Tell your best man what you want
Your best man will be organising your stag weekend, but you should speak to him early on to give him an idea of the sort of thing you want.
Don’t be afraid to break convention! If a lager-fuelled weekend in Prague is not your idea of a good time, then say so. Your stag weekend should be something to look forward to, not an ordeal to get through. Ultimately, this is a party for you.
When and who?
A generation ago, your stag event would probably have been the night before your wedding. These days, the standard advice to grooms is to opt for a single day or a weekend about a month before the big day.
Think carefully about who you want to invite and let your best man have a list. Again, don’t feel pressured into inviting people because you feel you should. For example, don’t feel that you have to invite your father or future father-in-law to your stag weekend. Unless you know they’ll fit in and enjoy it, it may be kinder to leave them out.
Budget
You should also let your best man have a rough budget per head, based on how much you think your friends can afford. Your best man might get carried away arranging all kinds of great activities, but only you know whether your friends will be happy to pay for them.
You can easily be looking at £300 or £400 per head for a stag weekend in the UK, once you’ve factored in transport, a couple of activities, accommodation, meals and nights out. If you think this is more than your friends would want to pay, you might need to rein your best man in a bit.
Activities
When it comes to planning stag weekends, the most important factor that dictates whether the weekend sinks or swims is undoubtedly the activities. After deciding upon a destination that is convenient for all of your party to get to, you need to build an itinerary that will best celebrate that final weekend of freedom.
Here’s some ideas for the best activities to get your stag event off to a flying start.
1. Paintballing. One of the classics – an absolute stag weekend staple. Paintballing is guaranteed to garner a competitive edge to your weekend’s entertainment and give you something to talk about in the bars of your chosen city. An afternoon’s paintball war is a particularly good way to do this as you and your boys line up against opposing stag groups to earn your stag stripes in emulsion-based warfare. No self-respecting man won’t get into the spirit of things on this activity, living out playground fantasies of warfare with your best friends. Run through the woods, hide behind trees, play tactically or go in all-guns blazing – the choice is yours.
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3. Surfing. Surfing is an activity that you and your party can learn together. After receiving expert tuition from a qualified surf tutor, you’ll be riding the waves, perhaps conceiving a new hobby as you try to avoid plunging into the salty seas. Whatever happens, this is bound to be hilarious as you’ll have varying degrees of success. Your balance and your daring are put to the ultimate test as you try to overcome nature at its most fierce. Blonde highlights are entirely optional.
4. Zorbing. Careering down a hillside in a transparent, inflatable ball is just about the most fun you can have with your pants on. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be Sonic the Hedgehog with a force field then this is the activity for you.
5. Golf. If you’re looking for something a little less soaked in adrenalin then you might want to hit the golf course for a round of 18 holes. This is just perfect for enjoying each other’s company and perhaps putting a cheeky wager on for the first round in the clubhouse afterwards.