What Is A Sten Party?
Ready to rebuff those gender stereotypes and embrace a joint stag and hen do AKA a Sten Party or Hag Do? Everything you need to know about planning a Sten Do.
“Sten Do” is a portmanteau of the terms Stag Party and Hen Do. It is a pre-wedding event where the bride and groom celebrate their last night or weekend of single-dom together with their friends.
Can You Have A Joint Stag And Hen Do?
Yes – absolutely! A joint stag and hen do is usually known as one of the following:
- Sten Party / Sten Do
- Hag Do
- Fox Party
The idea is that instead of having a separate hen and stag, you roll both into one, big gender-neutral party where both the groom’s and the bride’s friends are welcome.
Throwing a gender-neutral Sten Party is an increasingly popular choice for brides & grooms, and nowadays it’s a totally mainstream choice for those who want a joint hen and stag do.
What Is A Hag Do?
A Hag Do is simply another word that means the same thing as Sten – a joint stag and hen party where both sides celebrate the upcoming marriage together.
Unlike with traditional stag and hen parties, a Hag Do is not limited to just one gender – the boys and girls all party together!
Should I Have A Sten Do?
If you’re wondering if you should have a joint stag and hen party then there are a few things to consider.
Firstly, a Sten Party makes the most sense for couples who have a lot of mutual friends, particularly if you all belong to the same large group of friends.
Secondly, the best thing to do to help you decide should I have a Sten Do is to ask your other half if they could imaging having a joint stag and hen celebration.
Thirdly, consider whether you and your partner would be happy to forgoe the traditional single-sex stag and hen parties and instead just have one big event together.
If you think you might feel like you’ve missed out on having separate events, then you could be super extra and just do both!
If you do decide to have two events, be prepared that some friends might only be able to make one of them.
What Are The Benefits To A Sten Party?
The best things about a Sten Do are:
- All your friendship group partying together
- You can save money by just paying for one event
- It’s less stress and organisation than a separate Stag & Hen
- It’s a great chance for everyone to meet before the wedding
- You get to spend more time with your beloved!
What Are The Disadvantages Of A Hag Party?
- You have to agree on what to do for your Sten Party with your partner
- It might be hard to find a date to suit a large group of both your friends
- The more Stags & Hens (Stens?) attending, the less time you’ll get to spend with each
- Your Stens might not all get along with each other
How To Plan A Sten Party Or Hag Do
Once you’ve decided to have a Sten Do, then it’s time to start the planning together as a couple. Follow this checklist to help you plan a Sten Party:
1. Decide whether you want a Sten Party or a Sten Weekend
2. Both bride & groom write a guest list to decide how many to invite
3. Find a date and check that the majority of your gang can make it
4. Choose your joint bride/groom activities
What Activities Are Good For A Sten Do?
What to do for your Sten Party or at your Sten Weekend is completely up to you and your partner, and you can have a lot of fun choosing the activities.
Some of the best ideas for a Sten Party are:
1. Group Weekend Away
One of the best ideas for a Sten Party is to book a weekend away with all the stags and hens together. This could be booking a party house in the UK, or hopping on a flight to somewhere warm to party on the beach as one big friendship group.
Search for a party house in the UK → here.
Browse options for group package deals abroad → here.
2. Scavenger Hunt
A truly gender-neutral Sten Do idea is to do a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt in a new city. This is a great idea for a joint stag and hen party because it doesn’t require any physical strength as such, the girls will be pitting their scavenging skills against the lads’!
If you’re planning a Sten Party in London, check out this Treasure Hunt activity.
3. Theme Park
Who doesn’t love a day at a theme park? This is one that is sure to keep both the stags and the hens happy and you’ll have a lot of fun and bonding time as you take on the likes of Oblivion as a group.
4. Assault Course – Bear Grylls Adventure
Pit your female friends against your partner’s mates with an assault course. The guys won’t know what they’re in for! You could make this super competitive by all wearing Team Bride or Team Stag t-shirts.
Why not challenge your mates to the Bear Grylls Adventure near Birmingham?
Book group Bear Grylls Adventure tickets → here
5. Group Night Out
An oldie but a goldie, but you could just organise a Sten Night Out either in your local area, or in a city that you’ve never visited as a group before. Why not make it a bit different by doing a Silent Disco?
6. Escape Room
One of the best bonding exercises you can do is to all get locked in a room together and have to depend on each other to get out again.
Escape rooms are a really popular Sten Do activity as they’re well suited to lots of different players and can be done all over the country.
Book an escape room experience → here
7. Cooking Class
This might not be to everyone’s taste to begin with, but a cooking class means you get to all do something together, and then reap the rewards after by sitting down to eat together.
You could book a class that is suited to the bride & groom’s favourite cuisine, for example a sushi class or pasta-making class.
8. Indoor Skydiving
One for the bride & groom who are adrenaline junkies, why not book a group indoor sky diving session?
You’ll all get kitted out in fetching jumpsuits (imagine the group selfies) and then you’ll learn how to skydive in a huge air tunnel tube indoors.
Book group Indoor Skydiving → here
9. Football Stadium Tour
Are you looking for a sten party activity for a group of football fans? Then you could book a football stadium tour, although we wouldn’t want to be there if you end up with fans of rival teams in your sten party…
Book a Wembley Stadium Tour → here
Book an Old Trafford Tour → here
Book an Etihad Stadium Tour →here
10. Craft Beer, Cheese or Wine Tour
Whether your sten group are beer drinkers or more the G&T kind, there are plenty of beverage-centric tours and experiences for you to enjoy together.
Book a Craft Beer Tour → here
Book a Wine Tour here → here
If drinking isn’t so much your thing how about…
Book The Manchester Cheese Crawl → here
11. Murder Mystery Dinner
A great hag do idea for all genders is to throw a Murder Mystery dinner. This is another great option for getting everyone involved, letting the drinks flow and allowing everyone to get creative with the costumes.
You can buy a Murder Mystery game with everything you need all organised → here.
12. Harry Potter Studio Tour
If both the bride and groom are big HP fans, then why not drag all your besties along to the Warner Bros Studio Tour near London?
Book Group Harry Potter Studio Tour tickets → here
So what do you think, can you imagine having a Sten Party together with your partner instead of a traditional hen do? Or perhaps you will decide to do both and enjoy the best of both parties!
However you decide to spend your last night of freedom, be it with a joint stag or a separate hen, we’re here to help you plan the best party ever!
