Next month my lovely sister in law Helen is to wed her fiancee Andrew and we are so looking forward to their wedding. I was thrilled to be asked to be Head Bridesmaid, I have never been a bridesmaid before and have always wanted to be! This month I threw Helen her Hen Do in Canterbury and it was a truly lovely day.
The brief from the hen was simple enough, to be £50 or less to suit all members of the group (a very sensible plan I thought, hen and stag parties have gone a bit mad in recent years and several friends have had to decline several occasions simply because they can go up to £1000. Brilliant if you have an unlimited pot of money, not so good if you have a mortgage and/or children!). As the party would be made up of an age range of between 30-60 it had to be an outing that everyone could enjoy (thankfully therefore clubbing was out, my own hen ended up in a club, I was 24 and at 2am, my Mother and my very good friend Lena, both born in the same year were the ones still bopping away while I was dying from exhaustion in the corner! When it comes to clubbing you either have it or you don’t and I am fairly sure I never had ‘it’ in the first place!). The theme was to be fun and relaxation. So the first thing that popped into my head was PAMPER DAY!
Mum and I met at The Thomas Becket pub in Canterbury at 9.55am, I had pre-booked a table for 5 and my Mum Sally and I set about decorating the table with a balloon, feather boas, a tacky tiara and an L Plate. I omitted the chocolate willys etc as I was going for more of a silly but sophisticated day.
We met the rest of the ladies around the corner at Elite Hair and Beauty, this is a lovely hair and beauty salon with a different vibe to all the others. It is not clinical or starchy, the staff are warm and friendly and there is a relaxed boho feel about the place. I had booked all the hens in for the ‘Mother and Daughter’ package, this entailed:
The Dr Fish with an opi nail colour (not everyones cup of tea but certainly a giggle and a talking point!)
A manicure with hand massage:
And a gorgeous facial (here are the Bride to Be and her Mum (my Mum in Law) post facials!
We arrived at 10am and were there until 2pm, we all felt super pampered and the morning was a really special time.
I had actually booked the Thomas Becket pub for midday and the fact that we arrived just over 2 hours late seemed to make no difference at all to them. They were very relaxed and accomodating, a table had been reserved and the two ladies that were on front of house were pleasant and smiley.
Lunch took quite a while to come I must admit but when it did arrive it was clear why there was a bit of a time delay, each meal had been cooked fresh and every plate was presented and tasted beautifully. Janet, Helens Mother In Law to be chose a chicken in a cream and mushroom sauce with crushed potatoes and seasonal veg, Sally, my Mum chose the special cod loin with potatoes with seasonal veg, Helen, the Bride to Be chose the Becket Burger, a massive homemade burger with a choice of toppings, Margaret, the Brides Mother chose Ham and Eggs and I chose the Cheese and Homemade Chutney sandwich with chunky chips. YUM!!!!!!
All in all it was to me the perfect Hen Night in Canterbury to match the Brides brief and I had a wonderful time! So if you fancy a hen do in Canterbury or are just looking for inspiration then follow in our footsteps and give this a go! I can guarantee you will go to bed with a radiant skin glow, a full belly and a satisfied smile. Bliss x
Insights of an Urban Mamma 