So, you’ve been asked by your best buddy to be his best man. Quite an honour, and quite a job! You’re going to have to make sure the groom gets to the church on time, keep the ring safe and sound, stand at the altar with the groom as he waits nervously for his bride-to-be, then give a speech to a room full of the happy couple’s friends and families. A funny speech. But before all that, you will be responsible for organising the groom’s stag party. It’s got to be memorable, so how best to go about it? Below are the essential steps to ensuring everything goes smoothly.
Get the date right
It used to be de rigeur to hold the stag do the night before the wedding. Not any more. Follow that rule and face the wrath of the bride when your best mate turns up at the church reeking of booze. Two weeks beforehand is generally a good idea.
Get the group right
This will be (hopefully) your mate’s one and only stag do, so make sure that everyone he wants there is invited. But make sure the size of your party is manageable. Too large and you’re going to have a nightmare organising it, collecting money and so on. Go through a list with the groom. If he’s not sure about someone, take them off the list. If he feels that the party just won’t be the same without a certain individual, they get an invite. Simple.
Get the location right
Depending on the cash and willingness of your party, you could go anywhere. You want it to be memorable. Going abroad can add an extra level of anticipation to the party, or it might be an excuse to go somewhere up-market, rather than just a normal night on the town. You could also choose an activity weekend. Wherever you go, make sure everyone can get there, and get home again.
Get the cash right
Determine your budget early on. What you spend will depend on how wealthy you generally are as a group, but the best rule of thumb is to work to the budget of the least well-off member. That means no one is going to be left out or stressing about paying the bill. If you want to go abroad, you costs will immediately go up, but a thoroughly decent stag party can be organised relatively cheaply if you stay in the UK. If you need the lads to pony up some cash beforehand to pay for tickets or accommodation, give them a deadline. If they miss it they will have to sort themselves out or risk missing out altogether. The other thing to consider is a kitty for running expenses like food and drink. No one wants to be totting up receipts and trying to get blokes to cough up their share after the event. Get everyone to put into a kitty at the start of the evening and get regular top-ups through the stag as and when required. This allows people to drop out if they wish, but also means no ones out of pocket.
Get the behaviour right
You’re going to have fun. You’ll probably be drinking. Maybe indulging in some dares or pub games. But you also have some responsibility. Firstly, you have got to have the groom’s back. You have to make sure he gets home or to the hotel without major mishap. Also, you need to make sure your party doesn’t annoy the locals or, if you go abroad, disrespect any cultures.
Follow these easy steps and you are sure to organize a memorable stag do – and get the groom to the church on time.
About This Article: This article has been provided by Absolute Party Buses, a Dublin based party bus provider that specialises in stag nights, hens nights and wedding party transfers. Visit www.absolutepartybuses.ie for more information.
{Image of men in bridal tuxedo tshirts by theforgivingtree}
