A few weeks ago I had my fantastic hen party at Ascot races and it was such an amazing day from start to finish! Because many of us are Mamas now, and I was aware that we didn’t allow for a lot of notice as we booked the wedding last minute – a day and evening out was the perfect solution. My Mum and Mum-in-Law to be were able to join us too! I love the races and have been going to Royal Ascot for years – nice frocks, big hats, bubbles and betting is a combination for a great experience : )
So after a lovely bride-to-be brunch, we set off for Ascot to meet the rest of the party. Everyone brought picnic items and a bottle of bubbly as there are certain areas within Ascot races where you can sit on the grass with your own food and drinks. We managed to find some benches too so that we weren’t all sitting on the ground. It was a good giggle carrying these across the lawn!
It’s very rare to get all the special ladies in your life all together – friends from Uni, friends from home in Oxfordshire as well as my wonderful Mummy above and my future Mother and Sister-in-Law. So when I found out I was going to have my hen party at Ascot Races, I was so so excited!! I’m so lucky to have such strong and inspirational women in my life – they’ve supported me through some really tough times and celebrated the great times right by my side! So spending a day out with these lovely ladies was my ideal day.
We actually had upgraded tickets to the King Edward VII enclosure which is right at the top of the grandstand – but we were having such a great time on the lawn that we didn’t end up moving until the last race! Ascot had hired a great roaming trio of musicians from Fully Funktional who sang Chelsea Dagger for us – I put a little snippet up on my instagram account. Feel free to give me a follow while you’re there ; )
The whole atmosphere was buzzing in excitement on the day – so many groups of people celebrating birthdays, corporate days out or generally just an excuse for a day out at the races!
After the penultimate race (when we’d run out of bubbles), we headed up the special escalator to the top of the grandstand and the King Edward VII enclosure. From there you can see everything and you’re much closer to the bar – although the atmosphere is a little more subdued. Ideal if you’re looking to wind things down a little!
After the last race we went over to the taxi rank where we’d pre-ordered some local cabs. An hour later and they still hadn’t turned up which was really disappointing so we jumped into one of the over-priced cabs waiting outside Ascot races instead. We had a reservation for dinner and didn’t want to be late!
The girls had booked a table at Piccolino in Virginia Water which has a beautiful alfresco terrace. The retractable roof allows outdoor dining throughout the year. The atmosphere in the restaurant was really lively with a DJ playing in the corner. It reminded me of one of those outdoor clubs that you get in the Med, rather than a restaurant. The service was a little on the chaotic side, but the food was delicious! I had the beef carpaccio for starter and a king prawn and corgette linguini for main. I’ll definitely visit again for a late lunch and relax an evening away in one of those low comfy seats.
We had so much fun throughout the day and I got almost all the Mr and Mrs quiz questions right – yay!
Huge thanks again to my amazing friends and family who made my hen party at Ascot races so memorable – I loved every minute of it! Please can we make it an annual thing!?!?
Natalia xo
