Hen's Party Playlist: Songs for Getting Ready, Dancing & Singing Along
Someone’s doing the bride’s hair, someone’s looking for a phone charger, and a song comes on that has everyone singing from different rooms.
That’s when you know the playlist is doing its job.
Music is one of the easiest ways to bring a hen’s party together. It fills those little gaps while guests arrive, sets the mood over drinks and gives everyone an excuse to get up and dance.
Whether you’re planning an afternoon at home or a whole weekend away, here’s how to put together a hen’s party playlist that feels personal to your bride.
Start with the songs that mean something to her
Before adding every party anthem you can think of, start with the bride’s favourites.
What was she listening to when you first became friends? Which artist does she always request? Is there a song that takes you straight back to a road trip, a holiday or a particularly memorable night out?
Ask guests to send through one song that reminds them of her. You can collect these with the RSVPs, along with a short explanation if there’s a story behind the choice.
It’s a lovely way to include friends from different parts of her life. Her sister might choose a childhood favourite, while her university friends will probably have something very different in mind.
Keep a few of those choices as surprises for the day.
Put on a getting-ready playlist
The music can start well before the main activity.
While everyone is arriving, doing their makeup and catching up, go for familiar songs that people can sing along to without stopping their conversations.
A few ideas to get you started:
“Espresso” - Sabrina Carpenter
“Levitating” - Dua Lipa
“Style” - Taylor Swift
“Say My Name” - Destiny’s Child
“Unwritten” - Natasha Bedingfield
Mix in some of the bride’s own favourites, too. If she loves early-2000s R&B, you don’t need to fill the playlist with current pop just because it’s a hen’s party.
Have the speaker connected before guests arrive so you can press play and enjoy getting ready together.
Give the throwbacks their moment
There’s something about a song you haven’t heard in years. Suddenly everyone remembers the words, the music video and exactly who they used to dance to it with.
For a hen’s party, a good throwback section can do a lot of the work.
Try a few of these:
“Wannabe” - Spice Girls
“Crazy in Love” - Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
“Toxic” - Britney Spears
“Don’t Cha” - The Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes
“Yeah!” - Usher feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris
“Murder on the Dancefloor” - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
You could even give everyone a brief to request a song from the year they met the bride. It’s an easy way to find a few forgotten favourites and usually starts some good conversations.
Leave room for a proper singalong
Some songs are made for singing loudly with your friends, regardless of whether anyone is particularly in tune.
A few familiar favourites work well when you have different ages and friendship groups celebrating together:
“Dancing Queen” - ABBA
“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” - Shania Twain
“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” - Whitney Houston
“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” - ABBA
“Valerie” - Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
You don’t need to save all the big songs for the end of the night. Drop one in when everyone’s together and see what happens.
Add a cheeky after-dark section
If the bride loves R&B and a little attitude, give that side of her taste some space in the playlist.
Depending on your group, you could include:
“Pony” - Ginuwine
“Buttons” - The Pussycat Dolls feat. Snoop Dogg
“Gimme More” - Britney Spears
“Naughty Girl” - Beyoncé
“Dirrty” - Christina Aguilera feat. Redman
Choose the versions that suit your guests, especially if you’d prefer clean edits.
These songs also work well in the lead-up to a cheekier dance activity. If you’re joining us for a lesson, we’ll organise the music for your booked session, so you can leave that part to your instructor.
Turn a few songs into a game
Your playlist can double as an activity if you want something easy between drinks, food and getting ready.
Guess the intro
Choose ten songs the bride loves and play the opening few seconds of each. Guests can compete in teams to name the song and artist.
Mix up the decades so everyone has a chance to contribute.
Who requested this song?
Ask each guest to send you a song beforehand. When it plays, the bride has to guess who requested it. This works especially well when the choices have a story attached. Give people a chance to explain theirs once she’s guessed.
Finish the chorus
Pause a familiar song just before the chorus and see which team can keep it going.
No microphone needed, although someone will almost certainly find a hairbrush.
Listen to our hen’s party Spotify playlist
If you’d rather press play than start from scratch, we have a Dancing Hen’s Nights Spotify playlist ready for your celebration.
Put it on while everyone gets ready, or use it as inspiration for your own selection. Add the bride’s favourites, a few guest requests and those songs your friendship group always comes back to.
A few small things to organise before the day
Once you’ve chosen the music, make sure it’s easy to play.
Test your speaker, charge your devices and check the connection where you’re celebrating. Keep a charger handy and have one person look after the music so you’re not constantly swapping phones.
Make the playlist longer than you think you’ll need. Getting ready often takes a little longer than planned, and it’s nice to have music sorted through to the next part of the day.
You can also arrange the songs in a rough order: easy listening while guests arrive, familiar favourites as everyone settles in, then bigger dance tracks when you’re ready to lift the energy.
Leave space to turn it down for games, speeches and those moments when everyone just wants to talk.
Take the dancing a little further
If your bride loves music, a dance lesson can be a fun way to bring everyone together before heading out or settling in for the evening.
At Dancing Hen’s Nights, we host mobile dance parties across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay, with surrounding areas available by arrangement and Gold Coast studio options.
You can explore our Party Finder for a style that suits her music taste and the people coming along.
However you plan the celebration, make room for the songs that feel like her. They’re usually the ones everyone remembers singing together.
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