How To Plan The Best Stag Do
Whether you're the groom looking for some ideas on stag do planning or you're the best man who's been tasked with the job, there' s a lot to take into consideration.
Here you'll find everything you need to know for how to plan the best stag do for the groom and the guys.
Who Plans The Stag Do?
Anyone can plan a stag do, but traditionally it is the best man who plans the stag do.
You can get ideas from the groom or anyone else in the stag party. It will be the organisers job to make sure everyone is up to date with what's happening, and planning out all the details from location to activities,
Choose A Guestlist
Wondering who to ask on your stag do? It really depends on how big of a stag you're having.
When you're thinking about people to invite to your stag do, you'll want a group of people you think will get on well.
But you should also remember not to miss anyone out too.
You can invite the dad of the groom, the father in law and members of the bride's family too.
This very much depends on what you're doing, how big the party is as well as how well you get on with the in-laws.
Create A Stag Do Group Chat
Once you've got the stag do guestlist sorted out, you'll want to keep everyone in the loop. The easiest way of doing that these days is with a stag do group chat.
Choose a messenger service which everyone has, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are two of the most popular.
This will not only let everyone know what's going on, but will also let group members get to know each other before the stag.
Start a group chat, invite everyone on the stag and keep people updated about what's going on.
It's also worth mentioning that you should only invite people who intend on going on the stag, and not just those who want to know what's going on.
If they're not going, don't invite them in the group chat.
Ask The Stag (Groom) What He'd Like & Not Like To Do
You should ask the groom what he'd like to do on the stag do. He might have ideas of his own, and your idea of a good time could be completely different to his.
If there's something he definitely doesn't want to do, scratch that idea off the list.
Set A Budget Which Caters For Everyone
When you're planning the destination or activities, it's important to take into consideration the budget for everyone attending.
Everyone has different finances and a different idea of value for money. The cost of a stag do varies a lot, which depends on where and what you'd like to do.
Get an idea of what everyone wants from the group chat, and cater around that.
Pick A Date
Once you've got an idea of what you'd like to do, it's time to nail down a final date.
Make sure everyone can make it, and more importantly get the date right for the activities.
If there are some people that can't make it, that's fine. You may not be able to make everyone happy all the time.
Pick a date that's best for the groom and the majority of the group and you'll been set.
Remember you can have a stag do week and even months before the wedding. There's no set rules.
Decide Where You're Going
One of the biggest decisions is choosing where you're going to go. This will also dictate to some degree what activities you're going to do too.
You can choose a stag do abroad, or if staying home is what you're after, there's plenty of great stag do locations in the UK too.
From Newcastle to Barcelona, there are so many cities that are made for groups of lads to have a good time.
Choose Some Activities
Once you know where you're going, you can plan activities. Different places will of course have different things to do.
If you've planned on going to a stag friendly city, they may be better equipped for stags.
Fun activities can include the beer party bikes to tour around the city in drunken style, or the infamous bar crawls.
There's plenty of other stag activities too. From bubble football to shooting or going for a meal, there's so many options for all types of stag weekends.
Organise Some Games, Dares (And Forfeits) For The Night
When you're going out to bars, you can add a bit of spice to the night with some games.
You can download stag do dare cards to your phone and take them with you, which will see you and the lads complete some challenges on the night.
You can organise some other small games or a quiz too, which can add a competition element to your night out.
Add Some Stag Do Personalisation
A great way of making the weekend special would be some personalised stag party t-shirts.
These can be custom printed for all the lads on the weekend with a design to the front, and nickname printing to the back.
Matching stag t-shirts will make sure you all get the right amount of attention on the night, and you'll not lose each other either.
Get A Final Idea Of The Costs
Once you know where you're going and what you're doing, you'll have more of an idea of the costs.
You'll want the final idea of the costs for the whole group. This will usually include the accommodation and travel (if required) and you'll be able to let everyone know how much they have to pay.
Collect Money From The Group
If you use an operator who takes care of group bookings there could be an option for everyone to pay their own way individually.
If not you'll have to be in charge of collecting the money from the group.
Mark off who has paid and who hasn't, and make sure you set a deadline and let everyone know when it is.
Plan Out The Itinerary For The Day/Night
So now everyone has paid, you know where you're going and what you're doing. Now you need to plan out the itinerary.
Make sure you organise each activity or event so they don't clash with one and other.
Leave plenty of time or space in between to allow for breaks or if something shouldn't go as planned.
Remember to let everyone know the itinerary in the group chat so everyone knows what's happening and when.
Make A Final Checklist
Now it's time to make a final stag do checklist. Write the list which includes the itinerary and you can check off things as you go so you don't forget anything.
You're Set For The Stag Do
That should be that, and you should now be ready for the stag do. Planning out the weekend as well as letting everyone know are the hardest part, and from then on you'll have to let the day and night go as it flows.
If you do have things planned which are time sensitive, don't worry about letting people know that you have to be in certain places at certain times.
You can even rope in a few of the more responsible guys to make sure everyone is on the same page.
And that's it, you'll be ready for one epic stag do.
Quick Checklist Of Planning The Best Stag Do
- Choose a guestlist
- Create a group chat
- Ask the groom what he'd like (and not like) to do
- Get ideas from the guys in the group chat
- Set a budget
- Pick a date
- Decide where you're going
- Choose some activities
- Organise some games
- Add something special with personalised stag t-shirts
- Get a final idea of the costs
- Collect the money from the group
- Make a final checklist
- You're all set