Make no mistake organising a stag do is no mean feat even if it’s relatively low key. Follow our step by step guide to creating a stag do that’ll make The Hangover look like a kiddies tea party…
Who?
- Your first task is to find out who’s going.
- Warning – this is something you need to decide with the best man not on your own! You never know what rivalries or distaste may be simmering beneath the surface so better to be safe than sorry!
- Draw up a list and then email the boys to see if they’re up for it.
- Want to build a bit of excitement? Send a personalised invite, with an amusing picture of the groom, a teaser of what lies in wait and the details of the weekend. Online card printers like Moonpig, Funky Pigeon or Vistaprint are the cheap option, you can make your own if you know your way round a design app, or a freelance designer can create something bespoke around an in-joke.
When?
- Assuming you have no objections the next step is to check people’s availability.
- It can get tricky keeping up to speed so our suggestion is to get people to fill out a simple spreadsheet like this one. Green for yes, red for no – simple.
- For larger parties it can often be some time in the future so is worth getting this out sooner rather than later.
Where?
- Ah, now the fun stuff! Where to go?!
- The first decision is UK or abroad.
- If you go abroad then chances are you will need to stay overnight so is likely to turn in to stag weekend. These are the most riotous but also cost more so you will need to be aware of people’s budgets.
- One thing you need to bear in mind is the push back from the WAGs! Magaluf has a certain reputation and has been known to result in casualties if too far flung. Something to consider.
- Use our guide to navigate the go-to stag destinations.
Stag Do Activities
- Once you’re sold on the location and the timing the next thing you need to do is decide what you’re going to do.
- Whilst it’s still a popular choice to find the nearest boozer and drink till you can drink no more its increasingly popular to combine with a day time activity.
- Not only does it stop everyone falling asleep by 6pm it can also encourage a bit of healthy competition, tom foolery and banter!
- The classics like paintball are always popular but there are also a whole bunch of others from driving tanks to taking part in your own cannonball run! Click here for ideas.
Stag Do Costumes
- What could be funnier than dressing the stag in mankini and watching him cringe with embarrassment?!
- Welcome to the now increasingly common tradition of stag do outfits
- The beauty of these is the sheer range on offer these days ranging from The Gayest Man in the Village right the way through to blow up willy costumes! Click here to see examples.
- For the rest of the kit, from matching t-shirts to sashes and hats, see our stag do essentials.
Dares and forfeits
- So you’ve got the number of people, the location, the activities and even a stag do costume – the only thing missing now is a few dares or forfeits
- These can be as harmless as drinking game cards right through to beer bongs
Check with club
- Finally, it is not uncommon that a stag party plans to end up a certain bar or club only to find they are refused entry at the door – don’t be caught out!
- We recommend calling ahead to check and sell it as a benefit to the club that you’re going to bring all this business in for them.
The sticky subject of money
- We’ve head some stories over the years here at iamthebestman of best men who put up all the cash only for some of the party to avoid paying on return
- Our advice is to invoice people up front on a pay and play basis
- Whilst this may seem a hardline stance it can help to avoid difficulty further down the line
- Or book through a stag do company: everyone pays online into one pot, and if they haven’t paid by the deadline they don’t go, so you don’t have to play debt collector
Mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating how long it takes. A stag do is an event, and organising any event takes time because stuff goes wrong. People don’t call back. Someone’s a vegetarian, someone has a nut allergy, and the guy you booked has gone down ill. Start soon after you’re asked. It may seem ages away, but cool stuff like jet packs, squad training or even go-karting can need booking months ahead. A stag do company can take the donkey work off you, at a slightly higher price.
- Forgetting whose stag do it is. You might be organising it, but it’s not your bash. You might like high-adrenaline sports and naked ladies; your mate might not. Think of yourself as a travel consultant and the groom as your client. Find out what he wants, draw up some options, run them past him and adjust until he’s happy. If you’re really good, add a surprise touch, like a bottle of his favourite drink waiting on arrival.
- Being unrealistic about budget. In a big group there’s always a spread. Some will think nothing of dropping a couple of hundred in a strip club; others are students or on low incomes. We’d all love a blow-out in Vegas, but agree the budget with the groom and pitch it towards the bottom of the range so nobody gets priced out.
- Trying to do too much. “I know lads, we’ll get there, do a pub crawl, get up for 5-a-side, hit the go-karts in the afternoon, then a medieval banquet and the casino…” STOP! Herding a group of hungover blokes from one place to the next takes far longer than you think, and everyone needs an hour or two of downtime. One activity in the day and one at night is usually enough.
- Planning activities too far apart. Getting more than five people from one place to the next is hard enough. Add a skinful of booze and it’s a geography field trip with you as the teacher doing the head count. Keep any move from A to B easy and planned in advance, and keep C, D, E and F to a minimum.
- Going large on the Friday night. Go too hard on the first night and Saturday, probably the only full day you have, is a write-off. You can’t tell people what to drink, but you can book flights that get in late or an early breakfast, and save anything booze-heavy, like a party bus or a lap dancing club, for the Saturday. There’s more on getting the booze balance right below.
Getting the booze balance right
The classic stag weekend runs Friday to Sunday, with the activities on Saturday. The trouble is, there’s always a promise of ‘just a few’ on the Friday night, and then Saturday morning comes. As Jey from Cornish Wave Surf School in Newquay, who has seen more stag groups than he cares to remember, puts it: “We see hundreds of stag weekenders gone wrong every year. More often than not, the reason is having too many drinks on the first night.”
It costs more than a sore head. Running round a paintball arena or a coasteering route with a bad hangover is a chore, and if only a couple of the lads make it to the pre-paid early session, you’ve lost a wad of cash. Anything with an engine needs you sober, and providers do turn away groups who are still obviously drunk from the night before. Even if you make it through the day, nobody fancies the big night out, and herding a tired, grumpy group from A to B is hard work.
The simple solution is to book something on the Friday that limits access to the booze, without making you look like a killjoy. That’s trickier than it sounds (comedy? booze. A gig? Booze!), so go for something physical. Jey’s groups pair a wild camping and bushcraft night on the Friday, with a few beers round a barbecue, with surfing or coasteering on the Saturday. Or keep it civilised another way: pick accommodation away from the bright lights, ask people to arrive late, or simply make a reasoned case to the group. Everyone wakes up fresh on Saturday for the activities and a night out they can actually enjoy.
On the night itself, these tactics help:
- Alternate between beer and water to keep hydrated.
- Make sure you have a lined stomach before going out. Milk could be an option if you want to leave some room.
- Eat before going to bed to soak up the booze.
- Avoid getting into rounds with the big drinkers.
- Buy the drinks yourself to control your own intake.
- Cheat! Buy a shandy or a low-alcohol alternative and see if you can go undetected.
- Take hydration salts with you. They’re cheap and work well, but beware: they taste pretty lousy.
- Be honest and say you’re saving yourself for tomorrow.
- Arrive late or leave early.
- Avoid dark-coloured drinks. They contain congeners, which make for worse hangovers.
- Some stags swear by milk thistle before going out. We’re not entirely convinced, but it’s cheap as chips.
The Stag Do Organisational Checklist
- Decide who’s going
- Determine the date(s) depending on availability
- Decide if you’re having at home or abroad
- Pick an activity to do in the day time
- Select a suitably embarrassing outfit
- Buy or prepare a few dares
- Check with the intended destination they accept stag parties
- Let the others know the cost up front and get early payment
For the minibus and the pub, we’ve rounded up the best drinking games, quiz and stag party books.
