Planning the Perfect Stag Weekend
So you’ve set the date, booked the venue and started on the guestlist for the wedding, putting stars next to the names of the lucky few you’re planning to invite to your stag weekend. There may be a select few, or you may have invited your old school friends, workmates, hairdresser, Sunday league team and Dave the Landlord. However many people you take on your last night out as a single man, it’s essential to consider what’s going to make your stag weekend the best there has ever been.
Guestlist
Nowadays its commonplace for a stag party to cross generations as the group often includes the groom’s friends, family and future in-laws. Where families on either side live far apart or come from differing walks of life, a stag weekend is the ideal way to bring everyone together for a weekend away having fun and getting to know each other. To help balance the generational split, consider inviting the best man’s father or neighbours who watched this child tearing through the neighbourhood finally grow up into a respectable young man. If the thought of your father in law joining your stag weekend sends a shiver down your spine, you could consider an ‘oldies’ after-party with the focus on an afternoon get-together with golf and lunch on the cards. Big stag weekends can be a logistical challenge to organise yourself and you will need time on your side if you want to book accommodation in the same hotel together. A stag weekend with lots of people does give you the added bonus of looking like the most popular man on the planet and excellent purchasing power on things like transport and activities where many people can share a fixed cost. Smaller stag weekends are by no means any less fun though, as your best friends will make an extra special effort to fill the weekend with big surprises along the way.
Budget
The question of how much to spend on your stag weekend is entirely relative, but there are some starting points to determine whether your weekend will run into tens or hundreds of pounds. A basic stag weekend away including two nights’ accommodation, paintballing session and VIP nightclub entry starts at around £90 per head for a budget UK city, and a similar price tag (excluding flights) if you pick a European destination in the low-season. The sky (or your wallet) really is the limit in terms of what you can do, but it might be a good idea to offer an alternative itinerary for friends who just want to join in an activity but not stay overnight. The vast majority of stag groups share the cost of the groom’s place between themselves, all chipping in a little extra so the groom doesn’t pay anything in advance. This also offers the benefit of meaning the stag has no right to ask what he is paying for, keeping the whole weekend a complete surprise. An industry buzzword to be aware of is “hot dates”, typically weekends in the year where accommodation is almost impossible to find. This includes bank holiday weekends, school holidays, major sporting events, big pop concerts and business conferences. Stag weekends booked on a hot date will cost considerably more and your choice significantly reduced.
Location
The vast majority of stag parties are weekend breaks away from home either in the UK or a short-haul flight across Europe. The UK has a wealth of fantastic cities with a reputation for partying hard and Blighty makes the ideal base for your stag weekend. Stag weekends in London are ideal for groups who want to sample the sights of the city and hop from pub to bar to club and beyond. Indulge in some designer shopping in the chic west end or relax in one of the South bank’s pub gardens with views of the sun setting over the Thames. Hosting your stag weekend in London is perfect if you have friends and relatives travelling from all corners of the country with the capital’s unrivalled transport links. Thrill seekers should head straight to the coast for a stag weekend in Bournemouth where fantastic watersports coupled with activity centres in the beautiful Dorset countryside make this the place to go for an action-packed weekend. At night, stag groups in Bournemouth have one of the UK’s liveliest party towns to explore, with row upon row of bars to try and relaxed clubs that throw open their doors to big groups looking for a big night out. For a budget stag weekend, Leeds offers great value for money with a host of budget activity centres less than thirty minutes drive from the city. There are plenty of cheap nightlife options in the city centre to keep the party animals going til the small hours without breaking the bank.
Activities
Wherever you go in the country, you can almost always find a great activity centre offering a variety of outdoor stag weekend pursuits all in one place. The old faithful like paintball, quad biking and clay shooting are gradually making way for the more unusual spin-offs such as laser tag, mud buggies and blind 4x4 driving. Being located all in one place means less time travelling between locations and minimal downtime between activities for bigger groups. Single activity sites which specialise in one activity like zorbing, high ropes or tobogganing are brilliant fun on a fine day where friends can bask in the sun whilst waiting for their turn, but be mindful that standing in field with nothing else to do whilst waiting your turn is not so appealing if your stag weekend is during the winter months. Daytime activities are a great way of including lots of people in your stag weekend plans, as you’re likely to find something for everyone to enjoy or some weird and wonderful sports never tried before like hovercraft driving, white water rafting or falconry! If all that sounds like hard work, there are plenty of city-based stag weekend activities to get up to which don’t involve journeying out of the city you’re staying in. Cross a SMS-based treasure hunt with a bar crawl and a pub quiz and you have a brilliant way to spend an afternoon exploring a city on foot with a few drinks, a few games and plenty of fun that everyone can join in. Night time is when the stag party really comes to life and besides the regular clubs and bars there is plenty to get up to as the sun goes down. Strippers and lap dancing clubs may be out of the question for some stag weekends but there are still plenty of ideas for evening fun such as a cocktail masterclass, casino experience, private karaoke booth or party bus tour of your chosen city, stopping off at plenty of bars along the way.
Etiquette
“What happens on the stag do, stays on the stag do” may be your intention; however the advent of social networking and the proliferation of mobile photo sharing websites have changed all that. Know your stag and appreciate that stitching him up with a stripper that will drive his fiancé to the edge is not the way to go. A pre-planning meeting is essential to discuss boundaries and whether the stag wants to help arrange the weekend or leave everything to the best man as one big surprise. If an epic weekend away abroad is on the cards and you need to get hold of the groom’s passport to book flights, enlist the assistance of the bride to help keep the secret under wraps. Themed stag weekends are great fun and make for brilliant photos, and it’s a nice touch to share some PG-rated snaps of the stag weekend at the wedding reception. The best man is responsible for ensuring the groom gets home in one piece and his speech invariably mentions a highlight of the stag weekend that encapsulates the groom’s personality, so choose wisely!
Author: Seb Beaton Eclipse Leisure Stag Weekends and Hen Weekends
Guestlist
Nowadays its commonplace for a stag party to cross generations as the group often includes the groom’s friends, family and future in-laws. Where families on either side live far apart or come from differing walks of life, a stag weekend is the ideal way to bring everyone together for a weekend away having fun and getting to know each other. To help balance the generational split, consider inviting the best man’s father or neighbours who watched this child tearing through the neighbourhood finally grow up into a respectable young man. If the thought of your father in law joining your stag weekend sends a shiver down your spine, you could consider an ‘oldies’ after-party with the focus on an afternoon get-together with golf and lunch on the cards. Big stag weekends can be a logistical challenge to organise yourself and you will need time on your side if you want to book accommodation in the same hotel together. A stag weekend with lots of people does give you the added bonus of looking like the most popular man on the planet and excellent purchasing power on things like transport and activities where many people can share a fixed cost. Smaller stag weekends are by no means any less fun though, as your best friends will make an extra special effort to fill the weekend with big surprises along the way.
Budget
The question of how much to spend on your stag weekend is entirely relative, but there are some starting points to determine whether your weekend will run into tens or hundreds of pounds. A basic stag weekend away including two nights’ accommodation, paintballing session and VIP nightclub entry starts at around £90 per head for a budget UK city, and a similar price tag (excluding flights) if you pick a European destination in the low-season. The sky (or your wallet) really is the limit in terms of what you can do, but it might be a good idea to offer an alternative itinerary for friends who just want to join in an activity but not stay overnight. The vast majority of stag groups share the cost of the groom’s place between themselves, all chipping in a little extra so the groom doesn’t pay anything in advance. This also offers the benefit of meaning the stag has no right to ask what he is paying for, keeping the whole weekend a complete surprise. An industry buzzword to be aware of is “hot dates”, typically weekends in the year where accommodation is almost impossible to find. This includes bank holiday weekends, school holidays, major sporting events, big pop concerts and business conferences. Stag weekends booked on a hot date will cost considerably more and your choice significantly reduced.
Location
The vast majority of stag parties are weekend breaks away from home either in the UK or a short-haul flight across Europe. The UK has a wealth of fantastic cities with a reputation for partying hard and Blighty makes the ideal base for your stag weekend. Stag weekends in London are ideal for groups who want to sample the sights of the city and hop from pub to bar to club and beyond. Indulge in some designer shopping in the chic west end or relax in one of the South bank’s pub gardens with views of the sun setting over the Thames. Hosting your stag weekend in London is perfect if you have friends and relatives travelling from all corners of the country with the capital’s unrivalled transport links. Thrill seekers should head straight to the coast for a stag weekend in Bournemouth where fantastic watersports coupled with activity centres in the beautiful Dorset countryside make this the place to go for an action-packed weekend. At night, stag groups in Bournemouth have one of the UK’s liveliest party towns to explore, with row upon row of bars to try and relaxed clubs that throw open their doors to big groups looking for a big night out. For a budget stag weekend, Leeds offers great value for money with a host of budget activity centres less than thirty minutes drive from the city. There are plenty of cheap nightlife options in the city centre to keep the party animals going til the small hours without breaking the bank.
Activities
Wherever you go in the country, you can almost always find a great activity centre offering a variety of outdoor stag weekend pursuits all in one place. The old faithful like paintball, quad biking and clay shooting are gradually making way for the more unusual spin-offs such as laser tag, mud buggies and blind 4x4 driving. Being located all in one place means less time travelling between locations and minimal downtime between activities for bigger groups. Single activity sites which specialise in one activity like zorbing, high ropes or tobogganing are brilliant fun on a fine day where friends can bask in the sun whilst waiting for their turn, but be mindful that standing in field with nothing else to do whilst waiting your turn is not so appealing if your stag weekend is during the winter months. Daytime activities are a great way of including lots of people in your stag weekend plans, as you’re likely to find something for everyone to enjoy or some weird and wonderful sports never tried before like hovercraft driving, white water rafting or falconry! If all that sounds like hard work, there are plenty of city-based stag weekend activities to get up to which don’t involve journeying out of the city you’re staying in. Cross a SMS-based treasure hunt with a bar crawl and a pub quiz and you have a brilliant way to spend an afternoon exploring a city on foot with a few drinks, a few games and plenty of fun that everyone can join in. Night time is when the stag party really comes to life and besides the regular clubs and bars there is plenty to get up to as the sun goes down. Strippers and lap dancing clubs may be out of the question for some stag weekends but there are still plenty of ideas for evening fun such as a cocktail masterclass, casino experience, private karaoke booth or party bus tour of your chosen city, stopping off at plenty of bars along the way.
Etiquette
“What happens on the stag do, stays on the stag do” may be your intention; however the advent of social networking and the proliferation of mobile photo sharing websites have changed all that. Know your stag and appreciate that stitching him up with a stripper that will drive his fiancé to the edge is not the way to go. A pre-planning meeting is essential to discuss boundaries and whether the stag wants to help arrange the weekend or leave everything to the best man as one big surprise. If an epic weekend away abroad is on the cards and you need to get hold of the groom’s passport to book flights, enlist the assistance of the bride to help keep the secret under wraps. Themed stag weekends are great fun and make for brilliant photos, and it’s a nice touch to share some PG-rated snaps of the stag weekend at the wedding reception. The best man is responsible for ensuring the groom gets home in one piece and his speech invariably mentions a highlight of the stag weekend that encapsulates the groom’s personality, so choose wisely!
Author: Seb Beaton Eclipse Leisure Stag Weekends and Hen Weekends
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