Hen Meal - to take or not to take?

sazzyb

Hi all

Need a quick bit of advice. Have been invited out to a friend's "hen meal". She's getting married abroad and not having a UK party at all, including a hen do, but she is having a small pre-wedding get-together which I guess is the equivalent of a hen party - a daytime gathering at a nail salon and meal at a nice pub. I've been to hen parties before when gifts have been more traditional, joke-based due to the nature of the occasion but as this is a more serious gathering, I'm unsure whether to take something???

We've not been invited to the wedding as it's just close family but plan to send a card and a small token gift to start them off in married life (they were very generous when they came to our wedding).

So should I take that card (with money inside) to the meal and give that to her or should I take something else, more hen-like to the meal and send the wedding card later? To give an idea of dates, the meal is tomorrow and they fly out for their wedding on 5th September. TIA

Sazzy

74jax

sazzyb wrote: »

Hi all

Need a quick bit of advice. Have been invited out to a friend's "hen meal". She's getting married abroad and not having a UK party at all, including a hen do, but she is having a small pre-wedding get-together which I guess is the equivalent of a hen party - a daytime gathering at a nail salon and meal at a nice pub. I've been to hen parties before when gifts have been more traditional, joke-based due to the nature of the occasion but as this is a more serious gathering, I'm unsure whether to take something???

We've not been invited to the wedding as it's just close family but plan to send a card and a small token gift to start them off in married life (they were very generous when they came to our wedding).

So should I take that card (with money inside) to the meal and give that to her or should I take something else, more hen-like to the meal and send the wedding card later? To give an idea of dates, the meal is tomorrow and they fly out for their wedding on 5th September. TIA

Sazzy

I must be out of touch as I didn't even know you were supposed to take hen-presents.

I wouldn't take the card, I would send that later as it's for the both of them.

If you feel you need to take something what about a bottle of wine?

onetomany

you could club together and pay for her meal?

74jax

onetomany wrote: »

you could club together and pay for her meal?

Even better idea! Yep I'd ditch my bottle of wine and go with onetomany's suggestion.

sazzyb

I think you're right 74jax; I don't think gifts are usually taken to hen nights other than joke-type ones, so I'm probably stressing over nothing! Paying for her meal is a good idea, thanks!

erricky

So, what have you done dear, payed for the meal, or a gift? My sister is also in a dilemma, that what to do. She is also having the same case as that of you.

elvis86

My friends and I arranged our friend's hen weekend for her as a suprise. We took her to a spa for a weekend and split the cost of her meals/accomodation/treatments etc between us. Aside from some banners and balloons to decorate her room etc, nobody bought her a "gift" as such.

Sammy85_2

Noone bought me a "gift" as such, i wouldnt have expected anything either.

My lovely bridesmaids planned the whole weekend for me though, we had a bodyshop party on the friday, a traditional afternoon tea on the saturday and then a meal out in the evening. It was great and the fact they went to the trouble of planning the weekend for me and all the people that turned up was plenty gift enough.

:-)

clearing_out_my_pockets

I planned my own hen do too. We went for a meal in a (very) reasonably priced restaurant and then back to my parents' house for a girly sleepover pampering session with cheesy films in the background. No gifts, which is fine as I wasn't expecting anything! Paid for my own meal too, which I'd budgeted for, although it would have been nice if my hens had covered this. Particularly as one of my hens got married in 2008 and at her hen she announced (at the end of the meal) that she han't brought any money with her because we should be covering her cost!

sazzyb

Hi, sorry for late reply! We paid for her meal in the end. Felt like the right thing to do as there were only a few of us and then I gave her the card to take with her to open on their wedding day abroad. Thanks all!