HOW much will you spend to celebrate a pal's hen do?
According to a recent study, the average hen do in the UK costs about £652 per person, rising to over £1,200 each across the pond.
It's a purse-pinching expensive for a sash and free-flowing champagne, but our budget is a far cry from the cash splashed by the rich and famous.
From Kate Moss' £500k festival frolics to Cheryl reportedly splashing just £742 on a bar bill 48 hours before her nuptials to Ashley Cole, here we look at some of the most outrageous and lavish celebrity hen dos with brand and culture expert Nick Ede giving his verdict on each bash.
Michelle Keegan
Estimated cost: £150k
Year: 2015
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Location: Dubai
Celeb guests: Corrie star Brooke Vincent and Jess Wright
Michelle went all out for her hen party as she celebrated with her crew in luxurious celebrity hotspot, Dubai.
The actress was joined by 29 of her pals and family on an elaborate trip which seemingly saw the group stay at the luxurious Grosvenor House Hotel where the girls channelled the Sex and the City cast and staged a photoshoot in colourful kaftans in the Dubai desert.
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Nick's verdict: "With over 30 people in Dubai for a hen weekend this would have cost over £150k. In true SATC style it was about being over the top and fabulous."
Billie Faiers
Estimated cost: £30k
Year: 2018
Location: Ibiza
Celeb guests: Sam Faiers and Ferne McCann
TOWIE star Billie celebrated her final days as a single woman in true Essex style with leopard print cossies, tequila shots and raucous karaoke.
The then-28-year-old led a posse of 14 close friends and family, including mum Sue, sister Sam and pal Ferne McCannn, to sunny Ibiza for a wild pool party to remember.
The ladies were spotted boarding an EasyJet flight to the Spanish island, where they donned sexy matching swimsuits and danced the day and night away at a luxury villa.
Before they left the UK, Sam surprised her sister by making her wear a dazzling white catsuit and a veil in the airport. She even produced a blow-up doll which joined the excitable party on their flight.
Billie’s squad each received a matching suitcase and personalised handbags, and were heard belting out their rendition of It’s Raining Men during one of their many boozy bashes.
Nick's verdict: "A hen do like Billie’s will have cost around £30k for the stay, plus all the personalised extras. They made sure that they spent thousands on magnums of champagne and cocktails galore.
"With "Billie's sister Sam made sure that all the finishing touches were perfect with personalised suitcases and handbags and with a driver on call, the only way was Ibiza."
Stacey Solomon
Estimated cost: £20k
Year: 2022
Location: Mediterranean Sea and Pickle Cottage, Essex
Celeb guests: None
Stacey had two hen dos ahead of her marriage to Joe Swash, with the first seemingly located somewhere ‘across the Mediterranean Sea’.
The second was at Stacey and Joe’s home, Pickle Cottage in Essex.
For her Mediterranean getaway Stacey was photographed dressed as a giant pickle ahead of her flight at Gatwick airport with the rest of the group sporting masks of Joe's face. The Loose Woman later revealed that they were "dancing in [their] pyjamas to old school garage," with her having changed into white bridal beachwear, including wearing a lengthy veil.
Nick's verdict: "£20k for the hen party – Stacey is known to be good at saving money and probably didn’t want her friends to spend too much on her. She will have made sure that she was in control of nearly everything apart from the pickle outfit."
Cheryl Tweedy
Estimated cost: £20k
Year: 2006
Location: London
Celeb guests: Girls Aloud band mates
Cheryl reportedly had a drunken send-off at Umbaba nightclub in London. Guests, including her Girls Aloud bandmates and mum Joan, apparently knocked back glasses of Laurent Perrier pink champagne and ran up a bar bill of £742.
Cutting things fine, Chezza is said to have given herself 24 hours to recover in time for her big day marrying Ashley Cole.
She was spotted looking worse for wear as she left the club in a scrappy red dress.
Nick's verdict: "This was a quick party before the wedding so I can see it costing around £20k in total which isn’t that much for a superstar celeb."
Rochelle Humes and Una Healy
Estimated cost: £20k
Year: 2012
Location: London
Celeb guests: The Saturday's band mates
Rochelle Humes and Una Healy had a joint hen do ahead of their 2012 weddings to Marvin Humes and Ben Foden respectively.
Along with a fun group, the pair partied together in both London and the Champneys Tring resort, combining a London hen do and a spa hen party, which included massages, facials, make-overs, a Zumba class and horse riding too.
When out on the town the girls were seen wearing Marvin masks and nail stickers depicting Marvin's face. "I am a lil fragile to be honest," Rochelle wrote on her Twitter the next day.
Nick's verdict: "The fun duo had a joint party and it went off with a bang. It will have cost the pair around £20k.
"They cleverly did a two-for-the-price-of-one as most of their friends are the same people so this was a good money saving idea and a great way to celebrate too."
Kate Moss
Estimated cost: £500k
Year: 2011
Location: Isle of Wight Festival
Celeb guests: Jade Jagger, Samantha Morton, Sadie Frost, Meg Matthews, Katie England and Allison Mossheart
Kate Moss was always going to have a rock and roll wedding especially as she was marrying The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince.
The model was spotted partying at the Isle of Wight Festival for a gypsy-themed weekend, arriving on site with 30 friends in a pink Hummer, while a helicopter apparently flew in 300 bottles of booze. Kate donned rock chic leather trousers and her trademark black fringed jacket for her big entrance, before a string of golf buggies – complete with KM number plates – arrived to whisk the happy hen and her group of giggling pals backstage.
Nick's verdict: "The booze alone will have cost over £50K so Kate is definitely the queen of hens.
"With her 30 nearest and dearest partying for a long weekend this will have cost over £500k by the time everyone had left by helicopter."
Liz Hurley
Estimated cost: £500k
Year: 2007
Location: London
Celeb guests: Donatella Versace
Liz reportedly asked designer Donatella Versace to stage a private fashion show for her hen party with guests able to choose outfits from the collection to wear to Liz’s nuptials to Indian businessman Arun Nayar.
"Elizabeth wants Donatella to provide some dresses so her friends can choose stunning outfits for her big day. She wants it to be an intimate gathering, with lots of champagne and nibbles," a source said at the time. But it was going to cost her.
"She has budgeted for about £3,000 a head and is expecting to foot a large part of the bill," the insider added.
Nick's verdict: "What Liz wants she gets and this party was a showstopper. With over 30 guests and five star service and a fashion show, the film star's hen will have cost shy of £500k."
Coleen Rooney
Estimated cost: £300k
Year: 2008
Location: Miami
Celeb guests: Just her close pals and family
Never one to shy away from a trip abroad, Coleen headed for the sun for her hen do, taking close pals away to Miami in April 2008, before marrying footballer Wayne in June.
The WAG was spotted wearing a different bikini every day before she and her girlfriends hit the city’s clubs, where Coleen was reportedly spotted dancing with a string of male admirers.
Apparently Wayne was ribbed by his football team after pictures emerged of Coleen dancing with another man.
Wayne reportedly text her and said: "'Glad you're having such a great time – don't forget about me!" before calling her and having a heated exchange.
Nick's verdict: "Miami is not cheap and Coleen knows how to live the glam life. This will have cost over £100K in travel alone so I expect it'll have hit the £300k mark easily."
Frankie Bridge
Estimated cost: £50k
Year: 2014
Location: Ibiza and Henley Regatta
Celeb guests: The Saturdays
Frankie had two hen parties ahead of her nuptials to footballer Wayne Bridge.
First, the Saturdays star jetted off to Ibiza with a group of her closest girlfriends, reportedly partying the weekend away at the pool and some of Ibiza’s most exclusive beach clubs.
But because one hen do is never enough, a week later, she was spotted celebrating on a night out at Henley Regatta along with her bandmates including Molly King and Rochelle Humes.
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Frankie shared a picture to Instagram of her wearing a bride to be sash, badge, veil and garter with the caption, “Really dragging this hen do thing out…"
Nick's verdict: "Ibiza can be very expensive and Frankie went to all the right places. Two hen dos may sound excessive but why not… this will have cost over £50k for all her friends and family to party."
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