Essential Advice: Hen Party Safety
A hen night is a fantastic celebration of your friend’s forthcoming wedding and we’re sure you’ll have a party to remember, but we want you to remember it for all the right reasons.
We’ve laid out some simple ways to help keep your hen party safe, particularly if you’re on a hen weekend in a different city:
Hotel:
- Make sure you text all your hens the following phone numbers before you start drinking:
Chief bridesmaid
Hotel reception, include in this text the hotel address
Local taxi number (Google some before setting off)
- If you have time then also print out the hotel details and give them to each hen as they arrive so they have all the details more than once – it may seem excessive but lose your phone on a night out and you have no way of getting back to the hotel if you can’t remember its details.
- Make sure everybody has a hotel key, even if you have to put an extra deposit down
- If possible pre-book taxis for returning home which will remove any risk from walking home and set a limit to your drinking.
Nightlife
- Try to keep your hens in one group, which can be done by planning the bars to visit using out City Guides.
- Control your drinking. This is particularly true of the chief bridesmaid. You’re in charge of the party and it’s easier to keep things under control if you’re not really drunk. Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your ability to take care of yourself, so make sure you plan your safety in advance.
- Keep an eye on any food or drink to make sure nobody slips something in. Remember, not all drugs taste of anything so don’t rely on this to judge whether food or drink has been tampered with.
- Being a hen party it’s more than likely you’ll attract some male attention. If you do and somebody offers to buy you a drink then at the very least go to the bar with them to make sure nothing is added.
- Don’t leave your phone, purse etc on display, they are easily pinched in a club or pub.
- Never let anybody leave alone. If a hen needs to go home or back to the hotel then somebody should go with them.
Getting home
- As mentioned above pre-book taxis home, or a minibus if there’s a group of you, using a reliable company.
- If you’ve booked a taxi then ask the driver for the name of the person he’s come to collect and the destination before getting in. Don’t tell him this, make him tell you. Remember; Licensed cabs should have ID on display.
- If you get public transport be sure to check times before leaving on your night out and don’t rely on catching the last service of the night. If you miss it then you’ll be stuck, go for an earlier service and at least if you miss it then you can catch another.
- On public transport sit near the driver
- Don’t walk home. It doesn’t really get simpler than that, especially in a city you don’t know.
We think the best advice we’ve seen is from Northumbria Police and is nice and simple. Before you go out, THINK:
- Keys (home or hotel)
- Phone
- Plans to get home
We hope you found this article useful. It isn’t set out to scare you and the vast majority of hen parties pass without incident but we really care about you and these few steps can help keep you and your hens out of harm’s way and leave you free to enjoy your night.
You may also want to visit these sites for more safety advice:
http://www.suzylamplugh.org/personal-safety/personal-safety-tips/night-out-safety/
http://www.northumbria.police.uk/campaigns/plan_to_stay_safe/
