Norwegian Hen Party Vs British Hen Party

If there’s one thing the Norwegians know how to do, it’s how to party.  I was lucky enough to be invited to my friends Hen Party (or Bacherlorette Party as it’s known in Norway) last weekend and it was quite a wonderful experience which I wanted to record.  Maybe one Norwegian Hen Party is limited experience, but from what I heard, I think the format is pretty similar across the board…and quite different from the UK.

1. It’s A Complete Surprise:  Well, here’s the first big difference.  In Norway the bride has no idea when her friends will turn up and take her out for the day.  It’s a complete surprise.  The bride doesn’t know what she’s doing, has no say in the event and doesn’t know when it will happen.  In the UK the bride typically has a lot of involvement and certainly knows when the event will take place.
2. 
   One Day:  It’s becoming more common in the UK to go away for a Hen Weekend or stick to a Hen Night.  It seems more common in Norway that it’s one full day – from morning to late night.
3.   
   A Theme For The Day:  What struck me most about the day was the theme.  A lot of thought had gone into making the day totally bespoke for the Bride.
   Our bride loves the film Dirty Dancing.  We started by surprising her with a life-size Patrick Swayze cardboard cut-out at her front door and we all wore t-shirts with the slogan “No-one puts (our brides name) in the corner”.  We then had breakfast, moved onto a dance class where we danced to music from the movie.  We then had a meal at the Brides favourite restaurant and then danced the night away at the home of the Chief Bridesmaids house to a playlist of songs tailored to the bride. We even drank vodka from watermelons (watermelons were a nod to the film) in the evening and then recorded a version of “I’ve had the time of my life” at their home recording studio – the theme ran throughout the day.  In the UK there is less of a theme.  We do activities (cocktail making, walking tours etc) and then it’s followed by a lot of drinking, pub crawls and ending up in a night club.
4. Gift Game:  Every guest was asked to bring a little gift that the bride would have to open and
   guess who it was from and tell the story behind the gift.  A little ‘gift game’ that helps explain the friendship between the bride and her party friends.  I’ve also heard the people sometimes write poems for the bride.  I don’t ever remember doing something like this at a UK party.
5. More Socialising & Less Travelling:  What I remember most was sitting and talking.  We arrived back to the house at about 7pm in the evening and we spent the entire evening in the kjellerstua (the cellar living room) talking, drinking, eating, laughing and dancing.  It was so unusual compared to UK Hen Parties when this is the time you’re normally out moving from one pub/club to the next.