Buff Butler Blog

For most people when they decide they are getting married, there is usually at least 12 months before the big event. This gives you the time to get everything organised, in place and make the day perfect. Sure, you can do it in less time. But if you plan to have at least 12 months to get the wedding organised, here’s a basic timeline to help with your planning. 12+ months before Some of the biggest decisions need to be made as soon as you get engaged (well, after the party anyway). The big thing is the date you want to get married – you need to set this because it is the first question you will get asked. The next thing is to start looking at venues including checking with any church or registry office that the venue is free on the date. Once you have your date and where the wedding is being held, you can start looking at other elements. You may also want to put into place dates for things like the hen party at this point. Our buff butlers, for example, are booked months ahead so if you want us to run your hen party...

Whether you’ve been on one, organised one or been the focus of one, most of us have had dealings with a hen or stag party at some point. The hen party or hen night is the ladies’ celebration before the wedding and is a bit like a female version of the bachelor party. But there’s a lot more to do it – so where did the hen party come from? Ancient pre-wedding celebrations The idea of special celebrations or parties before the wedding itself isn’t a new one. In Ancient Greece for example, the wedding was made up of three parts. One of those was the Proaulia where the bride and her female family members gathered for a special ritual (read party in modern language). This actually pre-dated the first mention of the male pre-wedding gathering by some 1300 years so there’s a good case for the hen do being the forerunner of the stag do, not the other way around! Hen = woman We have the 1600s to thank for the idea of a woman as a hen. Back then the term was used as slang for a woman and by the late 1800s, there was use of the...

There are lots of things to organise with a hen party – where to go, what to do, what party games to have. Another big consideration for most kinds of parties is the music because it makes the mood, finishes the evening and is great fun. But how do you pick the right music for your party? 70s disco party Depending on how old the members of the hen party are, the 70s could either be something they remember fondly or something they fell in love with on one of the many 70s revivals! One area of 70s music that is perfect for a hen party is disco – it gets everyone up onto the dance floor, shaking it and singing away. Classics to add to the playlist include: • Disco Inferno – Trammps • Blame it on the Boogie – The Jackson 5 • You Should be Dancin’ & Staying Alive – The Bee Gees Pick an 80s theme There were so many fun themes that came out of the 80s this means loads of choice for your hen party and the music to go with it. Madonna is a huge 80s star and a great theme for a...

Cocktails are great tasting and fun to make. And they can also come in the craziest, funkiest colours thanks to some spirits that you may never have heard of. Here’s a collection of some of the more colourful and interesting cocktails you could ever have at your hen party. Blue cocktails There’s nothing that says sun, sea and sand like a blue cocktail. With colours from a rich sapphire blue through to turquoise shades, there are drinks that cover all your favourite blue shades. Many of them get this fantastic colour through something called blue curacao. This is an orange flavoured liqueur that comes in a shocking electric blue colour. It has a nice flavour to it as well and is ideal for cocktails. Here’s a few simple recipes: • Blue Lagoon – 1 oz vodka, ½ oz. blue curacao, top with lemonade • Blue Hawaiian – ½ oz. light rum (Bacardi), ½ oz. blue curacao, 1 oz. Pineapple juice, ½ oz. coconut cream and a cup of ice • Midnight Kiss – 1.5 oz. vodka, ½ oz. blue curacao, 1 tsp lemon juice, top with champagne • Blue Margarita – 2 oz. tequila, 1 oz. blue curacao, 1 oz....

As one of the party locations of Europe, Ibiza is a very popular place to go for hen parties. It isn’t too far from home but far enough that you can enjoy sun, sea and cocktails even if things are chilly and raining at home. Planning an Ibiza hen party isn’t too complicated but there are a few things to consider. Consider the timing Obviously, the wedding itself will dictate a lot of when you go on the hen party. But it is worth considering that there are peak times when it is will not only be a lot busier but a lot more expensive to travel. July and August are the peak months for visiting Ibiza and these are when prices at the highest and the place is very busy. That might work well for the kind of hen party you want and if this is the case, book as early as possible to get the best deals. In terms of when it gets warm, the weather takes a noticeable upturn from May onwards and stays good until October. So, if you want to go for a slightly off-peak party, then consider going earlier or later in the year....