Bonnie Blackburn
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This month we feature the lovely Bonnie Blackburn, bridal blogger, from Amour Amour - a gorgeous website which showcases elegant and stylish wedding resources. Bonnie married her husband Paul, in April 2009.
1. Were you the hen or the organizer/bridesmaid or both?
I was the Hen however I also helped my bridesmaids with a bit of the organizing just because I enjoy that kind of thing!
2. When was the hen’s night?
The Hens night was in March 2009, 2 weeks before my wedding.
3. Did your hen’s night go for the whole weekend or just the night?
The hens celebrations were just for the one night, in stark contrast to my husband whose buck’s was 5 days on the Gold Coast!
4. What sort of activities were there?
Unfortunately I was ill with glandular fever and had to take it easy so a treasure hunt around Sydney had to be cancelled which would have been lots of fun. The party is split into groups and you run around bars in Sydney looking for clues! I think we will still do that one day!
In the end we just had a beautiful dinner with lots of laughs and reminiscing. A few of the girls brought along some naughty accessories which prompted much hilarity! We saved the games for the bridal shower which was the following weekend.
5. Was there a theme, and how did you incorporate that theme into the night?
There wasn’t a theme as such however my gorgeous bridesmaids and guests knew that I was after a simple yet special dinner with them all. It was exactly what I was after; elegant with good food, surrounded by my wonderful friends. My bridesmaids had the restaurant print up special menus with ‘Bonnie’s final fling before the ring’ which was fun and is now a special keep-sake.
6. Where did you go?
The evening was held in the private dining room of Otto restaurant at Woolloomooloo wharf in Sydney. It is has great food and a private dining area which was key to make it more intimate and special. Afterwards we partied at a fabulous city apartment and despite being unwell I certainly made the most of my last big night out as a single lady!
7. Who was the star of the night?
The bride-to-be is always the star surely! A picture message of my husband dressed as a playboy bunny on Cavill Avenue almost stole the show however! Ha ha!
8. Did you meet up with the groom-to-be during the evening?
No, however he did keep me up to date on his antics with picture texts which was fun!
9. Did your bridesmaids make you do anything you didn’t want to do, or were there some strict rules in place!
There were strict rules in place! There were to be no strippers! We were however blessed with a very attractive waiter that evening who certainly had the girls attention!
10. If you were organizing another hen’s night or weekend (or having yours again!), what would you do the same, and what would you do differently?
Mine was a little different due to my not being so ill however I don’t think I would change anything! I recently co-organised a hens do for a friend and we played a fun game similar to celebrity head. Instead of just one celeb though, you have a celebrity couple which you have to guess.
I do think it is a great idea to have a girly weekend away with friends somewhere like Bellachara where you can relax and indulge. The key to that is planning ahead so everyone can budget their time and money!
11. How would you describe your hen’s night in just three words?
Fun, fabulous and memorable!
12. Any final advice for a girl planning a hen’s party?
My advice is to plan early! Get the guest list from the bride along with an idea of what she envisages as the perfect day and run with it! She is so busy planning the wedding she will be grateful to you for organizing!
Keep the budgets of your friends in mind or email out a few options for people to vote. That way everyone is included- it’s not about the venue, it’s about the bride-to-be being surrounded by her friends to celebrate this new stage of her life!
