Give your groom a legendary send‐off with these planning tips for a memorable stag party.
Getting it right
- Traditionally, the groom is kept in the dark about his stag do ‐‐ but make sure he’s going to enjoy it by putting out feelers to his mates to figure out what he might enjoy.
- It’s worth asking the stag if he’s got anything in mind ‐‐ a weekend away, an adventure activity or a boozy pub crawl.
- Check who he wants to invite. Are work colleagues and parents welcome, or just close friends?
- Think about the group’s ages and interests ‐‐ you may need to organise different activities throughout the day, such as go‐karting for everyone, followed by a wild night’s clubbing for the young ones.
- Get in touch with all the stags as soon as possible ‐‐ if you have a large group to organise, finding a date and a location to suit everyone may take time.
Perfect planning
- Nowadays, the night before the wedding is considered a definite no‐no for a stag party.
- The best time is a week or two before the big day and, if possible, over the same weekend as the bride’s hen party ‐‐ this means the couple won’t lose two weekends together in the crucial last few planning weeks leading up to the wedding.
- You’ll need to think about the party location ‐‐ do most of the groom’s friends live in one area, or is there a central location that’s easily accessible for everyone?
- Don’t forget to ask the groom for names and contact numbers of any people you don’t know.
Paying up
- The stag costs ‐‐ including those of the groom, who shouldn’t have to fork out for anything himself ‐‐ should be divvied out among the group.
- If it’s a pub crawl you’re planning, sort out the money before people get too drunk. Ask everyone to contribute towards a kitty at the start of the evening.
- If you’re planning an action day or weekend away which involves a group booking, send everyone a note/email in advance asking them for a cheque to cover their costs ‐‐ make it clear that unless they pay up you can’t reserve their place.
On the day
- Your main challenge now is to keep the momentum going, so pace the events.
- If lots of alcohol is involved, don’t let everyone (especially the groom) get too drunk too soon ‐‐ plan a meal as part of the celebrations or organise food to be laid on in a pub.
- Take a camera with you for some memorable shots, or a video camera to record all the live action.
And don’t forget it’s your job to make sure people don’t play jokes on the groom which may not seem funny in the morning ‐‐ such as dyeing his hair blue or sending him off on a cross‐channel ferry.
