Broods are a group of hens in this case who have all come to celebrate. When it comes to weddings one of the best things in the lead up is of course the Hens celebrations. Generally organised by the bridesmaids in light of the Mother Hen’s last weeks of freedom (well technically,) the hens is the best excuse to get together with our friends and a great night out for those of your friends and family who don’t get out too much anymore.

The night always begins with a few pre drinks followed by the special ritual of dressing the soon to be bride in tacky sashes and tiaras with flashing lights and naughty accessories. Having just come back from a hen’s weekend myself you realise how much fun you have and how much things change, so take advantage!

My favourite is the mortified look of the bride to be as a sexy policeman walks through the door and begins serenading her with his absurd dance moves and soon lands his bare bum cheeks on her legs... it’s priceless! 

But the fun doesn’t just stop there, these days girls are loaded with fun ideas to keep us laughing. The topless waiters are always an added bonus to any occasion and the ‘Pin the package on the hunk’ and other X-rated games have us in stitches all night. In light of all of this it is also the best excuse to feed your friend with endless shots of vodka, tequila and any other sexual named beverage (wet pussy, cock sucking cowboy, sex on the beach etc.)Of course keeping in mind that the photos can never go up, well no photos after the pre-drinks anyway, and this is your only excuse to dish out every sex joke you know!

Although some women are more modest or should we say a bit more conservative than others, never the less every hen always wakes up with one appreciated hangover the next morning and after hearing the worst pick-up lines in the book by the, although gorgeous, trashed guys in the venue, every hen is so glad to be off the market and holding onto their Mr right.

So here is to all the brides to be...

 

And just a tip to leave you with, Gatorade works wonders for hangovers. HappyHens

xxArt4Playxx

So you have an engagement party or a wedding coming up and the only thing on your mind is WHAT DO I WEAR!?!?

The age old question and let’s not deny the most important issue facing any party, has had us women in acrobats as we search high and low, out west, in the suburbs, in the city, at the factory outlets and even online for the perfect form flattering dress.

A dress (based on the occasion) needs to meet certain criteria. It needs to stand out, needs to be slimming, needs to show just enough skin without being too provocative (or just plain out slutty), it needs to be comfortable enough for you to eat, drink and dance in and most importantly needs to make heads turn.

Yes that’s right, we do put too much focus on the materialistic side of engagement and wedding celebration but hey let’s face it there will be a zillion and one photos, people that you have not seen in a long time and judging faces and hey you want to look good! Not to mention you want to be on trend as well as cater to the weather.

Do boys really understand how easy they have it!? 5 minutes in the shower, some gel in the hair, chuck on their suit and voila they are done!

One must remember too that no white is to be worn and if you can help it, best stay away from the colour of the bridesmaid dresses. Then there is the matter of the shoes and clutch to match not to mention the stress of which accessories should be worn and how much of it and what look it is that are going for. 

Just another reason why weddings are just as stressful for us as they are for the bride!

But once you make your statement and receive your compliments you tend to realise all of that – as good as it made you feel, really isn’t as important and worth the stress of it all. 9 times out of 10 the little black dress backup always works and there are so many ways to make it look different. As long as you are there to celebrate with the happy couple and you have a great night, shouldn’t that be what really counts?

xx Art4Play xx

 

Weddings... I love you or I love that our wedding was better than your sisters?

Weddings, A fairytale story every girl dreams about. It all seems easy right? You find your handsome prince, he wines and dines you, you get your jewels (here’s hoping for a large rock!), you pick a dress, the music, the timing, the lights and the guests and the cake, can’t forget the cake and then you live happily ever after.... Wrong.

The all important wedding ordeal can be a nightmare, turning the sweetest girls into feasting bridezillas. But wait! Why should you be the only one dishing it out? Why can’t I turn on you for the increasing expenses that are forcing us innocent civilians into numerous boring weekends and restricted retail therapy sessions to keep up with you expenses, the $800 hens weekend expense, the themed kitchen tea expense (costume and present) and your 16 page gift registry list or the fact that my life saving needs to be spent on a red carpet style dress just to ensure ‘healthy competition’ and prying eyes don’t have much to say.

Nowadays, it seems as though the ‘most important day of any girls life’ is more or less shaped around what her friends or family might have to say or the secret competition (like the moment a bride cringes when her best friend manages to get the most sold out entertainer and she doesn’t) and trying to keep up! What happened to making it special for you and not worrying about everyone else? What happened to the day being a reflection of you and your new husband?

As women, we naturally like to compete but it seems as though the whole focal point behind weddings is rapidly diminishing. A number of women are even pushing their boyfriends to propose because they the only unengaged women in their circle... but of course you love him.

That’s not to say the wedding themselves are not beautiful, which is what in the end makes it all worth it.

 I am not a cynic; in fact I absolutely love weddings and all the hype and excitement, especially when you are in the bridal party!

Despite all the things that keep you broke leading up to the wedding, to see how happy the couple are really justifies the means.  We love how jaws drop as the bride first walks into the church and the endless clinging of glasses to encourage non-stop kisses all night, we love the uproar of the guests as the bridal party make the entrance into the reception, we love how the best man speech always has you in stitches and sometime even tears, we love how lost you get in the couple’s first dance but most of all, we love making jokes about the couples night at the hotel but most of all we love the feeling of walking out and suddenly feeling so smitten like nothing matter but love.

And at least it something to talk about for the next few days...

Here is too the happy couples.

XX Art4Play XX

“Straight to the Ass”

 This too-familiar phrase seems to be making a common occurrence around the work-place at the moment, I have noticed of late. Used as a way to motivate and restrain your friends and colleagues from eating that richchocolateamazingcreamfilled delight.

 It led me to wonder, should we appreciate this “motivation” or be offended by it..?

 In an ideal world, I’m sure we would all love to detest all foods fatty and full of sugar;   love to get up at ease at 6am to do our daily work out and always have the time to make a nutritious yet delicious meal. This, however, is not the reality for many of us (horrifying, I know!)

 Being girls, we all have a weakness; whether it be chocolate, hot chips or in my case oodles of cheese; brie, blue, cheddar, tasty, parmesan, feta. You name it; I will have devoured it in seconds. But what would life be, without these indulgences, that make us sigh when we take the first bite…I mean, I am really hard-pressed to think of anything else I enjoy more!

 Food is such an obtrusive part of life; it exudes vitality and is necessary to our existence on this earth, it often has great cultural significance not to mention it is a great way to share love, life and laughter with family and friends.

 My favorite past-time is to go out to dinner with the girls, whether it be Thai, Japanese, Greek, Vegetarian-anything! I mean, sharing a scrumptious meal with friends, experimenting and trying out new restaurants and cuisines and enjoying a bottle of wine, or two. There really is nothing better!

 I am lucky to have amazing friends that share my passion for food. There are never “I’ll just have a salad’s” (unless we are talking an incredible Thai beef salad or something jam-packed with yumminess!) and protests about dessert.

 As girls, we all have issues about image and self-esteem to a degree; it is how we interpret these feelings that react to them that is important. We should all support each other on being beautiful no matter what shape and size we are, as everybody is different, and to be honest, being skeletal is not attractive!

 It is time to embrace your curves, if you’ve got them. Think Christina Hendricks, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. I mean hello, these women are stunning!

 Kardashian has openly admitted she eats whatever she wants, and enjoys her food. What a refreshing change!

 Eat healthily because you want to; because you like the way you feel when you get wholesome, nutritious food. Not because you feel like you have to. How unhappy does that make us?

 So next time you eat a chocolate bar, smile and enjoy it; enjoy every mouthful and ditch the regret.

 If it works for Kim Kardashian, well it works for me.

 After all, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of junk in the trunk!