Let’s ask the stag!
You’ve been given the ultimate duty of planning your boys stag do for his last play at freedom, the final go for the stags independence in a time honored tradition…not much pressure then to make it amazing!!
This is no mean feat as you need to make the event fun and memorable without pushing the boat out too much…there’s a fine line that needs to be met and one that means you don’t go completely overboard!
The most important part of planning this stag do is working out whether the groom wants a surprise or not. The worst scenario if you don’t plan ahead with this one is that the groom thinks that no one is doing anything and plans his own stag do, then you have a double stag do on your hands and that’s a whole different ball game!
Speak to the groom to gather some stag do ideas as the world is your oyster with the activities you can do. Whether he wants to do bungee jumping, axe making, aqua sphering or paintballing, you can find it all once you know what type of do he wants.
Some important questions you need to ask are:
- Does he fancy the stage do abroad?
- What’s the budget?
- What type of things does he not want on the do?
- What’s the duration?
- Does he want one stag do, or two for friends and then older family members?
Now you have an idea of what the groom would like to do, you can pull together the rest of the grooms men and start brainstorming stag do ideas. Doing it earlier helps avoid sold out popular activities or price hikes if you’re planning on going abroad.
Who to Invite
The stag will need to be part of this planning element as he needs to tell you who he does and does not want at his stag party! There’s always a varied selection of friend groups that people acquire as they go through life so make sure that he gives you an exhaustive list of who he wants there.
Something ever more popular is a ‘sten’ do or a stag doe, which combines both the hen and stag parties! If the couple getting married share a lot of the same friends then it makes sense to combine, regardless of the sex.
Another important element is the accommodation arrangements as you’ll undoubtedly have different ages and abilities to consider as well as thinking whether there are family members that don’t want to share the same room!
When’s the best time?
Although there are lots of people to consider when deciding on a date, the first person to confirm the date is obviously the stag himself! It's likely that there will be work and child commitments that most stags have to fit round as well as the time of year, as you won't want to be paddleboarding in Wales should it be a winter wedding!
Having a stag party a few months before the wedding is fine but generally it’s held approximately six weeks before the big day as it gives everyone the chance to recover, but the wedding is still close enough for everyone to be very excited!
Once you have a guest list sorted, there are a number of apps that can help you easily collate everyone’s availability by selecting which dates work from a selected few.
What’s the Stag Do Budget?
One of the biggest headaches when looking at stag do ideas is the budget. Getting everyone to agree on price and paying on time can all be problematic so first work out how much everyone can realistically afford before you start booking anything.
This ensures that nobody gets upset or feels left out as you have a pre-agreed budget to begin with and plus you don’t lose deposits or book activities people can’t pay for.
The average stag do costs an average of £242 according to hotels.com, which is 61 percent more than 10 years ago. Not only is this a big increase but it is also a lot of money to pay for an activity that isn’t deemed to be a holiday so you need to get it right.
One of the biggest gripes when looking at stag do ideas is that everyone needs to be made aware early on how much activities will cost and whether they’re asked if they can afford it in the first place.
Don’t put too much stress on it if everyone cant afford what you have planned as there’s always a chance to perhaps organise another , smaller stag do closer to home so that everyone can go.
What’s the Stag Do Destination?
Location and destination are the key foundation to the stag do! Are you looking at trips abroad or UK bound fun? You need to make sure that you consider where the wedding is being held before you book anything as you can’t expect people to fly to Ibiza for example for the stag do, then fly abroad again for the actual wedding a few months later!
Think about being flexible when looking at stag do’s abroad as if you are less rigid with your locations then it will be cheaper. Also the further you travel, the more expensive it will be.
If you are set on staying in the UK for the party, then aim for a central location. This may be tricky if you want to do activities that need sea or mountains, but on the whole, more people will commit to the stag do if they don’t have to travel for hours just for an overnight stay!
Where can you stay?
The purpose of the accommodation depends on what you plan to do whilst there. A base for you to get ready and sleep means you can use cheaper hotels or hostels, whereas if the stag do is more of a chilled out affair, then rented holiday homes will be a better option.
Stag Do Experience Day Ideas
So you’ve got the date, the people and the location sorted, the best part is yet to come which is planning the activities!
Ideas for stag do parties is the best part of planning as you can do anything you want to, you just have to have many good ideas in one central place and an experience days website is the perfect site for you!
Experience day companies are perfect for stag do ideas as there’s such a different range of experiences for different group sizes and price brackets.
Based across 23 locations nationwide, you and your boys can channel your inner George Russell and race around a track in a top of the range Merc for 3 miles, with speeds of over 190 miles an hour and a break house of 639, this is one experience you won’t forget!
Mercedes GT Experience
Bear Grylls Ifly Indoor Skydiving
Not something you do every day, this indoor skydiving experience will suit everyone (who doesn’t hate heights!) as the indoor nature of it means you don’t have to worry about weather cancellations, plus it’s as controlled as it can be.
Sort the wheat from the chaff in this adventure as you and your squad can spend three hours with a range of birds of prey. You’ll get to handle the birds and learn all about these incredible flying machines.
Paddleboarding Experience in Loch Lomond
The perfect opportunity to try something new, you and the stags can learn (or perfect your skill!) the art of paddleboarding experience in Loch Lomond. On the water for 2 hours, it’s a real chance to create memories and do something really exhilarating.
Scotch Whisky Tasting
From one Scottish adventure to another, this Scotch whisky tasting experience sees you not only learn about the scotch producing areas but also sample the delights of each region.
There are so many ideas for stag do’s that it can be daunting, but don’t let that get in the way of the fun and memories that you will create with an important man in your life.