ConnectedWeddings.com's book, Wedding Belles

Wedding season is here! Just in time, Trendy’s new sister site, ConnectedWeddings.com has published a fab wedding planning guidebook called Wedding Belles: How to make your dream wedding come true!

So this week we’re beginning a series where we bring you some of the great tips from Wedding Belles, and then invite you to join us to discuss them in the ConnectedWeddings.com community forum online.

Today’s topic: the Hen Party — the bride’s last round of single fun with her gang of girls.

When: It’s best to schedule a hen party at least two weeks before the wedding. (You don’t want to be hung over for the mehendi lunch.)

Who attends: The bride’s closest gal pals, sisters and female cousins.

The Look: Costumes for the bride or the whole gaggle of girls are a sure-fire way to get things started — giggles guaranteed. Try harem pants and veils, Playboy bunny ears, naughty badges or matching T-shirts.

Themes: Bollywood item number girls (give Rakhee and Katrina a run for their money in skimpy bling outfits and wriggle your stuff to the song of the moment); Teenage pop stars (play Britney and Shakira by being BAD girls, in tiny skirts, big hair and pink lipstick or goth eyes); or Miss Universe and her retinue (buy tiaras from a costume jewellery store, make sashes with strips of satin, and walk through the party blowing kisses and promising world peace).

Games: Play Confessions — Get each hen to write a question, the more embarrassing the better. If the bride answers a question truthfully, she’s let off — but if someone calls her bluff, she has to have a shot. Or The Soon-to-Be-Wed Game — Ahead of time, ask the groom a list of questions about the bride. Then have the bride try to guess what the groom’s answers were and see how many of her answers match his (plus how embarrassed she gets!).

Unusual Hen Party Ideas: If the bride isn’t the bar-hopping type, try a spa weekend at The Vedic Village Spa outside Calcutta, or Shreyas near Bangalore; adventure sports like bungee jumping and rock climbing; or a picnic or excursion at the nearest sanctuary or wildlife park.

Now join us for the discussion — come to the ConnectedWeddings.com Community to swap stories about your hen party experiences. All you have to do is login with your Facebook ID.

Wedding Belles: How to make your dream wedding come true; from the creators of ConnectedWeddings.com; Random House India; Rs: 595. In bookstores across India or shop online.

See our Italian Forum Matrimonio and Spanish Foro Bodas, too.