Hello, stag compadrés!
If you haven’t yet, make sure to read my first installment on how to be The Best Best Man (EVAH). Now for some more fantastic advice from moi to calm those stag-do-organising nerves.
Choosing a destination
Even before you decide who’s invited, pick a destination that everyone can get to – and get excited about. With budget flights taking off from all over the UK, the whole of Europe is your oyster. And where better than Eastern Europe, where the beer is cheap and the girls are pretty?
A good group of lads can have a great time anywhere, but not everyone can afford to go away in five-star luxury, so an important consideration is cost. Whichever way you look at it, Eastern European cities are cheaper, so you can afford to put a little bit more into your weekend – by signing up for some activities, for example.
Stag Republic offers four destinations, Budapest, Krakow, Riga and Athens. To see which suits you best, check out our Stag Weekend Destination Chooser.
Who’s coming?
Sat in the pub around the corner from the hotel for two days, accountant John, the father of the bride may tire of Mad Dave and his endless tales of sexual conquest. But if the weekend is well organised and keeps the party busy, personality clashes won’t be a problem. In fact, transferred to the race track or the paintball field they make most stag weekends even more fun. If you are worried about keeping a mixed group together, organize a team bonding activity or two.
And don’t forget to remind the stag to invite everyone to the wedding too.
How many?
This is often the hardest part of the job. First, let everyone know the dates and destination by sending out a no-holds-barred e-mail. Get concrete confirmations together as soon as possible with threats of violence, blackmail, whatever it takes. Assume everyone is coming unless told otherwise. If people are being slow to get back to you, it’s often acceptable to give them a menacing phone call.
Do everything you can to make it easy for them. Provide suggested flight times, send pictures of local women and remind them to book the following Monday and Tuesday off work.
How much?
The last thing you want is for price to put anyone off, so sound out the tight-arses in the group to find out what they are prepared to pay for the weekend.
Beware that strippers and strip clubs can be expensive and, in Budapest, in particular, dangerous (usually the clubs not the girls), so booking a sexy dancing girl to come to you is a good alternative. The added bonus is that you can all share the cost of the stag’s private dance. And watch his face turn bright red.
Remember also that it is a nice gesture to pay the stag’s way, but square this with the lads first. If you are a large group we offer discounts – like the stag goes free!
Next time we’ll cover how to stitch up the stag (so many good prank ideas I have) and last, but not least – why have us (stag party organisers) do all the work?
Ciao for now and Egészségedre!
Read our updated article here.