Clucking crazy cost of Hen’s nights

International extravaganzas? Fancy hotels? Whatever happened to the days when you could have a few with the bride-to-be at your local? JILL POULSEN writes

THIS week I was approached to write a column about an issue affecting a lot of young women — Hen’s nights, more specifically the exorbitant costs they now incur.

Research has revealed the average cost of a wedding in Australia is $36,200.

My research has revealed the average cost of attending a wedding, including the Hen’s night is, around $18,243.10

What once used to be a boozy night out with the girls has turned into a production that rivals that of any Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

All of a sudden the local bars that have been more than adequate to make a fool of yourselves in over the years are no longer good enough.

No, now we all need to travel to the other side of the country, and in some cases the world, to hardly remember a thing from the night.

I honestly can’t see the difference between having your Hen’s at the local Rissole with genuine 1970 prices or a two-day extravaganza in Bali.

The outcome is the same: someone will cry, someone will think it’s a great time to tell the bride what they really of their hubby to be, someone will regret giving their number to the stripper and you’re all going home with a headache.

Here are some of the messages I’ve received from women struggling under the costly burden of celebrating their pal’s impeding nuptials.

Kylie (name changed for security reasons) was a bridesmaid to a Melbourne Brideszilla.

“I had to spend thousands attending the bridal shower and Hen’s night. We did fancy restaurants, limos and a mandatory stay in an expensive hotel in the city. It was ridiculous. I’m still paying for it,’ she said.

And this one from Sarah (again not her real name), whose mate is getting married interstate.

“One of my best pals is getting married at the end of the month in (secret location),” she said.

“Flights there are already costing me a fortune but for some reason, the Hen’s organisers are having the Hen’s the week before the wedding and what was meant to be a weekend house rental in Sydney is now a $200 day trip to (secret location) for lunch and wine.

“I’m now about to call her and pull out because I’d much rather go all out for the wedding over a day trip.” But anyone that has ever had the nightmare of planning a Hen’s night knows, it’s not actually the bride who makes it the hardest, it’s the other hens.

I’m yet to meet someone who hasn’t taken a significant financial blow after organising the event and failing to recoup costs.

One of my friends lost hundreds after some hinnies refused to pay the full price of the night because they didn’t drink as much as others and weren’t there when the stripper arrived.

I remember one chick saying to my friend: “I’m going in a body building competition, so can you please let me know if there’ll be appropriate food for me to eat, if not I won’t be paying the full amount”.

Since when did kabana and cheese become off limits to bodybuilders?

We now also have the bridal shower to contend with — not instead of the Hen’s night but as well as.

The bridal shower is a tamer affair — we see a few greedy women opting for this not only because they believe we should be as excited about their wedding as they are but because they don’t want to get trolleyed in front of their mother-in-law.

That’s fine, wise even, but don’t expect us to do both.

The truth is, gathering your nearest and dearest girls for a night of debauchery is a sacred tradition that is worth upholding.

But it doesn’t need to cost more than a university degree.