Hen parties are synonymous with wild nights out, noise, alcohol, and the occasional silly costume. Most importantly, though, they’re a whole lot of fun.
In order to make it through the big night unscathed, when working on your hen party planning steps, why not pull together a hen do survival kit for your ladies? You can include pretty much anything you want but if you need some ideas, you’ve come to the right place.
Here is our top list of 20 great hen party survival kit ideas!
1. Hen Party Poem
If you’re the creative type and are good with words, a lovely hen do gift bag idea is to write a poem for your BFFs. This can be mushy or silly, depending on your sense of humour and those of your friends. You can personalise these to the individual if you’ve got the time. Otherwise, a one-size-fits-all approach will be perfectly acceptable.
A hen party survival kit poem is a great way to break the ice and kick off the evening. It also gives everyone a nice memento of your big night out.
2. Mini Bottle
It’s not uncommon for there to be a pre-match drinking session while everyone’s getting ready or journeying into town on the train. This is where small bottles of wine, prosecco, or spirits come into their own. While you might frown upon them normally (who wants to buy a little bottle of wine when you can get a big one?), they easily fit in a handbag or coat pocket.
Grabbing your girls a mini bottle of their favourite tipple is one of the best personalised goodies to include in your hen party survival kit. Buying sticky labels and printing individual names on each bottle will only boost your status as a living legend.
3. Shot Glass Or Jello Shots
Following on seamlessly from the mini bottle is the shot glass. These are a staple of hen party bags and are generally plastic, for obvious reasons. Shot glasses are great for the pre-party train ride into town when all you’re all sober, pretending you wouldn’t DREAM of drinking straight from a bottle. What would your Mother say??
They often get lost over the course of an evening, all but forcing you to drink from a bottle on the way home. By this time, you’ve probably already brought shame on your Mother, so you’re less inclined to care. You had no choice. She’ll understand.
If you’re looking for something a little less breakable, why not make some mini jello shots and place them in little disposable plastic tubs? You can match the jelly with your hen party theme colour and choose the bride’s favourite spirit or some prosecco for a flavour with a kick.
4. Sweets
A long night of bar and club hopping often leads to hunger. No one wants to bow out of a hen night due to dangerously low sugar levels. How embarrassing. So, when you consider the question of what to put in a hen party survival kit, sugary treats are essential. Buying a range of packaged sweeties means they can be shared out.
If you know what kinds of sweets your ladies enjoy, you can also include them as personalised goodies in your hen do gift bags. Sweets, such as love hearts, can be fun as each comes with a different message. Alternatively, gobstoppers or ultra-fizzy sweets are always a good laugh.
5. Plasters
Dangerously high heels + hours of dancing = blisters. If your hens are kitted out in new dresses, it’s likely they’ll also have shelled out for new shoes. If they don stilettos that Carrie Bradshaw would be proud of, there’s bound to be a blister or two at some stage.
Keep the girls on the dancefloor by issuing them with a supply of plasters in their hen party gift bags. The last thing you want is to be one woman short when Dancing Queen comes on.
6. Bottled Water
Official health guidelines suggest that adults should consume around 2 litres of water each day. While we don’t suggest buying that amount, a small bottle of water can be a healthy addition to your hen party survival kit.
Should any of your hens still be concerned about reaching their daily water intake, tell them to ask for ice in their G&T. Et voila!
7. Mints
We’ve all been in the position where our mouths felt more than a little yukky. Putting a packet of mints or chewing gum in your hen party survival kit helps to cut off the problem at the pass.
Leaning across the decks to scream at the DJ about playing Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman for the third time isn’t advisable if your breath is on the icky side.
8. Wet Wipes
Wet wipes are a gift from the Gods, let’s face it. Often designed with mucky babies in mind, they’re also a powerful remedy against the dreaded ‘mascara goop under the eye’ epidemic that often plagues women on nights out. They’re also pretty useful for mopping up spilled wine. We don’t know that from experience, you understand. We heard it on the grapevine (boom boom).
Anyhoo, wet wipes are an integral part of the old hen do gift bag. If no one finds a use for them over the course of the evening, you’re all doing something very wrong.
9. Nail File
Breaking a nail is the WORST. Once it snaps, it suddenly gets caught on everything you’re wearing. This is a disaster of epic proportions if you happen to have gone out in tights. Having ladders running up and down your legs is not a good look’¦ever.
Remedy the problem before it occurs by throwing in a little nail file in your hen do survival kit to banish The Curse of the Ragged Nail.
10. Safety Pin
It doesn’t matter how organised you are for your night out; emergency clothing situations tend to present themselves at the most inopportune moments. A safety pin is an excellent hen party bag idea for its blush-sparing powers. Ripping a dress seam, the seat of your trousers (O.M.G’¦), or just having your bra strap sticking out the side of your sleeveless top, can be cause for panic.
Having to walk through a crowded bar with part of your anatomy on display that’s usually kept well under wraps is a situation no one wants to be in. In the age of social media addiction, you don’t want to wake up on Sunday morning to discover a picture of your boobs has gone viral on Facebook.
11. Nail Polish
For the pre-party party or the train into town, your gals can make themselves look even prettier if you add a bottle of nail polish to their hen do gift bag. Colours are always fun (and you can pick and choose them, depending on the individual), but a classic clear polish never goes out of style.
As well as being able to come to someone’s rescue if they chip their expensive polish on the bar, it’s also extremely handy for dabbing on tights to stop ladders getting worse. It’s a multi-purpose life-saver and should really be in your handbag anyway, to be honest.
12. Body Spray Or Homemade Deodorant
A night of drinking and dancing can often lead to sweating. It’s just the way it is, unfortunately. You don’t want the girls not being served at the bar because they smell a bit off.
You can easily stop this potential problem by including a handbag-sized bottle of body spray in your hen party gift bags. This way, your ladies will still smell fresh as a daisy, even when they look less than stellar at the end of the night. AND they’ll still be able to get a round in.
For an eco hen party twist, you can find simple homemade deodorant recipes online and put a little pot of sweet smelling goop in each hen party bag or as a favour for the girls to keep.
13. Hair Tie
No hen party survival kit can be complete without a hair tie for your long-maned mates. It might be a stereotype about girls holding back each other’s hair while they’re being sick, but that’s because it’s true.
It’s an age-old rule that you MUST be there to offer assistance in the event of a girlfriend throwing up. We’ve all been there. Also, even if you manage to get through your hen party without this happening, hens with long hair sometimes just want it out of their faces. It’s a double-duty gift. Result.
14. Silly Straws
Popping a silly straw in your hen do gift bags and forcing your mates to drink prosecco with them is always a good social media photo opportunity. After all, it’s not a proper hen night if you can’t make your Mum drink from a willy straw, is it? Just make sure you don’t embarrass her enough that she disowns you.
15. Glow Sticks Or Sparklers
Or for some great hen night photo and selfie opportunities, put a couple of sparklers in each ladies’ goodie bag and light them up together!
16. Mini Toothbrush
This can make everyone feel a little more human the morning after. There’s also nothing to stop them being used in the cocktail bar toilets, should they have munched all the mints you gave them.
17. Dry Shampoo
Stick a miniature in your hen party gift bags and just think of how grateful your friends will be. There are few things worse than tipping your head over the bath to wash your hair with a raging hangover from one too many shots of tequila.
18. Coffee Sachet Or Tea Bag
Make the lives of your gal pals a wee bit easier the morning after your big night by including a packaged tea bag or coffee sachet in your hen party survival kit. That way, they’ve got instant access to a much-needed instant cuppa when they need it most.
19. Energy Bar
You never know, the caffeine boost and the energy from the snack might even give them the motivation they need to drag their sorry carcass upstairs and into the shower. I wouldn’t put any money on it, though.
20. Paracetamol
Popping a tab or two of this effective headache remover in your hen do gift bags will help your hen mates survive the day after the night before. If you have friends with young kids, feel free to give them a whole packet. God knows, they’ll need them.
Whatever you decide to use to make up some hen party bags for the special women in your life, we’re sure you’ll have a blast making memories with your faves.
More Hen Party Inspiration
If you’re planning a hen do, then you’ll love our ideas for hen party decorations, the top hen themes and costume ideas, the most popular hen party games or our favourite hen party favours.
We’d love to hear about any ideas you’re thinking of including in your hen do survival kit or your hen party goodie bags! To let us know your ideas or to chat to us about planning your hen party, you can use our online chat or get in touch by phone or email.
Image credit: cookie_studio, by Freepik
