Being picked as a ‘Best Man’ is a huge compliment- you have been selected by your friend as the best man for the job, to be his side kick- his number 2 during the run up to the biggest day of his life- No pressure then?

With the role comes a number of responsibilities, but we feel delivering a first class stag party is definitely a priority.

Here are Stag Weekend experts- The Stag Company’s guide to organising a first class stag do:

Be Organised

When planning a stag do it is essential to be really organised. Give yourself plenty of time to arrange it, if planning a weekend abroad remember that the earlier you book flights the better the discount you will receive. The more organised you are the better, it will save you a lot of stress if you contact a stag weekend organiser, they can advise you on where and what to do and also guarantee that your group will get into the bars and clubs, it is quite common for all male groups to be turned away.
Communication is Key

It is vital to communicate. Initially when you are asked to be best man, remember to ask a few important questions: what sort of stag do would he like, who would he like to invite, when he wants to do it? Once you have got all of the details that you need you can then start the planning. Throughout the planning it is essential to communicate with everyone, keeping everyone updated avoids conflict and problems occurring.

Set a budget

Once you have discussed the stag do with your friend, decide on an action plan- starting with a realistic budget, will the stag do be in the UK or abroad? If its a stag do abroad it will be slightly more expensive due to flights but dependent on where you go it could be cheaper to go out.

Get a guest list

The next stage is to get the guest list sorted, make sure you have everyone’s contact details so that you can get in touch and find out definite numbers.

Pick a Date

Pick a date for the stag do, I would suggest picking one that isn’t too close to the wedding. The average stag weekend usually takes place about 1 month to 3 weeks before the big day- this enables the groom to be free for any last minute wedding tasks.

Pick a Venue or Destination

There is a huge choice of places to go to in the UK and abroad. Pick a place that isn’t too hard to get to, if you decide to do it abroad, it is important to select somewhere that you can get to with minimum fuss, so make sure you can fly there from most airports, this will ensure that travel time is kept to a minimum. Alternatively there are some great party cities in the UK: Newcastle, Bournemouth, Manchester, Brighton & Edinburgh Stag Dos are all really popular.

Pick a Daytime Activity

Picking an activity to do in the day is a great way to get the group to mix. Stag weekends usually consist of a number of different friendship circles- work, uni, family etc and everyone will not necessarily know each other, a fun activity can definitely break the ice. Some popular activities include: Paintballing, Go karting, rally driving, the dogs and quad bikes to name a few.

Pick a Night time Activity

The fun part- picking what to do in the evening. There are lots of things you can do in the evening, what you decide to do will depend on what the groom likes to do on a night out and also who will be attending. Some activities that The Stag Company offer are:
Casino
Bar crawl
Comedy Club
Lap dancing club

Travel

Once the destination and activities are confirmed, its a good idea to let everyone know the travel options- flights or train times etc. Group travel bookings need to be made in advance.
 
Payment

Dependent on whether you are planning a stag weekend independently or have the assistance of a company, the money side of things can be a bit of a headache. The best thing to do is be really organised and make a note of how much everything costs and who has paid, if you would prefer for the payment side to be taken care of The Stag Company offer a great
online payment scheme which enables you to pay for the weekend in instalments- this saves a lot of time and stress chasing people for money.

Stitch the Stag Up

All that is left now that you have everything covered is to pick a fancy dress costume for the stag, this is a great way to stitch your best pal up. There are some hilarious outfits, a pick of the best are: Borat mankini, big baby, pimp, gimp and oompa loompa.

To speak to the stag party experts contact: The Stag Company 01273 225 070 www.thestagcompany.com