Bridal shower and hen do ideas in Manchester, alcohol optional

The best bridal shower is the one every guest can actually come to. Grandmothers, pregnant friends, guests who do not drink, guests who are driving back to Leeds. Here are eight ideas for a bridal shower or hen do in Manchester, most of them alcohol-optional and one of them alcohol-free by design.

1. A private suite you decorate yourself

At FOMO Lounge a large suite includes twelve guests and takes up to twenty. Luxury seating, mood lighting, your playlist on the big screen, a pool or snooker table for the competitive aunt, and food, mocktails, shakes, waffles and cakes ordered from the room. Come early to decorate; tell us when you book. The venue is alcohol-free, which for a lot of showers is the point. From £37.50 an hour on weekdays, or £20 a head all-in with food. For a bigger party, the XL Suite next door takes up to 80. Check a date.

2. Afternoon tea

The hotels around St Peter's Square and Spinningfields all do it, most with an alcohol-free option, and it photographs well. Book a month ahead for a Saturday.

3. A spa morning

Half a day at one of the spas in the city or out towards Cheshire, then lunch. Works best for six or fewer.

4. A cooking or cocktail class

Mocktail and cooking classes run across the city and are the easiest way to give a group something to do together with their hands.

5. A dessert crawl

Three dessert houses in an evening, on foot, ending with the one that does the birthday sparkler. Cheap, sweet, and nobody needs a taxi.

6. A private cinema screening

Several Manchester cinemas hire screens for private showings. Pick the film she quotes.

7. A games afternoon

Board game cafés and escape rooms both take large bookings. Pair with number one for the evening.

8. The walk and the picnic

Heaton Park, Fletcher Moss in Didsbury or the Quays, with a hamper. The cheapest and, in the right weather, the best.

A checklist for the suite

Banners and balloons, a playlist on a phone, the cake, a list of names for the desk, and one person who knows the bride's dessert order. We do the rest.