Back in August, a group of girls gathered at a bar in Chelsea, London. They wore their best frocks, donned red lipstick and carefully coiffed their hair in preparation for an afternoon of polka dots, bunting, gingham tablecloths, tea, cake and bubbly. It was all for my cousin Amie's chic and oh so unique hen party!
We were taught the art of being a good 1950s housewife by a professional etiquette and ladies finishing school mistress (and tv presenter) no less. She was a fabulous host, sharing a quirky glimpse into the relationships between the sexes at that particular period in British history in a very tongue in cheek, fun way.
The session included how to conduct oneself with lady-like poise & posture, how to walk with a book on your head, how to get out of a sports car elegantly, the art of conversation and looking after your husband the traditional, dutiful way on his return from a hard day's work!
The session was rounded off with tuition on the etiquette of ‘how to host a ladies afternoon tea' where we all got to enjoy tea, scones & cakes whilst prizes for the best 1950s housewives were awarded.
Here's my cousin, Amie, with a little more about the day:
I really wanted to do something out of the ordinary for my hen party. This year was a year full of weddings and I had the luxury of going to lots of other hen parties before settling on my own. As soon as I found the 1950's housewife training by Liquid Circle I had my heart set on it.
The day was tongue in cheek wonderfulness. Everyone loved getting dressed up nice to drink pink champagne, and of course learning how to serve our husbands has been a real help to us all (I know my husband, Joe, has certainly commented on how dutiful I have been!!)
Because of the way the event was set up, with two teams competing to be the best housewives, everyone got involved and there was none of the occasional awkwardness you get at hen parties when you are trying to bring people from all areas of your life together. The whole event was classy, fun and we all laughed the whole way through.
Unfortunately, I found out that I am a pretty sub par housewife and I must admit, I do still ask my husband where he has been if he has been out all night (which we learnt was a no-no during training). Maybe one day I'll live up to expectations, but for the moment I can only recommend that everyone gets themselves some 1950's Housewife training!
photos by Liquid Circle
Hats off to Liquid Circle who did a great job organising it all and at an affordable price too (£39 + VAT per person including afternoon tea and a glass of bubbly). Amie even got to take home a copy of ‘Mrs Beeton's Household Management' and a box of chocolates which I thought was a really lovely touch.
If you're based in London and looking for a chic and unique activity for your hen do I highly recommend their 1950s housewife training. Liquid Circle also offer a fantastic variety of hen party (and stag do) activities including sushi making, wine tasting and a Dirty Dancing dance class!
After our rigorous housewife training we headed to the beer garden for Pimms in the sunshine then eventually onto The Lucky Pig cocktail bar where we danced the night away, relieved that we weren't really 1950s house wifes!
Check out our 1950s Dame Edna style specs! And isn't Amie's balloon fabulous?
It was a bespoke creation by Bon Bon balloons who attached fun, personal captions and messages for Amie in multi-coloured paper to the string. She loved it and it was the perfect ‘I'm the hen' accessory, tied to the back of her belt!
Such a fun day and night!
You can see Amie's quirky Brighton engagement shoot here. And her epic, carnival themed wedding will be coming to a computer screen near you very soon…I can't wait to share it with you all!
So what are you doing for your hen do / bachelorette party?
Pssst…you can check out my vintage tea party / burlesque hen do here if you fancy a giggle.
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