What to wear to a hen do as a guest depends on one thing above all: the dress code the bride or maid of honour has set. Follow it first, then build a look that suits the activity, avoid white unless you have been told otherwise, and give yourself a comfortable pair of shoes for the walking bits. Black is almost always safe. Beyond that, the honest answer is that most hen weekends need three or four outfits, and very few of us have three or four occasion looks sitting unworn in a wardrobe.
Start with the dress code, not the shops
Themed hens are the norm now, and the themes are getting louder. This year's group chats are full of Last Disco (silver, sequins, a feather boa if you are brave), Last Rodeo (denim, fringing, a cowboy boot), and the breakout of the year, the showgirl hen, all feathers and orange and teal, borrowed straight from the pop charts. There is also the quieter format that has become a convention in its own right: the bride wears white, the guests wear black.
Treat whatever you have been sent as a brief rather than a suggestion. The point of a dress code is the group photograph, and the person who quietly opted out is the one thing everybody notices. If the theme feels beyond you, ask the maid of honour how literal she wants it. Nine times out of ten the answer is "just a nod to it", and a nod is much easier to pull off.
Match the outfit to the moment, not the whole weekend
Daytime and activities. Cocktail making, a spa afternoon, a pottery class, a walk to a pub lunch. This is where you want linen, denim, a floaty midi or a simple co-ord. Something you can sit on the floor in and still feel like yourself.
Dinner. The most photographed meal of the weekend. A satin slip dress, a jumpsuit or wide leg trousers with a dressy top will carry you through every restaurant in the country.
The big night. This is where the theme usually lands, and where the sequins, mesh and mini dresses come out. Dress for dancing, not for standing still.
Brunch. The kindest outfit of the weekend. Jeans and a good top count.
The colour rules, honestly
White is the bride's, unless the theme explicitly says otherwise (the all lace, all white "laced in love" hen is having a moment, and in that case white is not just allowed but required). Black is the reliable default, and if the brief is simply "smart", black will never be the wrong answer.
Beyond that, the colours doing the most work this year are the ones we are also seeing across bridal parties: olive, butter yellow, a deep merlot, and the metallics. Many of our bridesmaid dresses are worn just as happily to a hen dinner as they are down an aisle, which is rather the point of a dress that does not belong to any one occasion.
The cost nobody warns you about
Hen dos are expensive before you have bought a single thing to wear. An Aviva study found that UK adults attending someone else's hen spent an average of £779 at home, and over £1,200 when it went abroad.
Now add the clothes. Three or four themed outfits, each worn once, most impossible to wear again because they were bought to match one silver and feathers photograph. That is where a surprising amount of money quietly disappears.
Renting is the obvious way out. Occasion pieces start from around £20 with us, and arrive cleaned and pressed with a prepaid return label in the box. You wear it, you post it back, we handle the dry cleaning. No storage, no guilt, no dress hanging in a spare room with the tags still on.
If you are the bride, and it is your hen
The bride's brief is different. You are the one in white, and you will be photographed more in one weekend than in the rest of the year combined. A short bridal dress, a slip, or something with a little sparkle is the usual answer, and a veil is a genuinely joyful bit of theatre for a hen night.
Our veils and shorter pieces from the bridal collection are hired constantly for hens, not just weddings. If you are already trying gowns for the day itself, our £75 four day home try-on lets you live with the options at home, and the fee comes off your rental if you go on to book one.
The kind, considered choice
None of this needs to be complicated. Read the dress code, dress for the activity, leave the white to the bride, and borrow rather than buy the pieces you will only wear once. It is cheaper, it is far less wasteful, and it means you arrive with a suitcase full of clothes you love rather than a receipt you would rather not think about. A hen do was never meant to be a shopping exercise. It is a weekend with people you love, wearing something beautiful, and then passing it on.
Frequently asked questions
Can you wear white to a hen do as a guest?
No, unless the dress code specifically asks for it. White belongs to the bride for the weekend, and a growing number of hens now formalise this with a "bride in white, guests in black" theme. The exception is an all white or all lace theme, where everybody is asked to wear it.
Can you wear black to a hen do?
Yes. Black is the safest choice at any hen do, and it is now an official dress code at many of them. A black slip dress or jumpsuit will take you from dinner to dancing without a second thought.
How many outfits do you need for a hen weekend?
Most UK hen dos run to two nights, so plan for three or four looks: a daytime or activity outfit, a dinner outfit, one for the big night, and something easy for brunch. Renting two or three of those rather than buying them is what keeps the cost sensible.
Do you have to follow the hen party dress code?
You should, yes. Dress codes exist for the group photographs, and being the only person who ignored the brief is more awkward than any outfit. If a theme feels like too much, ask the maid of honour how literally she means it and aim for a nod to it instead.
Can you hire an outfit for a hen do?
You can, and it is one of the best uses of rental there is. Hen outfits are worn once and often built around a theme you will never repeat. At Something Borrowed, pieces start from around £20, arrive cleaned and pressed, and go back in a prepaid return bag. We handle the cleaning.
What should the bride wear to her own hen do?
Traditionally white, and usually something shorter and more playful than the wedding gown itself. A mini dress, a slip, a little sequin, and a veil if you want the fun of it. Many brides hire this too, rather than buying a second bridal outfit for one night.
Ready to plan the weekend without buying four dresses you will never wear again? Browse the bridesmaid and occasion edit or start with a home try-on.