hire a cinema room £ £ £ £

Pick the bride’s favourite films and hire a cinema room for an afternoon, complete with popcorn and fizz. Get everyone to dress up as a character, bring plenty of snacks, and get lots of photos.

Something a little different

You might find that the most popular ideas are the most expensive. Think outside the box and get creative with some unusual hen do activities, especially if that’s something the bride would enjoy.

26. Escape room £ £ £ £

You’ll have 60–90 minutes to find clues and solve the puzzle of escaping a large room or series of smaller rooms. Escape rooms are ideal for more modest hen parties, but larger groups can split up into teams or do different rooms entirely.

27. Karaoke room £ £ £ £

Embrace your inner diva and sing to your heart’s content with karaoke. No need to embarrass yourself in a room full of strangers, as you’ll book an entire room for the evening so everyone can pick their favourite song. Keep the drinks flowing and the tambourines shaking.

28. Murder mystery dinner £ £ £ £

Murder mysteries are ideal for groups of 10 to 20 people for maximum enjoyment. The dinner theatre experience is often themed and full of cheeky fun and black humour. Don your best acting hat, put on some accessories, and get invested in this interactive activity.

29. Theme park £ £ £ £

Got a group of fun-loving hens? Take a trip to the nearest theme park for a day of rollercoasters, stomach drops, water slides, and sugary sweet snacks. Go off-peak for smaller crowds or buy queue-skipping passes and make sure bagholders get plenty of good snaps.

30. Go glamping £ £ £ £

Glamping pods are popular for exploring beautiful parts of the countryside and a truly relaxing and back-to-basics experience. You’ll have all the benefits of nature and countryside quiet with a few mod-cons and luxuries for those who aren’t 100% into the camping experience. Bring along plenty of food and drinks, play some hen party games, and kick back stress-free.

Crafty activities

If you want more creative hen party ideas, there are plenty of arts & crafts activities for a more toned-down way to bond.

31. Flower-arranging £ £ £ £

Combine creativity with horticulture and book a flower-arranging class with a local florist. You’ll learn all sorts of new terms, discover gorgeous and unusual flowers, and come away with a beautiful piece of decor for your home.

32. Painting workshop £ £ £ £

Painting workshops are suited for all levels as you’ll be guided by a professional artist at every step. Art equipment is supplied, and you can add on food and bottomless cocktails for a Sip and Paint style class.

33. Pottery class £ £ £ £

There are a few different options and costs for pottery classes; painting pre-made pottery, practising making your own, and making then painting your own. It’s an ideal choice for something a little messy, a little creative, and heaps of fun. 

34. Life drawing £ £ £ £

Nude life drawing is a popular hen party activity, and you can even hire a model to come to your hen party at home. Whether you want to take it seriously or keep the drinks flowing and have some fun, you’ll get to flex your creative muscles.

35. Perfume making £ £ £ £

Attend a half-day class with an expert perfumer and build a fragrance that you love. You’ll come away with a small bottle of your final product with the exact aroma that you want. If perfume’s not for everyone, there are plenty of other cosmetics classes where you can make soap, bath bombs, and lip balm.

The indulgent option

Sometimes, you just want to kick back, relax, and splash out on a little RnR. 

36. Pamper weekends & spa days £ £ £ £

Hen party ideas don’t have to revolve around raucous drinking activities, and a spa day might be just what the bride needs. It’s not as extravagant as it sounds; you can find packages, group discounts, and day passes that are very reasonable.

Day passes sometimes include afternoon tea or a treatment like a 30-minute massage, making it a worthwhile splurge for the day. Alternatively, everyone could chip in for one or two treatments just for the bride – you’ll still have a relaxing day of hot tubs, heated pools, and saunas.

Our top tips for finding great deals on hen spa days include:

Using voucher sites to find offers at specific locations or times

 Avoiding the weekend and booking off-peak for lower prices 

 Booking well in advance – this means getting final numbers ASAP

Top tips for keeping costs low

It’s not just hen party ideas and activities that help you stick to your budget, but good organisation approaches. 

Create an anonymous poll

Use a Google Form to figure out details like budget, activities, allergies, dates, and accommodation preferences. Make the form anonymous under settings so that people feel comfortable being as honest as possible, especially where money is concerned. 

Some of the questions you can ask can include:

• What’s the most you would be willing to spend on the day/weekend?
• Which dates work best for you? (provide options)
• Would you be comfortable sharing a bed?
• Are there any activities you wouldn’t feel comfortable with? (provide options)
• Which of these activities do you like best? (provide options)
• Do you have any food allergies?
• Do you drink alcohol?

Once you’ve received your responses, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what to book and when. You’ll save money by avoiding activities that people are likely to drop out of. If you’re booking accommodation, knowing who’s comfortable sharing a bed will help reduce costs (and avoid awkwardness!).

Lock in numbers ASAP

Now that you have an idea of who, what, and where, send out a rough itinerary as soon as you can. Ask for feedback from everyone so that you can make adjustments, then set a clear and firm deadline for final numbers. 

To avoid losing any money, you’ll want to lock down final numbers before any deposits are due. For some venues and activities, you can book without a deposit or they’ll give you a grace period.

Communication is key here; let people know what deadlines you’re working with, particularly when it comes to deposits, so that no one ends up out of pocket.

Book in advance

There’s no hack for this one – organisation is your friend when it comes to saving money on hen parties. The sooner you book, the more options and better deals you’re able to find. 

As long as you’ve done #1 and #2 promptly, you should be able to book venues and activities several weeks in advance.

Provide payment options

Give attending hens the option of spreading payments rather than paying for everything in one go. Tot up the total cost of everything involved, provide a breakdown of costs, then options for payment. This can be paying all in one go or splitting up payments into instalments over several weeks or months.

Make sure your deadlines aren’t too close to companies’ payment deadlines, in case people are a bit tardy.

Host at a hen’s house

At-home hen parties are one of the biggest ways to reduce costs. Cut back on expensive accommodation and spend the money on food & drink, decorations, and activities. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t do any paid activities; many of the suggestions above include options for a private venue. So you can still enjoy a yoga class, a cocktail-making session, a life drawing model, and a private chef.

Organise group travel

For hen dos that require getting to a specific location, factoring in travel planning and costs means attendees don’t have to throw down extra money. It’ll make everyone’s lives easier knowing that the hen party planner has already sorted everything (bonus points for you!)

Include the cost of travel into the overall cost of the hen weekend. Hiring a minibus might be ideal for activities further away or ones that involve drinking, whereas for shorter trips, you could organise a carpool and have non-drivers chip in for petrol costs.

Book off-peak 

Booking on a weekday – even a Friday – can save you £££s when it comes to hen do activities. It might work out better for people to take a day off work in exchange for lower prices, so do some research and send out the figures.

Go sale shopping

Mark your calendars with sale periods throughout the year to get big discounts on activities, experiences, decorations, gifts, food & drink, travel, and more. Notable sale seasons include New Year, Easter, Black Friday, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

Find deals & get cashback

We’re all about pinching pennies wherever possible, so we can’t recommend discounts and deals enough. It’s worth a few minutes’ research on discount and voucher sites to see if you can get what you want for cheap hen activities. 

Here are some of our go-tos for finding deals:

• Groupon
• Wowcher
• Red Letter Days
• Buyagift
• Virgin Experience Days
• lastminute.com

Now for the cashback part…did you know you can earn money back on all of these brands? Cashback is just another word for commission; we get a commission from these brands for sending you there. Then once you’ve visited from our site and placed an order, we’ll pass 100% of that commission onto you. This is your cashback.

You can earn up to 12%* of your purchase back with the above brands, just for one extra click. Seems like a no-brainer, right?

*Correct as of January 2023

Hen party FAQs

Still have a few questions about planning, etiquette, and those unwritten rules? We’ve got the answers to questions you’re worried about asking.

Q: Who usually pays for a hen party?

A: All of the attending hens. Accommodation, travel, activity, venue, and food costs should be split evenly between everyone, which is why it’s important to confirm final numbers as soon as possible. For accommodation and travel, costs are usually cheaper the more people you have.

Q: Does the bride pay for her own hen do?

A: Traditionally, the hens cover the cost of the bride, but in recent years this has changed. For more modest hen weekends where the cost per hen will be £20 or less, this is usually okay. More extravagant trips that are overseas are considered more of a holiday, so the bride might cover her own flights and accommodation, for example.

In the end, it’s completely down to everyone involved and what they’re comfortable with. Use our tip on creating an anonymous poll and add the question: how much would you be willing to pay for the bride?

Q: How much should guests pay for a hen do?

A: This is entirely down to everyone’s available budget. Using an anonymous Google Form is the best way to gauge the average limit, which could be anywhere from £100 to £1,000. Budgets depend on a lot of factors, including the hens, the length of celebration, activities involved, and location.

Q: Who normally goes to a hen party?

A: The bride’s besties, close friends, and close family members from both sides. Our advice is simply to ask the bride who she would like to be there. Make sure you’re not inviting anyone to the hen do that’s not invited to the wedding!

Sometimes it might be preferable to invite older family members (mum, aunts, grandmas) to day functions and keep the nighttime shenanigans to close friends only. This makes it a lot less awkward if you’re playing cheeky hen party games and there’s drink flowing.

Traditionally, hen parties are women only, but lots of brides have close guy friends they want to include. Again, communication is key, so just ask.

Q: Should the mother-in-law go to the hen party?

A: This can be a tricky one to navigate, and is completely dependent on the relationship between the bride and her partner’s mum. Ask the bride what she’s comfortable with, which may be a daytime invite to something more low-key.

Q: Is it okay to have a small hen do?

A: Absolutely! No rule states the bride has to have a big blowout party, even if her partner is having one. It all comes down to preference (and okay, budget too), so if she wants a small at-home sleepover in pyjamas, that’s her call. Sometimes bigger isn’t better.

Q: When should you start planning a hen party?

A: Ideally, about six months in advance. If you want to start earlier, that’s absolutely fine, too. The earlier you start, the more likely people will be available, the more choices you’ll have, and the lower prices will be. 

If you have less time than this, don’t panic! Budget hen parties are often more modest, so it’s still feasible to plan something in less than six months.

Plan your pocket-friendly hen party

We hope this guide gives you a boost for hen party ideas on a budget. There are plenty of ways to reduce costs and still have a good time, whatever you’re planning. 

The key to a well-organised hen do is communication with the bride and with all hens. Prioritise what the bride likes so she’s getting something catered to her. 

Planning the perfect hen party is no small task, so if it’s your first time or you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider making it a group effort. See who’s willing to chip in and organise different parts, the earlier the better.