12 across
Nightcap
on
vacation
during
jovial
preparatory
celebration
(3,5)
Nightcap on vacation during jovial preparatory celebration (3,5)
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The definition is at the end of the clue.
How the clue works
Look at preparatory celebration at the end — that's your definition, a hen party being the bash before a wedding. NIGHTCAP "on vacation" means you empty it out and keep just the outer letters, leaving you with NP, and then you drop those into HEARTY (meaning jovial) to get HE+NP+ARTY.