Introduction
Organising a stag party doesn’t have to be confusing or stressful, especially when you have expert help. Check out our top 10 tips for organising your stag do to help get you started in the process.
1. Who’s going?
First thing is to get a list together of all the lads that are potentially going on the stag party. Don’t make assumptions about who to invite, check with the stag who he wants to be invited. Does he want his dad and relations going, or does he only want friends on the stag? An unwanted father-in-law could have catastrophic consequences for the stag party dynamic over the weekend. Remember when you assume you make an ass out of u and me. Save the humiliation for the stag!
Many groups are now opting to do a local stag party where everybody is invited and then have the mental stag weekend away where the lads can let their hair down and go nuts.
2. When?
The hardest part of organising a stag party is choosing dates that suit everybody. Finding out what dates work for the group is essential to the planning process as it can affect the costs from suppliers. It is very rare that everybody can make a particular weekend.
A tip is to put together a list with names and dates everyone can go – excel is a great tool for this. Email it to everybody and they can just tick or click yes to the available ones and bob’s your uncle. You can narrow it down with the groom once the list has been created as there will be certain people he will really want to attend and can prioritise dates based on that. You’re one step closer to the fun stuff!
3. Budget
You’re not just organising a piss up for your mate, well, not only him. There’s going to be several people invited that have different tastes and equally importantly budgets. Consider checking a price point with the stag. He’ll know who’s going and how much the guys are likely to be able to afford.
A benefit of booking with The Stag’s Balls is you can create the ideal package and the guys going can opt-out of anything they don’t want to do, or can’t afford, and they don’t have to pay for it. This gives the members of the group the ability to tailor the package to suit their pockets.
Now, the fun stuff!
4. Where will your stag party take you?
One of the most important decisions to be made is whether to stay at home or go abroad. With the various budget airlines, it’s never been easier to hop on a plane and jet off to great stag friendly cities all across Europe. Best of all, loads of Europe’s stag party-friendly cities are relatively cheap. A few things to keep in mind when booking your destination are:
- Is it expensive to get there? Consider whether it’s going to be swamped with tourists that time of year pushing up travel and accommodation costs. Also you don’t need any pesky brats cramping your style when trying to impress the local ladies.
- Is it a place that will be accepting of your stag party? Most major towns and cities across Ireland, the UK and Europe are reasonably understanding but not everywhere. If you’re concerned about your choice of destination feel free to run it by us.
- Does everyone have the time to travel abroad? Foreign stag parties tend to be a minimum of 2 nights so some people might struggle to get the time off work. Make sure you check beforehand.
- Will there be a language barrier? In several of the stag party hotspots English is not the native language so it is a huge advantage to have a local guide on hand to take you to the best haunts and make sure nobody gets stuck in a tricky situation with the locals. We offer beautiful local guides across most of our EU destinations, they make the package marginally more expensive but are worth it and more!
5. Activities to suit all tastes
Again, as with the budget, it’s helpful to know what kind of people are being invited. You probably know what the stag and his mates are into. Consider whether they’re competitive and into stag party activities like karting or paintball.
Or maybe they’re bright lads who like brain-stimulating games like Escape Rooms, where you and your stag party have to solve a series of puzzles to escape a locked room with various themes. Or go with some classic stag party drinking activities with a wide variety of brewery tours and peddle bus tours.
If you’re struggling to come up with activity ideas check out our destination pages and see what great stag party activities are available. Things like karting, paintball and quad bikes are widely available and very popular with stag parties.
6. Pay for the Stag
It’s increasingly common for the other stag party guests to chip in to cover the Stag’s costs. This usually costs each person about €10-€15. It’s not much and it’s a great gesture before your mate blows a fortune attaching himself to the old ball and chain. Again, you’ll want to consider other people’s finances, there’s always one old miser who guards his money like Fort Knox.
Chat with a member of The Stag’s Balls team to find out how to add the Pay For The Stag option to your stag booking.
7. Surprise guests
Is the father of the groom, or worse yet, the bride going to be there! If you feel particularly malicious then booking a stripper to grind up and down on your mate while trying to maintain small talk with his soon to be father-in-law then kudos to you. If there’s one thing we love at The Stag’s Balls HQ it’s a good story of best men winding the stag up! But, be warned, the bride’s father might not appreciate it and snap his…uh…finger off in the process, along with the engagement ring!
On the other hand, he may appreciate the eye candy! Who knows?
8. Stag party costumes
We’ve all seen them. A larger than life stag with the hairiest crack trundle along the city centre high street wearing a beautiful lime green mankini, leaving little to the imagination. Well, that could be your mate as the poor lad experiences one last act of “not-so-friendly” banter. Otherwise, you can go with a more tasteful choice and get a lovely dress that will support the stag’s moobs.
If you are planning on going fancy dress do your research as not all destinations are tolerant of fancy dress. Check with the venues or with the team here at The Stag’s Balls HQ to make sure you’re not standing outside the club in the pouring rain while everybody else parties inside.
Just be considerate in the winter. We certainly don’t advocate the lad freezing his pecker off just for a giggle!
9. Nightclub guest lists
If you are planning on going clubbing, make sure to book nightclub entry. Not all nightclubs allow stag parties and bouncers can smell the scent of a man’s last weekend of freedom a mile away. If they kick up a fuss it’s always helpful to remind them how much business you’ll bring in and that your mates will behave appropriately.
f you want to make your life easier, we work with the top nightclubs, so we can ensure your group won’t have any issues with bouncers on the night. Not only can we sort out entrance – but, very often, shots and reserved areas are included too!
10. Have a ball!
Last, but by no means least, have a laugh and make sure your mate has the best damn stag party ever. Remember, he’s making the ultimate sacrifice so you can all party another day.
If you do a really good job, the bride might be in trouble.
Conclusion
If you have any questions or are looking for general help and advice on booking a stag party feel free to contact the team here or chat with us live. Check out The Foxy Hen if you know the ladies are planning their weekend away too!
