Personalised Drinking Games for Hen Dos, 21sts and House Parties

Every hen do, 21st and house party has the same arc. Everyone arrives, someone says "should we play a game?", and then the group plays the same three games they always play, with rules half-remembered from someone's cousin's version. The games work. But they're nobody's games, and the nights people talk about for years are the ones where the game was about the people playing it.

That's the whole case for a personalised drinking game. The moment the prompt is "drink if Soph has ever walked you home" instead of "drink if you're wearing black", the game stops being a game and becomes the group's greatest hits album. Here's how to make one that's actually funny, 30 prompts to steal, and the honest rundown of your options: DIY, Etsy, or done properly.

What makes a personalised game land (and flop)

• In-jokes over insults. The best prompts celebrate the group's lore. "Drink if you were there for the kebab incident" builds the room. Prompts that punch at one person's sore spot empty it. Roast the shared history, not the individual.
• Everyone needs to score. Spread prompts so every player gets called out roughly evenly. A game that's 80% about the bride is a slideshow. A game about the whole group is a party.
• Mix the mechanics. All "drink if" gets flat by card 15. Rotate in "everyone votes who's most likely to…", "swap drinks with…", dares, and story cards ("tell the story of…"). The story cards are the real gold, because the stories are the point.
• Photos change everything. A prompt is funny. A prompt read out while the photo of the incident is lying face-up on the table is lethal. That's the difference between a good game and a great one.

30 prompts to steal and personalise

Swap in names and lore. The blanks are where your group's history goes.

1. Drink if you've ever been rescued by [name] at 2am
2. Drink if you were present for [the incident, you know the one]
3. Everyone points at who's most likely to leave without saying goodbye. Majority drinks... wait, no, the winner does
4. Drink if [name] has ever cooked for you. Drink twice if you finished it
5. Tell the story of how you met [guest of honour]. Worst story drinks
6. Drink if you've ever borrowed something from [name] and still have it
7. Whoever's known [guest of honour] the longest hands out three sips
8. Drink if you've cried at one of this group's weddings, parties or airport goodbyes
9. Most likely to text their ex tonight: group vote, loser drinks and surrenders their phone... to [most responsible name]
10. Drink if [name] has ever given you genuinely terrible advice with total confidence
11. Recreate the photo on this card. Judged by the group. Losers drink
12. Drink if you know [guest of honour]'s coffee order
13. Drink if you don't. Shame
14. Swap drinks with the person who's most recently been in trouble with [name]
15. Drink if you've ever shared a bed, tent or floor with someone here
16. Finish this sentence: "I knew [couple] would last when..." Best answer skips a round
17. Drink if you've ever been in a group chat about someone in this room
18. Whoever has the oldest photo with [guest of honour] on their phone: everyone else drinks
19. Drink if [name] has ever made you late
20. Do your best impression of [name]. They judge. Be brave
21. Drink if you've holidayed with anyone here. Twice if you'd do it again
22. Group vote: who's changed the least since school? They drink with pride
23. Drink if you've ever danced on furniture with [name]
24. Tell the group something nice about the person to your left. Yes, really. Everyone drinks to them
25. Drink if you were told a secret in this room's group and kept it
26. Drink twice if you didn't
27. Most likely to start a business, per the group: they assign five sips
28. Drink if [name]'s laugh has ever made you laugh harder than the joke
29. Everyone raises a glass to the story [guest of honour] tells next. Make it the big one
30. Last card: everyone drinks to the group. Cheesy. Mandatory. Cheers

Your options: DIY, Etsy, or done properly

DIY (free): write prompts on paper slips or blank cards. Honest verdict: perfect for a spontaneous night at someone's place, and the handwriting is part of the charm. It falls apart (literally) as a hen do centrepiece, and you can't include photos.

Etsy templates and semi-custom ($15 to $50): pre-written packs with some blank cards, or sellers who'll drop your names into their template. Fine and fast, but you're getting someone else's jokes with your names stapled on, and quality varies wildly.

A photo deck of the group, with your own house rules: this is our lane. At Mimies you send us 14 photos from the group chat, we design them into a real 54-card deck, and the back carries a line of your choosing (the name of the night works well). Then you play it the way most groups already play Ring of Fire or King's Cup: give each card value one of your prompts, write the rules on a single sheet, and the incident gets read out while the evidence is face-up on the table. Afterwards it's a proper deck of cards and a keepsake of the night. Honest downside: it needs lead time. Decks are made in 2 to 5 days, then shipped free with tracking, so it's for the planned occasion, not tonight.

If you'd rather the night itself ends up on film, a screen-free digital camera passed round the table catches the photos for next year's deck without anyone's phone coming out.

Making it work for the occasion

Hen do or bachelorette: build it around the bride's timeline, with photos from childhood through to the proposal. It works as the entertainment and the "aww" moment in one. If you're also on wedding duty, our post on wedding favour ideas guests actually keep is the next job sorted. 21st: source prompts secretly from friends AND family. The collision of what mum knows and what the flatmates know is the comedy engine. Stag or bachelor party: photographic evidence is non-negotiable. If the stag is also your boyfriend's birthday, our birthday gift ideas for your boyfriend cover the rest.

And the boring-but-real note: the game is the laughing, not the drinking. Every prompt works with any drink in the glass, and the best nights end with everyone still standing. Write the game so that's true.

FAQs

How do you make a personalised drinking game?

Collect in-jokes, stories and photos from the group, write 30 to 50 prompts mixing "drink if", group votes, dares and story cards, and make sure every player features. Write them on card, or pair them with a custom photo deck of the group and play them as house rules for each card value.

What are good personalised prompts for a hen party game?

Build around the bride's lore: how-we-met stories, "drink if you were there for..." moments, childhood photos and a proposal-story finale. Source prompts secretly from both friends and family for range.

How many cards should a custom drinking game have?

30 to 50 prompts works for most groups. That's enough for a full session without the game outstaying its welcome. Fewer than 20 ends abruptly, and more than 60 rarely gets finished.

Can you buy a fully custom drinking card game?

Yes. Options range from Etsy templates with your names inserted to fully designed decks. Another route is a custom photo deck of the group, like the ones Mimies designs from 14 of your photos, played with your own prompts as house rules.

Got a group chat full of evidence? Send us the photos and we'll design the deck, starring your people.