What was the theme/idea behind your hen’s party?
Organised by my seven bridesmaids (yes, there were seven!), the overall vibe for the day was a special day surrounded by my favourite people, delicious food and drinks and good music – you can’t really go wrong with that.

One of my bridesmaids is a yoga teacher so we kicked it off with a yoga class in the morning with the bridal party and my mum.

We then went on an ‘Anna-Lise’s love life scavenger hunt’ around Auckland, had a beautiful dinner by Pasta e Cuore, plenty of Negroni, partied at a space in Newton and ended the evening at Karaoke.

All of my bridesmaids then stayed over at my house as I never like the party to end!

What did you wear and where was it from?
I started off the day in a rather questionable outfit, fit for a full day tramping which was confusing given our urban setting. It turned out to be my attire for the scavenger hunt. They know me well and let me choose my own Ruby dress for the dinner & party end of the evening. Everyone was there to welcome me when I arrived at the dinner space – seeing everyone together was one of the best moments.

It was held two weeks out from our wedding on the same day as my husband Tom’s stag party, which made for great story sharing the next day. There was a small army organising the day so I got ready for the dinner with half of my beautiful ladies at one of their homes, whilst the other half set up the incredible space.

Who did you invite?
My closest friends, family and a few of our Ruby team – there were around 40 of us.

Were you involved in the planning of the day, or was it all a surprise?
A complete surprise. Very early on I was sent a bunch of flowers and a card by my bridesmaids with strict instructions, making me promise them that I wouldn’t try and find out any details as I am not one for surprises! They really did know me so well as the whole day almost felt like a party that I had organised – very lucky.

Did you have any rules for the day – things you wanted, or didn’t want, to happen?
The only rule was to keep it wholesome and have a big party!

What were your accessories (including any obligatory hen’s ones)?
We have had a string of weddings this summer of close friends and there has been a pink sash worn by each bride at their hen’s party so in the spirit of sustainability, they got me to wear it too. Safe to say that its days were numbered and I took it off pretty quickly.

What was your favourite part of the hen’s do?
After dinner, my sister’s close friend DJ4EVA played and the dance floor hit a whole new gear – it was the BEST. We even got asked to take our shoes off by The French Café as we were disrupting dinner service downstairs!

The most surprising?
The topless, bow tie-wearing pianist for cocktail hour and the incredible book my friends had pulled together with a favourite recipe from each of my guests, designed by Ophelia King. This is something I will cherish forever!

What would be your advice for future hens who want to enjoy their day?
Relax and enjoy what your closest friends have organised for you and most importantly remember to stand back every so often and take it all in as it goes so quickly. The wedding started to seem much more real at my hen’s party.