It all started with one imaginative bridesmaid. This privileged old time dearest friend, sister, or, let’s be honest, someone who lives local, because no one can do much from 3000 miles away, no matter how badly she wants to. Has been specially hand picked by the wife-to-be herself, and is crowned with the absolute honour of being the helm to the rest of the bridal party.
The ‘chosen one’ must have been sitting amid the layers of bridal magazines she’s been collecting for her potential wedding day, and cut outs of her suggestion of the ‘perfect wedding dress’, thinking how can I be the very best MOH I can be (she even came up with her own catchy pet name for her role as ‘Maid of Honour’, so the rest of the party wouldn’t form ill opinions on her over the top involvement in the glossy running of the matrimony).
Then, one fine day it just must have clicked. A little light bulb went off in that MOH brain of hers. That same brain which holds the overflow of ideas on petite white cupcakes as an alternative to one sizeable wedding cake, beach themed locations for the ceremony, and whether or not strapless or boob tube dresses are the go for the rest of the bridal party.
How about I designate one night to this bride- to- be, and throw a jamboree packed with scandalous, half naked, men, bulk booze and little penis themed straws. I will call it a ‘Hens Night’, and it will be a girl’s exclusive event. Brilliant.
So, thanks to that very out-and-out, original bridesmaid who shaped the concept of celebrating and honouring (hence the title Maid of Honour, after all her duty is to honour) the bride to be, and giving her the opportunity to rejoice with her nearest and dearest before she will have a new life and responsibilities. The chronicle of a ‘Hens Night ‘ could have come from that, or it could be the fact that brides-to-be all around the globe demanded equality.
Their men got to feast, and gamble before the night of their wedding. The grooms felt they had the right to dedicate an event around gambling given that after the wedding, the groom is no longer going to have the authority over his finances, so spending one last night pretending his money is his own is an enjoyable ‘role play’ for the him. Gambling plays one role in the merriment, that and ogling over girls half their age. I’m not sure of the reasoning behind the ogling; I guess ogling is also a compulsory party feature for the groom, because his eyes will also belong to the bride after the wedding.
By Angie Kent
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