Inviting women to the hen do was as hard as inviting people to the wedding. Who do you invite? It was stressing me out and I hadn’t got the time to sit there and think about it. I needed to give notice to people otherwise it would end up with being just me and my sister, although we would still have a good time. So, the first thing was family. Hindsight says I should have invited all my aunties, cousins etcetera, regardless of who they were speaking to or had fallen out with, but I didn’t. I decided to keep it low key and just invite family that were local as it was short notice and they wouldn’t travel. Most of them didn’t even turn up to our engagement party. Next stop, friends and work colleagues, and before I knew it I had twenty-five people on the list. I knew some wouldn’t come as there were only three weeks before St Patrick’s Day, but I was surprised how many people said yes. I did think in the back of my mind how many people would actually turn up, but I was pleased.
Then, should we have a theme, that was another thought? Dress up like leprechauns, wear something green or just look very tacky? I decided on none of these and decided venue again was key to start the night. I did initially want a meal first, but that would be added expense. I would have to pre-book, get deposits etcetera and I couldn’t be bothered to sort it out, if I’m honest, so I had a look online and went around a few pubs, and in the end my sister found an Irish one. They said we could decorate an area and start the night there.
Then on to decorations. My sister had already bought a few, so I ordered a few more bits, banners saying hen party and inflatable warning sign and balloons, and also ordered sashes for everyone as my sister was putting together little bags for the hens with the must haves, like willy straws and dare cards.
A week to go everyone had been told the venue and start time. I had my decorating committee sorted and they had arrived. My sister was sorting out the goody bags, so all done. Only a couple of people couldn’t make it due to prior commitments, so for once things were going my way.
I even had my outfit sorted finally after ordering about twenty different things online. I knew I should have just gone shopping but it’s so much easier to order clothes online and you can get it the next day. No going out in the cold, driving around the town looking for parking. The only down side was sending the nineteen items back as I had to go to the post office for that.
Everything was going great until four days before the event. We had a weather warning for snow, would you believe it. This had happened a few years prior, snow in March, but I didn’t think for one second, we would have it this year. I could hear my phone going off already, but actually I was surprised. Everyone just told me not to worry, it was only a warning and probably wouldn’t hit us, and to only worry about it if it happened.
Guess what? It did happen, not as bad as the weather man said, but it had settled on the paths, although the roads were clear, and it was freezing like in the minuses. But the night went ahead as planned. A few people pulled out due to the weather and travelling in it, which was understandable as I wouldn’t have driven in it. I had been driving for fourteen years and still haven’t driven in snow. I would be a hazard to others I’m sure.
The morning of the hen do, me and Debbie arrived at the pub to decorate an area. The landlady didn’t even remember me and the pub was packed, and it was only eleven-thirty in the morning. Some sporting event was on and there were no tables free. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even have a backup plan. We were carrying helium balloons, banners, inflatables, L-plates, with nowhere to put them. I cried, went outside and tried to think of a plan B, but Debbie just said let’s just find a corner and get it done. It didn’t matter that there were not any tables. There may be later. We just needed a starting area so went back in and found a corner that was unoccupied and started decorating.
I had never felt so embarrassed. not only was everyone staring at us, I couldn’t even blow anything up. So glad I didn’t get the “same penis forever balloons now”. The clientele in there weren’t a young crowd, but were very much middle aged and they all seemed to be judging us. It didn’t help that the TV screen was right above us too, so they all had to look in our direction.
I am a planner. In my head, before my hen do, I thought of all the things I needed to do before the night beauty wise: sunbeds, waxing, hair and nails done, fake
