Arranging the stag

So you’ve been chosen as the best man –well congratulations. As best man it’s one of your duites to organise the stag do …making sure it’s memorable for all the right reasons!

A couple of decades ago a stag do featured a trip down the local pub and a curry. However with the introduction of low cost flights many stag groups opt to go further afield (and away from the ‘women’). Use the following subsections below for information on organising the stag.

1) PRE STAG CHECKS

2) DURING THE STAG

3) DARES

4) COSTUMES

stag and party

PRE-STAG CHECKS

Money counts
It’s important (especially in this economic environment) to take into account that not everyone can afford to blow hundreds of pounds. However if the stag is organised early enough people can begin to budget for it.

Size matters
Firstly,you and the groom need to decide who will be attending the stag. It’s good practice to give a group at least one months notice to achieve a good turnout. Most stag parties are made up of around 0-12 fellas.

When to go
Although a stag can happen at any time of year it’s recommended that a minimum of a fortnight is used before the wedding takes place. Once you’ve decided on a date make sure you stick to it.

Choosing an ‘accountant’
It’s always a good idea to choose someone to act as treasurer. The treasurer’s job will be to collect all of the stag night funds from the rest of the group and to pay all expenses promptly.

Location,location,location
The editor of Dinner-suit,James,has been on many stag’s throughout Europe. Following are some of his thoughts on destinations.

Cardiff (UK) – lots of bars,clubs and day time pursuits to choose from - 8/10
Prague (Czechoslovakia) – great for beers and out-door activities. Night light was good fun –7.5/10
Brighton (UK) – a great place for a drink and boogy. Gentlemens clubs are limited – 7.5/10
Bournmouth (UK) – similar to Brighton but a little more chilled out – 7/10
Tallinn (Estonia) – a bit pricey but most activities are within walking distance. 6.5/10
Nottingham (UK) – a couple of locations for night time activities but there are better places to choose –5/10

It’s also worth bearing in mind that location can have an impact on the types activities on offer for example if you want to go white water rafting or shoot an AK47 you’ll need to the correct location for it. Traditional day time activities include the standard go-karting,dirty buggying,paint ball,off-road driving,clay pigeon shooting etc whilst night time events include curry houses,comedy clubs,gentlemen’s clubs and the casino.

Below are a couple of examples of sites selling experience days

EX ELEMENT –experts in racing experiences

UKPAINTBALL –the home of paintballing

stag go karting

DURING THE STAG

There are a few golden rules you as best man should try and follow to make sure the event goes smoothly.

RULE 1
We recommend you create a kitty for a number of reasons
1) people will stay within the group and not wander off (all the better for cheering on the dares)
2) it prevents any tightwads from not getting their round in …and makes paying the curry bill a lot easier.
Don’t be afraid to ask everyone for top-ups during the night if everyone is having a good time they wont worry about putting their hands in their pocket.

RULE 2
Try to avoid looking/acting too drunk before you get into your venue. In fact it’s a good idea to call up the venue/ check on the web to see if they allow stag parties. Also try to keep the ‘aggressive/animated type’ on a leash …if you know they are going to be trouble and spoil the stag simply don’t invite them (unless its the groom).

RULE 3
If you are abroad respect foreign authority. A little mis-behaving is the nature of a good stag but don’t screw around with the police/ bouncers in foreign countries …you don’t want to find yourself behind bars.

FINAL RULE
What goes on tour,stays on tour

STAG IDEAS

It wouldn’t be a stag if the groom was not humiliated some how. Some retailers sell dare cards and books however following are some DIY classics …at the end of the day if the groom is humiliated and embarrassed you’ve done the trick.

Female related …
Convince a girl to give you her underwear.
Get a girl to buy you a drink.
Find a girl in the bar to switch tops with for 30 mins.

A bit grim …
Lick the armpits of one of your mates.
Wear a toilet paper turban.
Pepper your tongue with chilli seeds.

Humiliating …
Do 20 push ups in front of a bar of people.
Wear your clothes inside out with your boxers over your jeans.
Sing everything you say for 15 minutes in the style of Pavarotti.
Find a guy in the room you don’t know and tell him you think he’s attractive.

A classic drinking game …
A proper Gentleman – no pointing,no calling anyone by their name,no swearing and you must drink with the hand that corresponds to the minute hand of the watch ie before half past = use right hand. If any of these are broken you have to take a drink …it’s harder than you think.

drunk stag

Stag outfits

These are essential for the ultimate in humiliation and the fact you can buy one for 20 or 30 quid makes them great for the occassion:

1) You can make it a group effort either by buying personalised stag tshirts for all stag attendees (we recommend shirtcity) or running with a theme such as everyone has to dress up like a male figure from Star Wars and the groom is Leia.

2) You dress the groom up like a berk and let the outfit do the talking. Below are some stag outfit examples we’ve found from Angels Fancy Dress. They have a huge selection of affordable outfits for the perfect stag weekend.