If you are looking for ideas to celebrate your last night of freedom, you should choose something memorable as it's a great opportunity for you to get your best friends together for a big pre-wedding night out or weekend away!
Hen and stag parties are bigger and more adventurous than ever with many brides and grooms-to-be looking for original ideas prior to a perfect send off before married life begins. These are challenging times, of course, but there’s a plethora of activities to choose from that you may not have thought of such as go karting, quad biking and cocktail making as well as spa days, party boats or a good old-fashioned nightclub.
Here’s some great businesses catering for hen and stag parties based in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire from places like Reading, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Banbury and Buckingham, whom you might want to get in touch with...
Don't forget to mention Your Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wedding magazine when contacting a hen and stag party organiser.
At Donnington Grove Hotel, we aim to meet and surpass your expectations every step of the way to ensure your wedding reception is truly memorable. From small and intimate weddings, to big, grand affairs, we have a choice of beautiful suites and function rooms that can be set up to accommodate the wedding of your dreams and meet your budget.
Top tips on how to save money on a hen-do
Hen-dos provide a great opportunity to bring together your nearest and dearest for pre-wedding celebration and excitement. However, with many brides now opting for more exotic or expensive locations for their celebrations, the cost of a hen-do can quickly add up. Anita Naik, Savings Expert at VoucherCodes.co.uk, has some great tips on how to make savings on your upcoming hen-party: Take advantage of drinks packages – Nightclubs are synonymous with hen-dos, however entry and drinks can get pretty pricey. Venues will often offer discounts on pre-purchased drinks packages so it's worth checking what deals you can strike before getting there.
Posted: 21 September 2022
Drive-Tech offers hen and stag entertainment
Conveniently located in Chippenham, Wiltshire close to neighbouring counties Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bristol, Drive-Tech at Castle Combe is a great place for a hen or stag gathering. We chat to Jayne Cooper about their latest package offerings for fun hen and stag celebrations. She tells us, "There's nothing like a bit of adrenalin-pumping fun to get everybody revved up! A karting Grand Prix is an ideal way for groups of friends and family to experience some thrilling action-packed fun with plenty of track time.
Posted: 16 September 2022
Planning a Hen Do? Here are 6 ways to do it on a budget
With wedding traditions dying fast, modern couples are truly setting the bar for what's possible at contemporary nuptials. What will always be popular though, is the hen/stag or ('sten' if you're joining forces) do! Although, even these have altered in their format, gone are pub and nightclub crawls till the early morning, and in are wellness breaks, pottery and classes and the much-loved British Brunch! The UK's leading bottomless brunch platform, Bottomless Brunch, has compiled a list of ways you can save costs whilst planning an unforgettable hen party.
Posted: 12 September 2022
Mystery stags and hens dos - reduce the stress!
2022 is the year of the re-organised Covid wedding, there will be around 350,000 weddings across the country this year which means nearly 700,000 hen/stag and sten dos! srprs.me, the world's leading mystery holiday provider, has collated its top tips for organising the least stressful, most spontaneous mystery trips perfect for stag and hen dos this summer - saving friendships from endless decision-making in the process. Anneke Nijenhuis, Chief Surprise Officer at srprs.me, wants to take the stress out of planning a stag or hen do with the following tips...
Posted: 17 July 2022
The Script open first night of Henley Festival for 40th celebrations
Last night, Henley Festival – the UK's only black-tie festival - returned for its unmissable 40th-anniversary celebrations. Headliners The Script gave an epic performance to kick off the festival in style, with Danny O'Donoghue immersing himself in the crowd, while Boney M also joined in the celebrations with a stellar performance in the Festival Club. Henley Festival is the only festival in the UK to have a floating stage which is built on top of the River Thames and is also the only festival in the UK where festival-goers can arrive by boat. More than 5,000 people attended the UK's most glamorous music and arts festival along the banks of the River Thames for its opening night.
Posted: 7 July 2022
New jazz night in the heart of London’s King’s Cross
A stylish hotspot in the heart of London's King's Cross, luxury Grade II listed Great Northern Hotel is bringing back the glitz and glamour of the golden age of jazz with its Jazz & Negroni Nights – with the next event in this new series confirmed for the 28th June. Taking place from 6.30pm onwards, the buzzy GNH Bar and Terrace will offer vibrant live music and a delicious new signature Negroni menu - the perfect excuse to take a break from the wedmin and enjoy a pre- or post-wedding get-together!
Posted: 23 June 2022
Start saving for your hen and stag do
According to a study by Hotels.com®, 2022 is the year to go bigger and bolder than ever when it comes to planning your hen/sten/stag do - we're all making up for lost time over the past two years! After 2020/21 nearlyweds had to reschedule a stag or hen party, this year revellers are using more holiday days and spending more money than ever to celebrate their friend's final months of unmarried life in style. The study found the average pre-wedding celebration now costs a whopping £242 compared to the more subtle cost of £150 in 2012. Nearly 47% of those surveyed believe that these pre-wedding celebrations have become more extravagant over the last decade, with 46% of travellers believing it's because people have been saving up and have larger budgets to spend on these special occasions over the pandemic.
Posted: 22 June 2022
Henley Festival launches new charity initiative RISE
To coincide with its 40th anniversary, Henley Festival has launched a new charitable initiative called RISE designed to nurture the next generation of talent to take their first steps into the world of performance and creativity, both in front and behind the spotlight. RISE provides opportunities for young musicians, comedians and visual artists to perform or show their work, as well as helping them before and after with marketing and production. This sits alongside a work experience programme to support aspiring talent working behind the scenes, including sound engineers, lighting designers and stage managers.
Posted: 9 June 2022
Must-have hen do accessories from TeamHen
Here at County Wedding Magazines HQ we adore the products from TeamHen - super-cool and on trend, the chic range is the perfect way to accompany your hen party bridal look! The brand's latest offering, the Luxury Tulle Bow Veil, is no exception. Featuring a beautiful, creamy white sating bow, it's bee paired with a soft white tulle veil measuring 80cm. Conveniently attached to a clip, you can just pop it in and away you go!
Posted: 6 May 2022
A cracking Easter in store at Cotswold wildlife attraction
There's a host of egg-citing events and activities taking place at Birdland throughout the Easter holidays, perfect for families and mini-mooners. In what is the season of new life, many of the birds will begin a courtship and dozens of eggs are due to be laid over the coming weeks. There have already been eggs with the Indian Scops owl and also nest box interest from the Spectacled owl, which are always the earliest of breeders. There have been early eggs from the Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Lapwing, Crested Pigeon and Speckled Pigeon. Birdland's head keeper Alistair Keen said: "Easter is always a busy time of the year for us as we wait for the eggs to be laid. It's an exciting time of the year when we find out what our new residents are going to look like."
Posted: 12 April 2022
