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Author: Bree Callaghan, Events and Celebrations Writer
I have planned three hens parties now, attended somewhere around a dozen, and survived one that involved a five hour bus trip, a sunburnt bridal party and a penis straw incident I still cannot fully explain. So I say this with love and experience: the best hens parties are not the ones with the biggest budget. They are the ones where the bride actually looks like she is having a good time.
That sounds obvious. It is not how most hens parties get planned.
What usually happens is the maid of honour panics, opens sixteen browser tabs, and starts chasing whatever looks most impressive on Instagram. Then half the group cannot afford it, the bride secretly hates karaoke, and someone’s aunt has been added to the group chat.
So before I get to the ideas, one piece of advice that has saved me every single time. Ask the bride two questions. What sounds fun to you, and what would you rather never do again? Write the answers down. Plan around them. Everything else is detail.
Here is what genuinely works, based on what I have seen land well across Australia.
Life Drawing With a Male Model
I will start with this one because life drawing for hens party is the activity I was most sceptical about and it has since become the thing I recommend first.
The concept is simple. A male model arrives at your venue, hotel suite or private room. Everyone gets paper and pencils. A host runs the session, sets the poses, and guides the group through a few sketching exercises. Usually there is champagne. Always there is laughing.
What surprised me is how quickly the awkwardness disappears. There is a moment right at the start where nobody knows where to look. Then someone holds up a drawing that looks like a potato with legs, the whole room cracks up, and after that it is just fun. The nerves burn off within about ten minutes.
A few reasons it works so well:
- It breaks the ice fast, which matters when the bride’s uni friends, work colleagues and cousins are meeting for the first time
- Nobody has to be good at it. In fact the worse the drawings, the better the night
- It is cheeky rather than sleazy, which suits groups that do not want a strip club vibe
- It works for a mixed age group. I have seen mothers of the bride draw more enthusiastically than anyone
- Everyone leaves with a physical keepsake, and the group photo at the end is always ridiculous
Most Australian providers let you choose the level of nudity, from underwear or a covered pose through to full nude, and the good ones will confirm this with you before the booking so there are no surprises for anyone who might feel uncomfortable. The level is generally up to your group, and the model follows your preference as long as you let them know beforehand. Worth asking about if you have a shy guest or a very traditional grandmother in attendance.
Practical notes from watching these run:
- Book early. Good models and hosts get snapped up, particularly for Saturday afternoons in wedding season. Around four to six weeks ahead is a sensible target.
- Check whether materials are included, and whether there is a guest cap on the supplies provided
- Make sure your venue actually allows it. Some hotels and function rooms have rules. A private apartment or a dedicated private room avoids the issue entirely
- Confirm the model gets somewhere to change. Sounds small. It is not, when there is one bathroom and eighteen guests
If you would rather not coordinate the model, the host, the venue and the drinks yourself, there are Australian companies that run these sessions as a complete package, and honestly, for the price difference it is usually worth it.
One more thing worth saying. Life drawing has been a legitimate art tradition for centuries, and if anyone in your group gets precious about it, institutions like the National Gallery of Victoria run drawing programs of their own. Your version simply comes with more prosecco.
A Long Lunch, Done Properly
Not every hens party needs a theme and a schedule. Some of the best ones I have been to were a booked table for four hours, good food, and no plan beyond that.
This works especially well for brides who are introverted, pregnant, on a tight budget or just tired of being the centre of attention. Pick somewhere with a private space or a long table outdoors. The Yarra Valley, Hunter Valley, Margaret River, the Barossa and the Adelaide Hills all cater heavily to this, and most cellar doors are very used to hens groups.
Add a bus or a driver. Nobody should be doing the maths on standard drinks at their friend’s hens.
Cocktail Making Classes
Reliable, hands on, and it keeps everyone busy. Bars in most capital cities run these for groups, usually one to two hours, three drinks each, a bit of shaker technique and a competition at the end.
Good for groups where people do not know each other, because you are all doing something rather than making conversation across a table.
A Beach or Coastal Day
Australia has an unfair advantage here and we may as well use it. Byron Bay, Noosa, the Mornington Peninsula, Port Douglas, Rottnest Island. Rent a house, spend the day swimming, do one organised activity in the evening.
The catch is transport and accommodation costs. If half your group is flying interstate, a beach weekend can quietly become the most expensive event of the year. Be upfront about the total cost in the very first message, not after people have committed.
Surf Lessons, Paddleboarding or a Boat Day
Better for a daytime hens, and excellent for groups who go a bit flat when the plan is just drinking. Sydney Harbour boat hire is the obvious one. Surf lessons on the Gold Coast or Torquay work well too.
Take the sunscreen seriously. I have seen a bride photographed at her wedding with a visible singlet tan line. She was not delighted.
Spa and Wellness Days
Underrated. Especially if the wedding is close and the bride is stressed. Hepburn Springs, Peninsula Hot Springs, Talise or any decent day spa will do group bookings.
Pair it with lunch and it fills a full day without anyone needing to be entertained.
High Tea With a Twist
High tea alone can be a bit sedate. Combine it with something. High tea plus a life drawing session is a combination I have seen work beautifully, because you get the elegant part and the hilarious part in one afternoon, and it photographs well for the people who care about that.
Pottery, Candle Making or Perfume Blending
Creative workshops have taken off and they suit groups who want something memorable but not raucous. Everyone goes home with something they made. Pottery is messier and funnier than people expect.
Games That Are Not Cringe
Some hens games make everyone want to leave. A few actually work:
- Mr and Mrs, where the groom answers questions in advance on video
- A memory jar, where each guest writes a note for the bride to read later
- Advice cards for the marriage, which get funnier as the night goes on
- A photo scavenger hunt, if your group is the outgoing type
Skip anything that involves strangers in public. The bride wearing a veil covered in Life Savers while being told to kiss a man at the pub is a tradition that can stay firmly in 2006.
What Actually Ruins Hens Parties
From experience, it is rarely the activity. It is the logistics.
- Costs that keep creeping up after people have said yes
- No clear start and finish time
- Too many activities crammed into one day
- Someone drinking far too much far too early
- Guests who do not know anyone and get left standing alone
- Nobody assigned to look after the bride
Fix those and almost any activity will be a good day.
A Quick Note on Planning Across States
If you are pulling guests in from different cities, check school holidays and long weekends before locking a date. Flight prices in Australia swing wildly around them. Domestic travel information on AUSTRALIA is useful for scoping regions if you are considering somewhere none of you have been.
And build in downtime. A hens party that runs from ten in the morning to two the next morning with no gaps is not a celebration, it is an endurance event.
The bride will not remember whether the balloon arch matched the napkins. She will remember who showed up, who made her laugh, and the moment the whole room lost it over someone’s terrible drawing of a naked man. Plan for that and you will be fine.
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