Never had a hens' night.

Would you still need the 'L' plates NanKate ?

I didn't have a hen night but DH did have a stag night, in London , with a crowd of old school and university friends.

Having been to the early parts of a couple of DD's hen nights, I think I'll pass!!

Too late for it. Why not have an 'old broilers' night out instead?

The only time I went to one I found it utterly cringeworthy and embarrassing. gulp.

When I married the second time, I invited all my girlfriends to my house, at lunch time. It was a glorious sunny day.

We had champagne and a buffet, everyone chatted like mad and got to know each other, and there was a lot of laughter.

A memorable day for me, although the marriage only lasted 18 months!

However, I wouldn't go to a 'hen night' for all the tea in China.

I am happy that I have always been able to avoid Stag Nights...

Just not my thing and from what I have seen, it would be my worst nightmare!

I had never heard of a Hen Night when I married in '73, but if I had I would certainly have had some kind of pre-celebration. My 3 daughters each had one - all in the best possible taste of course. Drinks and dinner for close friends and family for No.1; a chartered catamaran and swimming in Sydney Harbour for No.2 and a weekend in the Cotswolds (with a few high jinks admittedly) which included lunch in a local pub, the exclusive use of a private cinema with the bride's choice of film (Carry on Camping ) and a muddy walk round the lakes. I and the MiL's plus mums of their best friends were all included and not a pair of L plates, a set of wings or a wedding veil in sight!

I enjoy the company of my close girlfriends, particularly going for a meal/coffee and a chat, more on a one to one basis than a crowd these days. although in my younger days we would have regular weekly meet ups with say about 4 to 6 of us, but it was really for a good old chat and catch up usually in a wine bar and we were never out on "the pull".

Similarly whilst my husband like the camaraderie he gets from the company of male friends, he prefers the company of women and does not like going to say an all male dinner. Neither of us would ever want to go on a hen or stag do. We have a timeshare in Bournemouth and avoid the town like the plague on week-end nights, when marauding hen and stag parties are on the prowl they make the whole place seem really feral. A friend of mine had to fly back to the UK from Malaga recently and said the airport lounge was chock a block with these parties, all British of course, and it seemed to her that they drag all members of the family along, including grandparents. She told her partner she would never fly in or out of there again cos the behaviour of the stags and hens was so awful. I think it's sad some young people feel they have to have these dos as it might give them the opportunity to have one last fling, if that's the case, perhaps they should not bother getting married.

Possibly it's generational, I think hen and stag dos, if indeed we had them at all, would have been on a smaller scale.

Why not, go for it I say, especially if it is going to make you happy and bring back happy memories

Like you NanKate I had never heard of a hen night, but girls and their mothers used to have a 'show of presents' - all the present laid out for inspection and tea and cake served. I refused to do this, to the disapproval of relatives and no doubt disappointment of neighbours.

We had one in the 1960s.

Kate how would you do it now? Would you dress up in silly clothes and go clubbing? I think you might feel a bit out of place . Of course if you were to decide on a spa day with lots of friends and then out for dinner please invite me!

I married in 1975, I had a 'hen' we were kept in check by our designated driver who was the lovely lady I'd been babysitter for for about 4yrs at the time.
DH had a stag too. Only problem being we were living in a very small town so by chance ended up at about 10.30 pm in the same Chinese restaurant

When I was working a group of us often use to have a ladies night out. We were in our 40's-50's but had as much fun then as a bunch of 20somethings.

It doesn't have to be loud and raucous - go for it! We were at a large restaurant recently and there was a very sedate large group in the centre of the room, but they still had fun. They played word games and did puzzles and won small prizes.

You might want to skip the ritualistic sexual humiliation of young waiters though

Like grannyisland I had the 'show of presents' in 1969. A pleasant evening with neighbours friends and family - with sherry and babycham. I think this was a scottish custom as we don't take wedding presents along 'on the day' but deliver them a week or two in advance. I'm looking forward to this summer as my daughter plans the celebrations for her civil partnership. It's twice the fun when you go shopping for 2 wedding dresses! There will be a relatively civilised cocktail hour hen night after which we'll leave the young folk to have fun but no huge drunken jaunts are planned!

I was reading a novel set in Afghanistan recently , where the bride had a
henna night. Henna was applied to her hands and feet in intricate designs, in the company of women friends and family.

Atqui I saw this often when teaching in a school with a significant number of asian families. Even the little sisters and cousins would come to school next day and display their beautifully painted hands. The henna fades with washing and intricate patterns disappear over a few days.

I have laughed at some of your descriptions.

Tiggypiro I think my plates would read now 'Too old and knackered' !

I meet up once a year with 3 friends that I knew at Secretarial College in the 60s. We meet in Stratford upon Avon where I used to live. We have a lovely lunch and a good old reminisce.

When I am 70 in 2016 I think I will have a bit of a 'Do' with some of my girlfriends, but will definitely give the waiters a wide berth JessM

I had a hen night in 1967, quite restrained by today's standards.
I don't think I could be bothered trying to party at my age.

I like getting together with a group if women friends whether its Granetters, my old school friends or friends from where we live.
absent's leaving do was as raucous much fun as any hen do could be. Why bring marriage into it

I didn't have a hen night, but went to DD1's and my (then future) DIL's.
Both were lovely dinners with friends and family (all female of course). DD1's was marred slightly by the antics of her future MIL, but that's a whole other story. But very enjoyable nonetheless.
I hope I behaved myself at my DIL's.

We had a joint stag and hen night and invited our friends and family to have pudding (dessert) with us in a local American themed 'Diner'.
I organised my daughter's hen 'do' at a local winery where we had lunch and toured the vineyards; not expensive and suited everyone.

We got married in '68 , I didn't have a hen night, but my DH had 2 stag nights ! Last year, my DD had a hen day ( 2nd marriage) , it was great fun. A lunch ,where everyone brought a dish, followed by an Abba video session ( I was a sniggering bystander ) they did " gimme, gimme , gimme a man after midnight " it was hilarious, & the resulting video was great. In the evening we all went to dinner at a pub in the next village. My poor DD was, I'm afraid not a well bunny the next day. Fortunately it was 3 weeks before the wedding.