Classic canvas
A bold subject on canvas and your artist host keeping everyone on track. Bright, forgiving and very hard to get wrong.
For the bride who likes it bright and a little bit messy.
Brushes up, glasses up
Paint and sip hens parties, talent not needed,
fun very much required
A canvas each, a drink in hand, your My Ultimate Hens artist host, and a room full of your girls.
We build the paint and sip into her whole hens, in six cities around Australia.
- How long
- Two hours at the easel. The rest of the night is up to you
- What it costs
- Our paint and sip packages usually sit around $150 to $250 per person
- Group size
- Six of you or thirty, it works a treat
- Where
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide
From a real paint and sip hens, word for word
Gosh, we absolutely loved our party with My Ultimate Hens! The painting experience was such a hit and the whole night went so perfectly. You really made our bride feel special with those little surprise touches, I'll give you that one! It was amaaazing!!!! I'm already recommending My Ultimate Hens to another friend, and we cannot wait to have another night of partying next year. Just wish I had found you earlier for my own hens, haha!
She gets the first toast and the middle of the canvases-up photo. You get the thank-yous in the group chat, with your name on them. More real hens, in their own words
1The short answer
What happens at a paint and sip hens party
Paint by numbers, the hens version.
A paint and sip hens party with My Ultimate Hens is a painting class with your artist host, a canvas each and a drink in hand, built into a whole celebration of her. The class is where the night starts, not where it ends.
It usually goes like this: your crew settling in with a drink in hand, about two hours of painting with your artist host, every canvas held up for the photo, then on to the rest of the night while the paint dries.
Aprons over the party outfits, a glass in every hand, and one painting done a dozen different ways. Hers goes in the middle of the photo, and the night's moved on before the paint is dry.
Blank canvases, waiting.
A studio, room or courtyard set up for your crew. Some are BYO with the fridge and glasses ready. In others the bubbles are already poured, and the first toast is to her.
Aprons on.
Canvas, easel, brushes, paints and an apron each, all supplied. The only decision left is which colour to spill first.
One stroke at a time.
Your artist host takes the room through it step by step. Brush in one hand, glass in the other.
Every canvas goes rogue.
Same subject, a table full of completely different paintings. Someone finds out she can actually paint, someone finds out she really can't, and both get a cheer.
Canvases up.
The bride front and centre holding hers, everyone else's held high behind her: a very small exhibition with a very loud opening night.
The paint dries while you eat.
Dinner, a rooftop, a VIP booth, or the drinks keep coming in the same room. Your canvas goes home with you, and the rest of the night is only getting started.
2Five versions
Paint and sip hens formats, from soft watercolour to the shirtless muse
Pick her palette.
Watercolour
Softer, calmer, prettier, sometimes in a private room upstairs at a cocktail bar with a cocktail each, and the kind of painting the mother-in-law actually wants to keep.
For the bride who'd take pretty over loud, every time.
The shirtless muse
The one version where the talent is included. Your topless waiter poses as the male model you're all painting, and every canvas at the table ends up with its own theory about his six-pack. The shirt stays off; everything else stays on.
For the bride who wants a giggle and a view.
Cowgirl canvas
Your hat, your boots and a western canvas, held up like a Wanted poster for the photo, then a cowgirl VIP booth where the team is in on the theme.
For the bride whose outfit brief went out the week she got engaged.
Glow in the dark
Lights down, UV paint on, and every brushstroke glows. By the canvases-up photo, the bride is standing in the middle of her own light show.
For the bride who wants it to feel like a night out from the first brushstroke.
Popular personalisations from some of our groups: a drag queen's show between brushstrokes, plant pots instead of canvases, and a paint night in at the apartment on a hens weekend.
Pick the one that's her and name it when you ask about her date. Want him to lose more than the shirt? That's life drawing hens parties.
3Who it suits
Who a paint and sip hens suits
A whole crew at their easels, the bride in the middle.
A paint and sip hens works for mixed groups because everyone faces a canvas instead of an audience, and the chat happens sideways, over the water jars.
The bride who'd rather make something than watch something.
She gets the spotlight without a stage: the toast, the photo, and a canvas to take home.
Mum, aunties and the mother-in-law.
A drink in hand and an easel of her own. The classic canvas and watercolour are the gentle versions. And when the night moves on, it's an easy point for mum to head home with her canvas.
The ones who "can't" paint.
That's most of the table, and exactly who your artist host is there for. The quote marks usually come off by the time the canvases go up.
Pregnant.
A sit-down painting class is one of the easiest things for a pregnant bride to enjoy from start to finish: a comfy seat, a brush in her hand and every eye on her canvas.
The friends from different chapters of her life.
Her uni friends, her netball team, her cousins: elbow to elbow at one long table, judging each other's brushwork. By the second hour they're swapping colours.
4What it costs
What a paint and sip hens party costs
The whole celebration, not just the canvas.
Our paint and sip hens packages usually sit around $150 to $250 per person, and each one is built as the whole celebration: an afternoon, a big night out or the full weekend. The painting is just where it starts.
Our paint and sip packages usually sit around
$150 to $250 per person
The package is the magic: the painting, plus everything that turns it into her hens.
Want to see the packages? Pick her city.
Making it a weekend? Most of our hens weekends, with accommodation, sit between about $250 and $550 per person.
On the price, with a group who aren't big drinkers
Honestly, I was nervous about the price point of going out as we couldn't decide if we should just have it at my house and nearly talked myself out of it twice. Josh who helped me find our package remembered I'd mentioned during my first chat that we weren't sure if a drinks package would be good value for us because not many of us are big drinkers, and he agreed with me and found a package at a lower price point so I really appreciated that and felt really looked after. He actually cared about us finding a package that suited us which I really appreciated. Really overjoyed with the outcome and so was Rachel the bride and her very fussy mum as well. Thank you to the whole team but especially to Josh.
5Before the night
Good to know before her paint and sip hens
- WearThe going-out outfit. Aprons are supplied and go over it while you paint, so it's ready for wherever the night goes next.
- PhotosSomebody will want the canvases-up shot. What goes on socials is the group's call, and hers.
- AgesPaint and sip is one of the most under-18-friendly hens activities there is, so the younger cousins and nieces can grab an easel too. Just tell us who's coming.
Paint and sip hens parties with My Ultimate Hens, at a glance
- Who runs it
- My Ultimate Hens, female founded in 2011, helping hens celebrate in six Australian cities. Every paint and sip night comes as part of a whole hens package, with the class as just one part of the celebration.
- What it is
- A painting workshop that works for every kind of crew: the creative bride, the mixed group, mum and the mates who've never met. Everyone gets a canvas, a brush and a drink, your artist host takes you through it step by step, and the bride ends up in the middle of the canvases-up photo.
- How long
- The painting is typically two hours. The whole celebration runs as long as you want it to.
- How cheeky
- As cheeky as the version you pick. Classic canvas, watercolour, cowgirl and glow in the dark keep it sweet; the shirtless muse (a topless waiter who poses as your subject) is the cheeky one.
- Where
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide.
- Price per person
- Our paint and sip hens packages usually sit around $150 to $250 per person.
- Group sizes
- Six of you, fifteen or thirty: it's a brilliant night at any size.
- Drinks
- It's not called paint and sip for nothing. The sip might be bubbles on arrival, a drinks package so nobody's queueing at a bar, or BYO so the bride gets her favourite drop. Whatever suits your crew.
- Booking
- Secure it with just your own share, with the second part following a few days later. The rest is in our hens party FAQs.
6The gallery wall
Canvases from real hens nights
Hung, labelled and very slightly overvalued.
From the visitors' book: on the ones who said they couldn't paint
All My Ultimate staff that I have spoken to or emailed has been fantastic. I feel I have been listened to, and bookings were made to Tayla's wishes. The paint and sip, this was great, a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves, even the ones that "can't" paint. Highly recommend. Bus to high tea, driver Dave was great, professional and safe driver, recommended highly. Called and was on time. High tea, with Turkish twist, was great. Very friendly staff, food looked great and tasted yummy!
7The visitors' book
Real paint and sip hens
In the organisers' words, exactly as written.
Real My Ultimate Hens paint and sip crews. Not one of them was told she could paint.
On a crafternoon with an artist host
We booked a hens party with a crafternoon vibe and cocktails and it was honestly the BEST hens ever! The whole experience was such a unique mix of creativity and fun, and our My Ultimate Hens artist host was absolutely amazing, so much fun, bubbly and kept the vibes high all night. Everyone had the best time and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to celebrate. Highly recommend!
The hens company behind the canvases
Female founded in 2011 and still founder-led. Here's who's behind her night.
- Over 10,000Brides have been an Ultimate Hen
- 1,000+My Ultimate Hens celebrations hosted every year
- 4.7on Google
- Easy Weddings 5-Star Supplierawarded every year since 2012
- Your artist hostUp the front all night, talking the whole room through every brushstroke
- Share the DignityYou might spot our PAD-y Wagon around town, helping get period products where they're needed
Sydney's first Hen-Tathlon, with 2Day FM
The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma crashed five My Ultimate Hens parties across Sydney in one day
Female-Founded Hens Party Company Since 2011
And we've been growing, evolving and hens-obsessed ever since
So much has changed over the years, but what has not changed is the essence of it all: the laughter, the sparkle, the connection, and that iconic moment to stop and celebrate the friendships that raise and define us.
Nyree FOUNDER to news.com.au on My Ultimate's 15th anniversary
8The studio kit
Paint and sip hens invitations, games and printables
Everything for the group chat.
Type her details once and they flow through the invites, the placards and the plan. Free, no sign-up, nothing to download unless you want to.
Paint and sip hens invitations
Ten of our own designs, one for every kind of paint and sip: ribbons, riviera, cowgirl, groovy, garden and more. Pick hers, type the details and save it for the group chat.
Ribbon · tap a style
You're invited to {name}'s {sub}. {date}, {time}, {where}.{extra} No talent required: the artist host brings the skills, we bring the bride. RSVP to {host} by {by}.
Paint and sip hens party games
Six games for the canvases-up moment, dinner and the walk home. None of them interrupt the class.
Guess the artist
Everyone10 min
Everyone signs the back of her canvas, not the front. Line them up and the bride guesses who painted which. A point for every one she gets right, and a forfeit for every friend she insults by mistake.
Name the masterpiece
Everyone10 min
Every artist gives her canvas a gallery title, the more pretentious the better. Read them out in your best museum voice. The bride picks the winner.
The critic
One brave guest15 min
One guest becomes a very serious art critic and gives every canvas a thirty-second review. Bonus points for the words brave, raw and unsettling.
People's Choice
Everyone5 min
Everyone votes for her favourite canvas that isn't her own. The winner gets the People's Choice placard and holds it up in the photo.
Sixty-second groom
At dinner5 min
Everyone sketches the groom from memory on a napkin in sixty seconds. The bride judges the likeness. The worst one goes in her wedding card.
The bride's brush
Before you leave10 min
The bride adds one brushstroke to every canvas: a tiny heart, a signature, a full redesign. Her call. Everyone takes home a painting signed by the bride.
Print the games, and dress the room
A card for each game, plus a welcome sign for the door, the house rules, the bar list and a canvases-up sign for the photo. Each one is A4, so print them at home or at the office.
Bingo, most likely to, and the awards
Bingo runs while you paint: someone paints the groom, a brush gets dunked in the wine, the bride cry-laughs. Most likely to is for the canvases-up moment. The awards are for the end of the night, judged by the bride, of course, with a "won by" line on every one.
Free extras from us, in our own designs. Not part of any package.
Free printable: the gallery placards
Every masterpiece deserves a gallery label. Print them, fill them in while the paint dries, and prop them under the canvases for the photo.
A free extra from us. Not part of any package.
Gallery label
- Title of work:
- Artist:
- Medium:
- paint and ____ glasses of bubbles
- Inspired by:
- the bride / the muse / pure panic (tick one)
- Estimated value:
- priceless, to the bride
- Artist's statement:
- "I meant to do that."
My Ultimate Hens
People's Choice, as voted by the group
- Won by:
- For:
My Ultimate Hens
Captions for the canvases-up photo
Tap one and it's copied, ready for the post.
9BYO, by the jug
Paint and sip cocktails for a BYO studio, by the jug
Water jars are for brushes.
Some of our paint nights are BYO, with the fridge and glasses ready. If yours is, or you're starting with pre-drinks, here are four jugs that look like they belong next to an easel. Set your number and the quantities follow.
A round forpeople
Rosé spritz
Pink Primer
Rosé, pink grapefruit and strawberries. The colour of a first coat.
- rosé1.4 L
- pink grapefruit soda720 ml
- strawberries24
Halve the strawberries into the jug, pour the rosé, and top with soda just before you pour.
Prosecco
Watercolour Spritz
Soft, pale and very easy to drink. Like the paintings.
- prosecco1.1 L
- elderflower cordial180 ml
- soda water360 ml
- blueberries48
Cordial in first, then the prosecco and soda over ice. Blueberries on top.
The cheeky one
The Muse
Passionfruit, vodka and lime. Strong jawline, no shirt.
- vodka360 ml
- passionfruit pulp240 ml
- lime juice120 ml
- lemonade1.1 L
Stir the vodka, pulp and lime in the jug, then top with lemonade over plenty of ice.
Zero-proof
Glow Juice
No alcohol. Tonic water glows under UV light, so this is the house drink on a glow night.
- tonic water1.8 L
- lime juice180 ml
- sugar syrup120 ml
- mint leaves36
Muddle the mint with the syrup and lime, add ice, top with tonic. Turn the lights down.
Shopping: rosé, prosecco and most wine come in 750 ml bottles and vodka in 700 ml, so round each amount up to whole bottles. Check what your studio allows before you bring anything. Not part of any package, just four jugs we love.
10The soundtrack
A paint and sip hens playlist, by colour
Paint by playlist.
Ten songs with a colour in the title, for the drive there, the pre-drinks or a BYO studio with a speaker. Copy it into your own app and press play.
- Paint the Town RedDoja Cat
- True ColorsCyndi Lauper
- Pink Pony ClubChappell Roan
- YellowColdplay
- GoldenHarry Styles
- Mr. Blue SkyElectric Light Orchestra
- Green LightLorde
- Purple RainPrince
- Lavender HazeTaylor Swift
- Red Red WineUB40
Paint the Town Red, Doja Cat / True Colors, Cyndi Lauper / Pink Pony Club, Chappell Roan / Yellow, Coldplay / Golden, Harry Styles / Mr. Blue Sky, Electric Light Orchestra / Green Light, Lorde / Purple Rain, Prince / Lavender Haze, Taylor Swift / Red Red Wine, UB40
Want the soundtrack for the whole night? Here are 100 hens party songs.
11The night around it
The whole hens around the paint and sip
The canvas is only the opening act.
There's no one way to build it. Here are four of the most-loved ways our crews have done it, and her city's packages have plenty more combinations.
Paint, then dinner.
Two hours at the easel, glass within reach, then a table reserved for all of you: shared plates, pizzas, a riverside grazing dinner or a waterfront dinner party, depending on the city.
Somewhere in there, a cocktail turns up for the bride that nobody at the table ordered.
Paint, then the hop.
The studio, a rooftop with a bottle of bubbly on ice, dinner and the waterfront: three or four stops, most of them a short walk apart, with your seats reserved before you get there.
On most of these nights, two bonus cocktails find the bride before it's over.
Afternoon paint, then the booth.
Paint through the afternoon, share plates and a bonus cocktail for the bride at a reserved table, then a short teeter, heels and all, to a velvet VIP booth: straight in on VIP entry, the dance floor a few steps away.
And then the surprise, a bottle of bubbly for the bride.
One room, drinks flowing.
Three hours in a room or bar space set up for you, with the drinks poured the whole time and the food brought to you. Sometimes there's a topless waiter or a drag queen's show in the middle of it.
The only queue all night is for the spot next to the bride in the canvases-up photo.
Want to stay the night? There are paint and sip hens weekends too, with the apartment in the package.
See the packages in her city:
12Class or hens
Booking a paint and sip class for a hens, and the night around it
Same brushes, very different night.
Plenty of groups book a class themselves and have a lovely time. A My Ultimate Hens paint and sip puts the whole celebration in one place: the class, the food, the drinks, the next stop and the little surprises for the bride, lined up in an order that works, because we've been building hens since 2011 and we know what makes a night land.
- One place for everything.One package, one consultant, every piece lined up before the first brushstroke.
- Surprises for her, already in it.The little touches for the bride are part of the plan, not on your to-do list.
- You get to be at it.In the canvases-up photo, glass in hand, not on your phone sorting the next booking.
On why she didn't just book a class
I was a MOH for the first time and feeling the pressure because she is not into the tacky hens thing at all. What I liked most was that Britt actually understood the difference between 'things to do on a hens' and planning a good hens that felt like an actual celebration not a bunch of bookings together because obviously I could have booked a cocktail class and dinner or whatever myself obviously. I only realised after that I just wouldn't have known which combination would suit our group, what order to do it all in or half the little details and personalised touches for the bride that made the whole night what it was. So there's definitely more thought behind these packages than I realised before booking and she absolutely loved it and apparently I'm now the designated event organiser of the group. Would 100% use them again and a big thankyou to Britt and Maddi as well for everything that went into making it so good!
13Keep it, or send it
Send it to the girls
In your words, without the price.
Deciding with the two or three girls who matter? Here's a short message in your words. Leave blank whatever isn't decided yet.
If it's a surprise, check who's in the chat before you paste.
Her night, by numbers
Fill in the gaps and copy a message for the girls you're deciding with. It answers their questions before they ask.
Her palette
Her night
Her city
Hens idea for the bride: a paint and sip night in her city. Our My Ultimate Hens artist host, a canvas and a drink each. The artist host walks us through every step, so nobody needs to be Picasso. Can you see her doing this, and who's a definite yes?
Know what you want for her hens? Pick her city to get started.
15Asked a lot
Paint and sip hens party questions
Do we need to be able to paint?
No. It's all about having fun together, not about being any good, and your artist host takes everyone through it step by step, from the first outline to the last highlight. Some canvases come out gallery-worthy, some come out hilarious, and they all go up for the photo.
How long does a paint and sip hens party go for?
The painting runs for about two hours, and how long the celebration goes is up to you. Our packages cater for every kind of hens, from an afternoon to the whole weekend.
How much does a paint and sip hens party cost?
Our paint and sip hens packages usually sit around $150 to $250 per person. Every one is the whole celebration, not just the painting: pick her city to see them.
Can we BYO?
We've got lots of different packages, and plenty of them are BYO. It depends on what you're after, so tell us how your crew likes to sip.
Is there a nude model?
Not at a My Ultimate Hens paint and sip. The cheekiest version is the shirtless muse: your topless waiter poses as the male model and becomes the subject. If she wants a nude model, that's a life drawing hens party.
Will it work with her mum and the mother-in-law there?
Yes. Mum's at an easel with a glass like everyone else, and the version you pick sets the cheek level: the classic canvas and watercolour keep it gentle, and the shirtless muse is the cheeky one.
What if half the group doesn't drink, or the bride's pregnant?
Easy. We have packages for every level of drinking. For pregnant guests we can always arrange pregnancy-friendly food, and for non-drinkers we can always organise a non-alcoholic alternative.
What games can we play at a paint and sip hens party?
Guess the artist, name the masterpiece, a very serious art critic, a People's Choice vote, the sixty-second groom and the bride's brush all fit around the class rather than during it. The rules are in the studio kit on this page, with free printable game cards, bingo, the awards and gallery placards.
Do we take our paintings home?
Yes, absolutely. Our canvases and packages are designed so it's easy to take yours home, no hassle.
What will we paint?
It depends on the version: the night's chosen artwork, taken step by step, on the classic nights; the shirtless muse on the cheeky ones; soft washes of colour in watercolour; a western canvas on the cowgirl nights; and UV paint that glows on the glow nights. And we love a request: got a theme? Tell us, and we can help you pick the painting.
Can we just book the paint and sip class?
A My Ultimate Hens paint and sip is built to be a seamless, beautiful celebration from start to finish, so the class comes as part of a package. Have a look at the packages in her city; the right one depends on what you're after.
Is a paint and sip hens party the same as a sip and paint?
Yes: same night, words the other way round. You'll also see it called a bachelorette paint and sip, which is the American name. Here it's a hens party, hens night or hen do, and the brushes don't mind which.
Can we do it at our apartment or Airbnb?
That's exactly why our paint and sip hens weekends come with our own accommodation: we know the paint night works there, and everything runs smoothly.
How far ahead should we book?
The earlier the better, always, so we can find her the most amazing package for the hens you want.
If she'd rather...
- Life drawing hens partiesPencils, a model, and the cheek turned all the way up.
- Creative hens party workshopsSomething to make that isn't a painting.
- Drag queen hens partiesThe show, in sequins.
- Topless waiter hens partiesThe muse without the paint.
Still looking? Browse all the hens party ideas.
More planning help: what to expect, wear and bring at a paint and sip hens.
Her canvas goes home with her. So does yours, and so does the story of whose idea this was.
Pick her city. We'll check her date.
16Her shortlist
Tell us about her paint and sip hens
Give us the basics and we’ll come back with the paint and sip nights that suit her, her city and her crew. The brushes are on us.
A few quick details:
Done. Her paint and sip night is officially under way.
Keep an eye on your phone, the first text comes from one of us, not a bot.
While you wait: the studio kit