My Amazing Hen Weekend at Jollydays Glamping
When my sister told me a couple of weeks ago that we were off to Jollydays Glamping for my hen weekend, I knew we were in for a treat. What I couldn't have predicted thought is just how much of a ball we would have - I honestly had one of the best weekends of my entire life! I'm going to warn you now that this post is bound to be a long one - I selfishly want to document everything so that I can remember it all in years to come... From the minute I arrived at the camp site on Saturday until we left (with hangovers in tow) on Monday morning, I didn't stop smiling once. My amazing sister did such a fab job of organising everything and I cannot thank her enough - it's never easy to organise these things but the whole weekend was beyond anything I could have ever dreamed up. It was perfect! Getting to spend the whole weekend with nearly 30 of my favourite people in the world was so special and we made so many memories that I'll treasure forever.We arrived at Jollydays at 4pm on Saturday afternoon - my sister, cousin and some of my bridesmaids had been there for a few hours already and had made the place look absolutely amazing. The woodland tents we were staying in were already stunning, but all of the little touches they had put together really made it. From handmade bunting to childhood photos to pom poms to "team bride" balloons, the whole place looked like a Pinterest dream. I definitely had a little cry as I looked around and saw how much effort had been put in.
My sister, Molly, had also organised some little treats for everyone on arrival, including a prosecco reception and personalised goody bags that were filled with sweeties, drinks, smellies and our very own festival lanyards that she had handmade. Then on each bed she had laid out water, paracetamol and eyemasks in preparation for any hangovers - she really had thought of everything. I donned the veil that she had bought for me to wear and quickly got chatting and laughing with everyone.
(FYI: I'm wearing this dress from River Island)
A couple of hours later some minibuses arrived at camp and whisked us into York for a lovely Italian meal at Zizzi. One of the great thing about Jollydays is that the site is only around 20 minutes away from the city centre - pretty handy if you want to enjoy all that the countryside has to offer without being too remote. It was so nice to see everyone chatting away while we were eating and I remember I kept just looking around and thinking "this is my hen do! All of these people are here for me!". It was such a lovely feeling.
Once we'd all finished our meal we headed back to Jollydays - feeling tipsy from all of the prosecco we'd drank by this point, we really got into the party mood. We had the music blasting (Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan, obvs) and everyone was dancing and drinking until the early hours - it was so much fun.
After a good night's sleep in a very comfy bed (seriously, glamping is so underrated) I woke up to my sister and cousin cooking sausage butties for everyone. My lovely mother in law to be had also whipped up some buck's fizz and so before long, any trace of the hangover that had been lurking had disappeared and we were ready for another day of fun. The theme for Sunday was a good old fashioned festival, so we all donned our face glitter and boho outfits in true Glasto style.
Once we were all ready it was time for a flower crown making workshop organised by two of my gorgeous bridesmaids. I absolutely LOVED this idea and we all had a good giggle trying to make them - I have to admit I was a bit rubbish at it and ~may~ have had some help from my talented florist cousin.
We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a yummy BBQ before playing a couple of games of Cards Against Humanity (which just FYI, my Mum enjoyed far too much for my liking!). We also spent some time taking snaps in the photo booth that the girls had put together - it's almost like they knew I love a good selfie...
Then it was time to head down to the communal area of the camp where they have a huge fire pit and seating area. We had it totally to ourselves which was amazing - it was so nice to sit round and drink and chat with everyone. We toasted marshmallows and took some group selfies, and then I tossed the bouquet that the girls had brought for me. This got pretty tense as you can see from the photo, but my sister just about caught it!
Around this time the girls presented me with a book that they had all written lovely messages in for me, as well as a video message from my bridesmaid Steph who lives in Sydney - it's safe to say that I shed a tear or two! We also tucked into takeaway pizzas and played a game of Mr and Mrs which definitely highlighted me as the lazier, messier, more highly strung half of the couple - whoopsie! Lucky Sam, eh?
We headed back to the tents for more drinks and dancing to some of my favourite old school indie pop classics - it was just like being 17 again and I loved it. Before I knew it we were all headed to bed again and when we got up the next morning it was time for us all to go our separate ways home (where I had a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from my hens waiting for me - they really had thought of everything). The weekend went by in such a blur of laughter, good fun and amazing memories and I just wish we could rewind right back and do it all again.
I've never felt more loved or spoilt before - seeing all of my different groups of friends and family chatting and laughing together made my heart swell and I am so, so thankful that I have all of these wonderful people in my life. They made my last celebration as a miss totally incredible and now the countdown to the big day is officially on. I can't wait to be reunited on the dance floor with this fabulous lot!