A London Hen do
As you may have realised by now, I am a little obsessed with all things Wedding-related and enjoyed every minute of planning my own Wedding which finally took place this April. The one thing I didn’t plan was my hen do…
I left the planning of this to my five bridesmaids, so that there was one element of the whole wedding that I wasn’t in control of and that I didn’t know inside and out. I’m so glad I did this! It was a weekend packed with my favourite people and my favourite things to do…with the occasional animal onesie making an appearance too.
So as I’m the only one up in Manchester and my girls are all still in London, my only instructions were to get on the after-work train on Friday evening and make my way to Euston, armed with: a camera, a party dress, an overnight bag, swimwear, glamorous hat, lubricant (*coughs nervously*) and a piece of my favourite fruit! (Don’t ask!). I was booked to return home on the Sunday evening train – the rest was a complete surprise!
Where else in the world could be more fun or more stylish than London, to host your hen do?
So after a very comfortable First Class journey on Virgin Trains, sipping wine, I was greeted at Euston by my folks and two of my bridesmaids who bundled me into the car to head back to my parent’s house. There we had a silly girly evening eating our favourite Thai food, drinking champagne and dancing around the living room to Justin Timberlake on YouTube. Oh yeh!
The next morning, we woke up nice and early with only slightly tender heads and I was so excited for what might be in store. The remaining bridesmaids joined us and we piled into a cab with mummy in tow. I had no idea where we were headed (the cab driver had been fully briefed ahead of time). Thirty minutes later, after a lovely drive through Central London, we pulled up outside none other than the Wyndham Grand Hotel, Chelsea. Wow!
A few moments later, the girls had checked us in and we were making our way up to our suites (yes suites), brimming with excitement. We quickly dumped our bits, got into our swimming gear and made our way to the spa and pool area, which it turned out we had completely to ourselves all morning! The girls had booked us all in for a massage, so we took it in turns, whilst the others swam and lazed around by the pool – before heading back to our suites for lunch, room-service style!
We spent the afternoon lazing around, took a little nap and then got all dressed-up for dinner and drinks in the Riverside Brasserie. We proceeded to sip champagne and eat the most gorgeous 3-course dinner. Yes, I was donning a wedding veil and a bride-to-be sash and yes, we might have had willy straws to drink our champagne with – but aside from that, it was a very sophisticated affair!
Suitably full and a little tipsy, we went back upstairs for a pyjama party with a twist! The girls unpacked a selection of animal onesies and we all got changed. A few silly hen games later and after taking part in our own Harlem Shake video, we drank and chatted into the night before falling into a very luxurious slumber.
Waking-up Sunday morning was made a lot more bearable when we were faced with the full buffet that the Wyndham had to offer…yum! Eggs Benedict and croissants were chomped and we packed-up and waved goodbye to the friendly staff, to continue our hen do escapades.
This day I was only told that I needed to don my posh frock and hat, so we all looked like we were off for a day at the races. Having no idea where we were headed, we jumped into another taxi and thirty minutes later were pulling-up outside yet another 5-star London hotel. This time it was the Sanderson and we were booked in for their famous Mad Hatter’s Tea Party…and boy it was amazing! With menus hidden inside vintage books and amazing concoctions of cakes, pastries, sandwiches and scones – even the tea was delicious (I had mint-choc-chip flavour). We quaffed this along with champagne bellinis, along with all my other friends from across the country that had joined us that morning. What fun it was, a true London affair!
Feeling full, happy and lucky to have such wonderful friends – we made our way to the last stop of the day, which was one of our favourite little bars in London – Barrio Central – a Brazilian bar that is friendly, relaxed and serves a mean Caprinha! 4 hours, a few tequilas and caprhinas later and I was being piled onto the train back to Manchester with a Burger King meal (classy I know). Smiling away to myself, I waved London and my bridesmaids goodbye as I recalled all of the weekend’s celebrations and moments.
I felt truly happy and excited for my wedding to come and leaving London is always such a wrench. But I knew that I’d be back, and when I was, there’d be something immensely cool waiting for me!
Posts on the Wedding itself will follow over the next month or two. If you want a sneak peak though, our wedding is actually featured in the ‘Real Weddings’ section of this month’s Wedding Ideas Magazine (which you can pick up in most supermarkets and newsagents).
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