AUTHOR: BEC OF 'FOR EVERY HEN' There is absolutely no doubt about it - medical staff the world over are amazing. They go out of their way to help others each and every single day, putting their own health and safety at risk for the sake of others. Serious respect. If your best friend is in the medical field and you want to highlight her amazingness, or you just love the idea of playing 'doctors and nurses' for the night (oh behave!), check out the wonderful medical themed party inspiration below. It will be an event to remember! This article may contain affiliate links. This means we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link below. Please see our Disclaimer for more info :) COSTUMES
When it comes to a medical themed party you really can't go wrong in the costume department. From the 'less-is 'more' approach to going all out, from sexy to the downright scary, there really is something for everyone to wear (comfortably!). Let's break the different options down individually for you now...
SEXY DOCORS AND NURSES Short skirts, mini dresses, long socks, high heels - these are often the items that come to mind when throwing around ideas for a sexy nurse costume. Similarly, sexy doctors can don the heels, long socks, mini dresses (in scrub blue) or short overalls. Don't forget the lab coat, stethoscope and/or clip board for extra effect! For those brave enough, there is also the option of naughty nurse (and doctor) lingerie - oh my!
FUNNY
If, like myself, you love costume parties because it gives you a chance to wear something ridiculous, you will enjoy these options! Why not hit up your medical themed event as an oversized bottle of prescription pills (painted cardboard box is the perfect way to pull this off - and don't forget the 'lid', a.k.a. your hat for the night!), as a part of the human body (a giant heart, perhaps?), a patient in their hospital gown (pretend - or real, if you please - ass on show for the world to see!) or even as a life-size 'doctor' board game (print off the different organs from the game and stick them to yourself; friends can attempt to remove them throughout the night without being 'buzzed'! Points for anyone who grabs an organ without you noticing). MOVIE CHARACTERS Have a favourite TV show or movie that also happens to include doctors/nurses? Why not dress as them? Think along the lines of 'The Joker dressed as a nurse', McDreamy or McSteamy from Greys Anatomy, Bugs Bunny pretending to be a doctor, any of the cast from Scrubs, etc.
SUPERHEROS
Because, let's face it, that's exactly what medical staff are! Pay tribute to the wonderful souls who put themselves on the front line each and every day, not for themselves, but for the health and well-being of others. You can do this by wearing scrubs with a big 'Super Man/Woman' written across the front, by adding a superhero cape and mask to your costume, or by flat out dressing as a superhero.
SCARY
Want to get your scary on? Zombie nurses, doctors or patients are the way to go. Simply rip your outfit and splatter with red paint for an easy DIY option. And if you're feeling extra crafty, use some spooky face paint to complete your look! FINAL COSTUME TIPS White dresses, blue shirts, skirts, overalls and more can often be found at local op shops or borrowed from friends/family. It's definitely worth checking out these options and saving some $$$ on costumes! MEDICAL THEMED PARTY FOOD IDEAS
Bring the party to your food table by including themed signage that will delight (and disgust!) resident doctors and nurses.
Fun can be brought to your feast with signs that range from sweet (e.g. a bowl of apples alongside the note 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' or a jar full of marshmallows with the sign 'cotton balls'), to creep ('stool samples' next to a selection of chocolates - eek!).
Alternatively, take things up a notch and get creative with your serving.
Combine hilarious and disgusting labels with food shaped like human body parts (e.g. deli meats arranged to look like organs, biscuits decorated as bones, etc.), doctor equipment (food shaped as stethoscopes, clipboards, thermometers or even band-aids!), medications (such as shot glasses filled with different coloured/shaped lollies - giving the effect of 'pills', a jar full of jellybeans labelled as 'antibiotics', etc.) and so on. You could even serve those donuts that have syringes full of jam or chocolate stuck into them (perfect for the bride-to-be with a sweet tooth!)
FUN TIPS: Provide guests with serving trays and dig into your kids cupboard for plastic cups/bowls for extra hospital feels. You can add your bride-to-be’s face to these hilarious personalized cupcake toppers to bring extra fun to your party!
DRINKS
As with food, there are so many fun ways to bring the medical theme to your drinks section!
For example, you could serve 'Urine Samples' (wine or apple juice in small cups or shot glasses), 'Blood Samples' (shots of red cocktails or wine), 'IV Fluids' (water in a large jug or shots of vodka), 'Blood Transfusion' (red wine), 'Flu Shots' (some sort of drink inside plastic syringes. Friends with kids may have some of these lying around at home as they often come with children's medicine bottles. Wash and use at your party - a great way to save cash and reuse items!), and so on. Alternatively, set up a 'medicine table' and let guests play 'pharmacists' for the night - creating their own little concoctions as prescribed by the 'doctor' (that is, they can create different cocktails that have medicine-related names!). To organise, simply place a table/bar in an area easily accessible at the venue. Now add a variety of spirits (once again, labelling bottles with themed names), bowls of garnishes, stirrers, drinking glasses, etc. You could even leave 'prescriptions' in a pile on the table (i.e. different cocktail recipes for guests to follow - but print them out so that they look like they've come straight from the doctor's office). Hot tip: Serve some drinks in objects that looks like drip bags - goon bags are a great way to get the look! DECORATING YOUR HOSPITAL THEMED PARTY VENUE
A hospital themed party provides so many fun DIY decor options! Here are a few to inspire you:
CREATE YOUR VERY OWN 'HOSPITAL' If your venue has a number of different rooms (or is large enough that you can create different 'sections'), why not make guests feel as though they're partying in a ward, drinking in the staff room, and running amuck through the sterile environment that would usually frown upon such behaviour? To pull this off, start with the Admissions room. All that is needed to bring this to life is either a large 'EMERGENCY' or 'HOSPITAL ENTRANCE' sign hanging above the front/main door (you can paint the letters onto cardboard or have the sign printed off poster size at your local printer shop). For extra fun, stick posters to the door outlining the hospital 'policies' (in other words, rules for the party - such as 'you cannot mention the word wedding once inside) and 'what to do first' (e.g. all patients must report to the admissions clerk upon arrival). The admissions clerk (a.k.a. you!) can then provide each new 'patient' with a 'hospital pack' and/or wrist band (with the patient's name written on it) and 'admit' them to the party. Fill your hospital packs with small print-offs of your policies and/or rules, plus some cheeky snacks and other goodies as desired (see food and drink sections above for edible filler ideas). When decorating the remainder of your 'hospital', be sure to use lots of signage (such as informative posters of skeletons and the human body, hospital policies, rules for each room, etc.), models if possible (such as skeletons), white colours (sheets, table cloths, decorations). blue bedding (if you're using beds as part of the party) and large pot plants. Don't go too overboard in the décor department, as too much clutter will take away from the overall theme (stark rooms are actually the goal here). Hospital rooms to feature at your party could be recovery wards (including beds separated by curtains, a TV playing photo slideshows of your hen and her friends, beautiful flowers displayed on tables, visitor seating area), food court (table and chairs set up cafe style, food and beverages displayed in a 'shop-like' fashion), staff room, and gift shop (this could be a great place to keep guest favours, prizes, any gifts given to the bride, etc.).
DECORATING ONE LARGE ROOM
In contrast to the above option, you may prefer to use just one main area for your event. At the front door, hang a 'HOSPITAL ENTRANCE' sign (once again, it can be as simple as painting the letters onto some cardboard, or printing it off poster size). Inside your venue, set up a designated food and drinks area (see earlier sections for themed beverage and foodie ideas), seating area and dance area. Cover tables with white cloths, hang balloons (painted with red + on them), stick important signage to your walls (posters of skeletons and the human body, hospital 'policies' and 'rules' - as outlined earlier - and so on), place pretty flowers in vases, large pot plants in empty corners, etc. I've added the below image of a hospital waiting room for extra inspiration: FUNNY MEDICAL PARTY DECORATIONS Rather than getting super serious about it all, why not add some fun to the night by having rubber glove and/or condom balloons plus some inflatable parts of the human anatomy (if you know what I'm saying - wink, wink!) floating around?! GAMES
As you know, a hen's party is a special occasion. You want it to be different to your usual gatherings. Hens night games are a fun way to differentiate the two! See below for some great options that I've tailored to your nurse and doctor themed party.
Handy Hint: If you have game cards to hand out to teams, why not attach them to clip boards - it will flow perfectly with the theme! COSTUME CONTEST Encourage guests to go all out in the costume department by hosting a competition! All doctors, nurses, zombies, superheros, patients and more will have the chance to strut their stuff to some cheeky tunes (such as 'I'm Too Sexy' by Right Said Fred), as your bride-to-be gets her judge on! Fun categories for the contest include 'Best Dressed Overall', 'Funniest Costume', 'Most Original Getup', and 'Bride's Choice'. Have some prizes at the ready for your winners. MOULD IT What better setting to play a game about the human anatomy than at a medical themed hens event?! This can be played in teams or as individuals (it's best to look at your guest list and then see how much playdough you have before deciding this one!). To play, each individual or team is given a ball of playdough and asked to mould a penis within a certain time-frame. Like the costume contest, your hen can award the 'Best Pecker Overall', 'Funniest Pecker', 'Most Original Pecker', etc. Get creative with your categories and have some hilarious prizes for the winners! Don’t want to mould a penis? Have teams mould a man, mould parts of a man, or mould the bride instead! Click here for a great home-made playdough recipe.
THIS OR THAT (BOOKS OR BUTT EDITION)
★Click here for a range of hilarious ‘This or That’ printable games★ This one is guaranteed to get the party blushing and giggling! To play, search the wide world of web for some hilarious boob and butt images. Create game cards from your stash of piccies (click here for example layouts) and award points to those who guess right (after all, doctors and nurses should know better than anyone which is which, right?!). The player with the most points at the end of the game wins! WHO'S YOUR MAIN MAN? So doctors and nurses stare at body parts all, day, long. This SURELY means they would know the difference between their better-halfs body and some random's... right?! Put your doc or nurse to the test and find out! To play, ask the groom and each of his groomsmen to take pictures of their body parts (before the party!). Nose, eye, foot, hair, hand, chin, bicep, butt, etc. Print each of these photos off at a fairly large size. Hot tip: If it's too hard to co-ordinate getting these images from all of the groomsmen before the party date, simply ask the groom to take his images and then source the rest from the internet (good old Google!). On the day of your celebration, slowly make your way through each of the body parts; asking the bride-to-be to pick her husband’s photo from the rest (i.e. if the groom has three groomsmen, hold up the four pictures of noses and ask her to point to her groom’s nose. Do the same for hands, chins, etc.). Every wrong answer? Your lovely hen must drink! Handy Hint: If you have a TV in your venue, you can make a slideshow with the images and display them on the big screen. Saves you spending money on printing them off and means EVERYONE will get a good look!
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