TripMemo Product Team
Product & releases
8 min read•Published
Summary
The best hen do gifts for the bride from the bridesmaids are personal rather than expensive: a letter or message from every hen, a printed memory book of the hen do, a personalised robe for the wedding morning, something blue, or a group contribution to the honeymoon. Many groups give a small gift at the hen do itself and save a keepsake made from the weekend for the wedding morning or the rehearsal dinner. Pool the money, agree the budget early, and choose one main gift from the group rather than ten small ones.
The best hen do gift for the bride from the bridesmaids is personal rather than expensive: a letter from every hen, a printed memory book of the weekend, a robe for the wedding morning, or a group contribution to the honeymoon. Give something small at the hen do itself, and save a keepsake made from the weekend for the wedding morning or the rehearsal dinner. Pool the money and choose one main gift from the group; the bride will remember one thoughtful present far longer than a bag of small ones.
Below are 14 ideas, sorted by when you give them, plus how to split the cost and what to avoid. If you want the photos from the weekend to become a gift, see our hen do photo books, made by the bridesmaids with photos from every hen.
Gifts to Give at the Hen Do
These are given at the start of the weekend or the night, so they are part of the celebration.
1. Letters from every hen
Ask each hen to write the bride a short letter before the hen do: a favourite memory, why she is happy for her, a wish for the marriage. Collect them in one envelope or a small box and give them over breakfast on the first morning. It costs almost nothing and it is the gift she is most likely to read again. Give each hen a deadline a week before and a word limit, or the quiet ones will not write at all.
2. A personalised robe or pyjamas
A robe or pyjama set with "Bride" or her new initials on it is worn on the hen do and again on the wedding morning, so it shows up in the getting-ready photos. Order early: personalised clothing often takes a week or two.
3. Something blue
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" is a wedding tradition, and the bridesmaids can cover the blue: a blue garter, blue-stoned earrings, a handkerchief with the date stitched in blue thread, or blue soles painted on her wedding shoes. Ask what she is wearing first so it suits the dress.
4. A wedding morning kit
A pouch with what she might need on the day: plasters, safety pins, a sewing kit, painkillers, a lip balm, hair grips, tissues, a phone charger and a small snack. Practical, and someone always needs it by midday.
5. Jewellery from the group
An initial necklace, a bracelet engraved with the wedding date or a pair of earrings she can wear on the day. If the group goes for jewellery, check with whoever knows her style best, because jewellery is personal.
Keepsakes Made From the Hen Do
The hen do is a gift in itself, and the best way to give it back to her is as something she can keep. These are made after the weekend.
6. A hen do memory book
Collect the photos from every hen, put them in order from the build-up to the morning after, add a page for each hen with a message to the bride, and have it printed as a book. It is the only hen do gift that keeps the weekend itself, and it can sit on her shelf next to the wedding album.
Two tips that make the book work: ask everyone to send their original photos through a shared album rather than the group chat, which shrinks them, and leave out anything the bride would not want her new in-laws to see. Our hen do photo book page covers the covers, collecting the photos and the timing in full.
7. A video of messages
Ask friends and family who could not come (grandparents, old school friends, the bride's friends abroad) to record a 20-second message, and edit them into a short video. Play it at the hen do dinner or send it on the wedding morning.
8. A framed group photo
The best photo of the whole group, printed large and framed, with everyone's signatures on the mount. Choose a frame in a plain colour so it fits any room.
9. A recipe or advice book from the hens
Each hen contributes one recipe, one piece of marriage advice or one "date night idea" on a card, and the cards are bound into a small book or kept in a box. Married hens tend to give the funniest advice.
Join the TripMemo
Newsletter
Unsubscribe anytime. Read our privacy policy.
Gifts for the Wedding and the Honeymoon
10. A contribution to the honeymoon
If the couple have a honeymoon fund, the hens can pay for one experience: a dinner, a boat trip, a spa afternoon. Give it with a card saying exactly what it is for, so it feels like a gift rather than cash.
11. A wedding morning breakfast
Book or bring breakfast and fizz for the bridal party on the morning of the wedding, so the bride does not have to think about it. A small thing that she will remember as part of the day.
12. A personalised dress hanger
A wire hanger shaped into her new name or "Mrs", for the dress to hang on in the getting-ready photos. Inexpensive and photographed more than you would think.
13. Honeymoon travel bits
A matching set of luggage tags, a passport holder, a travel jewellery case or a packing cube set in her favourite colour. Useful straight away, and a nod to the trip after the wedding.
14. A journal for the first year
A notebook or a travel journal for the honeymoon and the first year of marriage, with a note from the hens on the first page. If the couple travel a lot, a first anniversary gift of paper a year later can continue the story.
%20copy%202.avif)
%20copy%203.avif)
Your trip, printed.Start it in the TripMemo app.
How to Split the Cost
- Agree the budget before you choose the gift. Ask privately rather than in the group chat, so nobody is embarrassed to say it is too much. The hens are already paying for the weekend, the outfit and travel.
- One person collects the money, usually the maid of honour, with a deadline.
- Choose one main gift from the group, plus any small personal cards or letters.
- Do not forget the wedding gift. Most bridesmaids give a wedding present to the couple as well, so keep the hen do gift modest.
What to Avoid
- Anything embarrassing she has to keep. Novelty gifts are fun on the night but end up in a drawer; keep them to the props.
- Gifts that need her time before the wedding, such as a course or an appointment she has to book.
- Clothing in a guessed size. Ask her mum or a sister, or choose a robe in a loose fit.
- Last-minute personalisation. Engraving, embroidery and printing all take time, so order at least two weeks before the day you give it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do bridesmaids give the bride at the hen do?
Usually one group gift plus something small on the day: letters from every hen, a robe for the wedding morning, something blue, jewellery or a honeymoon contribution. A keepsake of the hen do, such as a printed memory book, is given afterwards.
When should you give the bride her hen do gift?
Small gifts at the start of the hen do. A keepsake of the weekend suits the wedding morning, the rehearsal dinner or the first get-together afterwards.
Should bridesmaids give one gift or separate gifts?
One gift from the whole group, with a budget agreed early and one person collecting the money. Keep separate gifts to a card or a letter.
What is a sentimental hen do gift for the bride?
Letters from each hen, a video of messages, or a printed memory book of the hen do with a message from every hen.
Is the hen do gift the same as the wedding gift?
No. The hen do gift is personal to the bride; the wedding gift is for the couple. Most bridesmaids give both.
Ready to make the keepsake? A hen do photo book puts the whole weekend, and a page from every hen, in her hands.
