If you've ever had the honour of being a bridesmaid for the first time, then chances are you took the role of planning the hen party very seriously! From thoughtful welcome tokens for the ladies to care package items to help everyone survive the weekend (and the potential hangover!) hen party goodie bags were firmly on many attentive bridesmaids' to-do list. You can put as much or as little inside, and go as fun or as practical as you like with your selection. To make it that little bit easier for you, we've compiled a great list of suggested items of what to put in a hen party goodie bag below.

Bride Squad Goodie Bags from Team Hen

Choosing the "I do crew" essentials you need (to survive!) over the weekend can be daunting (more on how to source non-tacky décor and accessories here!) so if you too are looking for hen party goodie bag fillers, we've compiled this handy little list of items to give you an idea of what to include to help you and the bride squad enjoy the fun even more. And while hen party goodie bags are not essential, the extra effort will certainly be appreciated by the guests!

Makeup Goodie Bag from NovaEssentialsCo

What to put in a Hen Party Goodie Bag

Essentials

• Itinerary
• Emergency contacts (bridesmaids' phone numbers and an address and contact number for where you're staying )
• Taxi numbers
• Uber vouchers or taxi discount cards

Wearables

• T-shirts
• Sashes
• Headbands or flower crowns
• Badges or name tags
• Mini temporary tattoos
• Fun sunglasses (to hide those tired eyes!)
• Fun accessories - personalised bracelets etc.

You'll find a list of where to buy these hen party bits here. 

Goody bags by Le Muze

Hen Party Fun & Games

• Any game printables and a pen or pencil
• Bride-to-be advice cards
• Mini confetti cannons or party poppers
• Bubbles
• Photo and selfie props
• Glow sticks
• Drink tokens
• Cocktail stirrers
• Pretty paper or novelty straws
• Paper cups
• Disposable cameras

Goody Bag by Demi-Lee Burns

Food and Drink

• Bottled water  - adding a custom label would be a cute touch!
• Snipes of Champagne, mini prosecco bottles or miniature bottles of local alcohol or cocktails in a can.
• Coconut water
• Sweet or savoury snacks - popcorn, crisps or sweets are a great idea, particularly when they're exclusive to the area (think Tayto in Ireland, shortbread biscuits in Scotland, a stick of rock by the seaside, etc.)
• Sweets
• Mints or gum
• Can of fizzy pop
• Cereal bar
• Fresh fruit - energy-giving apples, oranges and bananas are the easiest to pack in a goodie bag.
• A midnight snack - we're big fans of the crisp sandwich packs! You can buy these online or you can also prepare yourself. Slices of bread, mini butter pad, eco-friendly disposable knife (to avoid waste!), and a packet of crisps all neatly packed in a sealed bag
• Coffee/Tea Bag

Image by Captured by Katrina

Little Treats

• Mini makeup or perfume samples (you could pick up samples from beauty counters)
• Lip balm
• Hair ties, scrunchies and hair clips
• Nail file
• Cooling eye masks (we love these!)
• Sheet masks
• Lip masks
• Fun fans
• Mini bottles of SPF or aftersun - for sunny destination hen parties
• Flip flops or slippers
• Cosy socks
• Makeup Remover
• A personalised, reusable drinks bottle or cup they can use throughout the wedding weekend

Hangovers & First Aid

• Band-aids/plasters
• Blister plasters
• Party feet
• Tissues
• Hand sanitiser
• Rennie (indigestion tablets)
• Painkillers
• Rehydration Sachet
• Hangover defence tablets such as Tipple

Image from The Hen Planner

Tips for Creating the Perfect Hen Party Goodie Bag

• Obviously every hen party is different and will need different items for different activities or themes but these are the most popular items to include. Of course you don't have to include everything but they're a handy guideline of “just in case” or "just for fun" items!
• First things first, you need a stylish bag to keep all the goodies in, from mini paper bags and basket bags to personalised canvas totes, there are lots of options to choose from. Source these from great stores online on sites like Team Hen and Etsy or in stores such as Dealz  and Primark. Or, any pretty gift bag will do!
• Depending on the number of girls, you’ll want to think cheap and cheerful for your goodie bags.  Remember you don't have to go overboard filling these bags with fancy items, Penneys/Primark and Eurosaver items are fine.
• Try to limit expensive novelty items as much as possible. Instead try and fill with items that the hen party guests and bride will use again - as always, avoid single use plastics where possible!

Goody Bags by Scottsdale Bachelorette

• Collect product samples throughout your planning, they’re free and they are perfectly sized for goodie bags!
• Enlist the bridal party to help you pack them up. Consider each individual guest while packing your hen party goodie bags, and ask your helpers to do the same. For example, alcohol won't be appropriate for all guests.
• Keep it simple and remember that you don't have to fill the whole thing – your hens don’t want to lug a bunch of extra stuff home with them.
• Make them personal! A personalised label or tag with each hen's name and a sprinkling of confetti in the bottom of each bag adds a fun finishing touch! You could even add a photo of the hen and bride if you've got the time to do so.
• Don't forget to make the brides version extra special!

For more great hen party ideas and planning posts check out our dedicated hen party section as well as our hand-picked hen party suppliers in Ireland.