Low-Key Hen Do Games: 15 Ideas For A Cosy Cottage Weekend

Not every hen wants a sash and a stranger's name badge. A country house weekend runs on wine, a fire and games that make people talk rather than perform.

Fifteen ideas below, grouped by when in the weekend they actually work.

Friday night: break the ice

• The Traitors board game - the perfect opener. Nobody has to know each other, and by round two the school friends and the work friends are conspiring together.
• Two truths and a lie, but about the bride rather than yourselves.
• Mr and Mrs, kept to ten questions. Any longer and it drags.
• Guess the baby photo - everyone sends one to the organiser beforehand.
• Who said it? Quotes from the bride's group chat over the years.

Saturday afternoon: low effort, high laugh

• A prosecco tasting with the labels covered and a scoring sheet.
• Pottery painting or a candle-making kit round the kitchen table.
• Cards Against Humanity or Herd Mentality, depending on the family mix.
• Guess the dress - everyone sketches the wedding dress in two minutes.
• A hen do quiz about the couple, written by the maid of honour.

Saturday night: after dinner

• Werewolf or Avalon if the Traitors game went down well and people want another round.
• Articulate or Wavelength, both loud and both team games.
• Bingo with the bride's catchphrases instead of numbers.
• A group playlist where everyone adds the song they associate with her.

Sunday morning: gentle

• Advice cards - everyone writes one line for the couple to open on their anniversary.
• A memory jar, filled while the bacon's on.

Shop funny cards

How to write it so it lands

• Ask the bride what she'd hate. It's the single most useful question you can ask.
• Keep every game under thirty minutes, including explaining it.
• Have one game that needs nothing but people. Kit gets forgotten; conversation doesn't.

Where to shop next

• Board games hub
• How to host a Traitors theme night
• Best board games for a weekend away with friends
• Best social deduction board games
• After-dinner board games for adults
• Best TV show board games
• Board games for adults
• Board games for big groups
• Free feel good tools
• Shop all cards
• Hen party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Party bag ideas for adults
• How much helium do you need for balloons?
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are good low-key hen do games?

Games that get people talking without performing: a social deduction game like The Traitors, a blind prosecco tasting, Mr and Mrs kept short, guess the baby photo, and a quiz about the couple.

What game works for a hen do where people don't know each other?

A team or deduction game. The Traitors board game or Werewolf forces mixed alliances, so the work friends and the school friends stop sitting at opposite ends of the table.

How many games should a hen weekend have?

One per session - Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night - and something gentle on the Sunday. Four across a weekend is plenty.

Do you sell board games?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.