101 Guide To Arranging The Ultimate Stag Do
So you have been given the task of arranging a stag do and you don’t know where to start, hopefully this 101 guide to arranging the ultimate stag do will help steer you in the right direction.
Getting started
1. Discuss the 3 W’s (Where, When & Wonga)
2. Find out from the stag what his expectations are
3. Make a list of destinations
4. Check where the Hens are going…you don't want to be in the same place
5. Check with the wife-to-be that the date doesn't clash
6. Make another list of activities (day or night)
7. Cap a budget, (see tip 16 – 18)
8. Put together a list of invitees
9. Be flexible at this stage you may not be able to fulfil all his expectations, however try and cover as many as you can.
10. Don’t mix up invitees with attendees as this number will be different (see Tips 42 - 50)
Go search and you will find
11. With your tools of knowledge search the internet
12. Read blogs, reviews and speak to your mates for recommendations
13. Most stag parties tend to book with a stag do organiser come Tour Operator such as DesignaVenture (that’s us by the way), they have a vast database of providers from stag friendly hotels to nightclubs and activity sites, giving you more time to decide
14. If you do decide to go it alone remember to make sure to get everything in writing
15. Take a name when booking anything over the phone you then have a reference
18. Research at this stage is key; don’t book North Wales if the stag is expecting a tour of lap-dancing clubs
Budget
19. Make sure this is discussed properly; far too many stag dos cancel because of the price
20. You don’t want to budget people off the stag do, especially the attendees that the stag really wants to go
21. Don’t forget the boys will need to find spending money
22. Talk to the boys / do a straw pole on how much people will be willing to fork out
23. Remember, cheap is not always cheaper, a hotel 2 miles from the city centre may charge you £5 less than a city centre hotel however, the cost of your cab into town may cost £10 each way!
24. Decide on who's paying for the stag, will you split the cost, will he pay? Here are some tips on paying for the stag here
25. Check to see if minimum numbers apply for activities, as this may affect cost
Talk to the Boys
26. We are in the age of communication people, everyone has a smart phone with Facebook, Twitter, Email, Text, use social media most of it, is free
27. Create a page on your Facebook profile about the stag do for all the invitees, if you don’t want prying eyes, password protect it
28. Tweet news up dates
29. Put together an email group and send the boys updates as and when you get them
30. Communication is king with everything such as; dates, destination, how you are planning to get to the stag destination etc.
Get It Booked
31. Book early
32. Don’t leave it to the last minute
33. Getting large groups into hotels can be tricky so booking early is a must
34. Try not to split the group over two hotels
35. Booking early will mean you will get the activities you want, the activity times you want, the best hotel, basically everything you want.
36. Check if the hotel requires a security deposit
37. How are you all getting to your chosen location.. train, minibus hire etc
38. Check hotel reviews, cheap is not always cheerful
39. Is breakfast included with the hotel price, eating is not cheating
40. Decide how is everyone paying, are they paying you or the organising company
41. Most companies offer an individual payment service
Group Size
42. You will find that when you invite everyone, everyone will say yes
43. Once you ask for deposits / money you will soon see who will be coming
44. Usually we find a good third drop out
45. Make sure when booking you have the flexibility to cancel people off
46. Most places will have a cut off point around 4 weeks before you go
47. DON’T pay for people you do not know or trust, you don’t want to lose money
48. 12 is the average sized group
49. We have had as little as two (best man and groom) in the group and as big as 67
50. 8 – 15 people in my mind, is the perfect size
Getting Ready
51. As previously mentioned communication is king, pass on all info to the boys so they can pack accordingly
52. The more information they have beforehand, the less mothering you will have to do whilst on the stag do
53. If you are travelling abroad, check info such as; if your hold luggage (suitcase) is or not included within the price, visa and passport requirements, etc.
54. If the guys need to wear old clothes or old trainers they need to know before they go on the stag do, you don’t want to hear “no one told me I can’t wear my white Stilettos quad biking”
55. Forewarned is forearmed!
You’re On Tour
56. If you are going on a UK stag do the first thing to arrange is a meeting place
57. Most people meet at the hotel or if they have an activity booked on the first day, at the activity site
58. Hotel check in is usually after 2pm
59. Hotel check out is usually 11am
60. When checking in, get the guys to pop a hotel card in their wallet, so in the likely event of them forgetting where their bed is at, they have a little reminder
61. Have a stag kitty – this will keep your group together and is a fair way of buying drinks
Daytime Activities
62. If you have activities booked for the next day, make sure everyone is aware of what time to meet and where
65. Check that you have the arrival time, not the activity start time, you don't want to be late!
66. Check if there are any restrictions.e.g weight limits or swimming ability
67. Make sure everyone knows what clothing to wear e.g sensible footwear
68. Activity sites will not allow anyone to take part if they have been drinking, so no beer for breakfast!
69. If you plan on dressing the Stag up, check with the activity site / organiser before forking out for a costume
70. Think about what time you want to do the activities, you might want to book the activities early so the boys don't get on it at lunch time and get turned away from the activity.
71. Make sure you allow enough time between your last activity and evening entertainment, we all know men can take longer than women to get ready
The big night out!
72. Get your group on the guest list of bars and clubs, you don't want to be walking around all night looking for a venue
73. Plan your bar crawl and make sure all the boys have a copy of the plan
74. Check out these drinking games
75. Do you need to take confirmation / tickets with you ~ make sure you have these
76. If you plan on going fancy dress, check first, some clubs don’t allow it or have restrictions
77. Here's some fancy dress ideas
78. What are the dress codes, e.g some places require collars and no trainers
79. Will you be going to a Lap Dancing Club… time to stitch the stag up?
80. Check out these stag pranks
81. If someone has control of the group's kitty, you are less likely to have any wanderers
82. If anyone in your group looks under 25, make sure they take a valid form of photo I.D.
83. Make sure you know what time you need to be in your chosen venues…less time queueing, more time drinking
84. If going to a Casino, keep spending under control, you don’t want any post stag weekend divorces
85. How far is the walk into the centre
86. Will you need to book taxis, probably best to book through your accommodation
87. At the end of the night, try and agree a rate for your journey before you get in and make sure it's a licensed taxi
88. Check your crew are still standing and know where they're going by the end of the night
The morning after
89. Make sure everyone is alive and well
90. Headache tablets and berroca at the ready OR hair of the dog
91. Put in a reassurance call / text to let the 'wife-to-be' know that the stag is in one piece
92. Before departure, make sure everyone is safe to hit the road
93. Anyone who looks worse for wear, sick bags at the ready
94. Fill up on a good breakfast
95. Does the stag still have his eyebrows
97. Collect together your photos from the weekend
98. Embarrass the stag with 'selected' photos' for the best-man's speech
99. Give the stag do organiser feedback and send them some snaps of your stag do
100. Above all…give the stag, a weekend to remember
101. Book with DesignaVenture, experienced in stag sense.
1. Discuss the 3 W’s (Where, When & Wonga)
2. Find out from the stag what his expectations are
3. Make a list of destinations
4. Check where the Hens are going…you don't want to be in the same place
5. Check with the wife-to-be that the date doesn't clash
6. Make another list of activities (day or night)
7. Cap a budget, (see tip 16 – 18)
8. Put together a list of invitees
9. Be flexible at this stage you may not be able to fulfil all his expectations, however try and cover as many as you can.
10. Don’t mix up invitees with attendees as this number will be different (see Tips 42 - 50)
Go search and you will find
11. With your tools of knowledge search the internet
12. Read blogs, reviews and speak to your mates for recommendations
13. Most stag parties tend to book with a stag do organiser come Tour Operator such as DesignaVenture (that’s us by the way), they have a vast database of providers from stag friendly hotels to nightclubs and activity sites, giving you more time to decide
14. If you do decide to go it alone remember to make sure to get everything in writing
15. Take a name when booking anything over the phone you then have a reference
16. Tell every venue that you are a stag party, as getting turned away from bars, clubs or even hotels will not make you very popular
17. My advice is to always book with a stag do organiser who has a good reputation and then you can’t go wrong, and if it does go wrong, you have someone to complain to18. Research at this stage is key; don’t book North Wales if the stag is expecting a tour of lap-dancing clubs
Budget
19. Make sure this is discussed properly; far too many stag dos cancel because of the price
20. You don’t want to budget people off the stag do, especially the attendees that the stag really wants to go
21. Don’t forget the boys will need to find spending money
22. Talk to the boys / do a straw pole on how much people will be willing to fork out
23. Remember, cheap is not always cheaper, a hotel 2 miles from the city centre may charge you £5 less than a city centre hotel however, the cost of your cab into town may cost £10 each way!
24. Decide on who's paying for the stag, will you split the cost, will he pay? Here are some tips on paying for the stag here
25. Check to see if minimum numbers apply for activities, as this may affect cost
Talk to the Boys
26. We are in the age of communication people, everyone has a smart phone with Facebook, Twitter, Email, Text, use social media most of it, is free
27. Create a page on your Facebook profile about the stag do for all the invitees, if you don’t want prying eyes, password protect it
28. Tweet news up dates
29. Put together an email group and send the boys updates as and when you get them
30. Communication is king with everything such as; dates, destination, how you are planning to get to the stag destination etc.
Get It Booked
31. Book early
32. Don’t leave it to the last minute
33. Getting large groups into hotels can be tricky so booking early is a must
34. Try not to split the group over two hotels
35. Booking early will mean you will get the activities you want, the activity times you want, the best hotel, basically everything you want.
36. Check if the hotel requires a security deposit
37. How are you all getting to your chosen location.. train, minibus hire etc
38. Check hotel reviews, cheap is not always cheerful
39. Is breakfast included with the hotel price, eating is not cheating
40. Decide how is everyone paying, are they paying you or the organising company
41. Most companies offer an individual payment service
42. You will find that when you invite everyone, everyone will say yes
43. Once you ask for deposits / money you will soon see who will be coming
44. Usually we find a good third drop out
45. Make sure when booking you have the flexibility to cancel people off
46. Most places will have a cut off point around 4 weeks before you go
47. DON’T pay for people you do not know or trust, you don’t want to lose money
48. 12 is the average sized group
49. We have had as little as two (best man and groom) in the group and as big as 67
50. 8 – 15 people in my mind, is the perfect size
51. As previously mentioned communication is king, pass on all info to the boys so they can pack accordingly
52. The more information they have beforehand, the less mothering you will have to do whilst on the stag do
53. If you are travelling abroad, check info such as; if your hold luggage (suitcase) is or not included within the price, visa and passport requirements, etc.
54. If the guys need to wear old clothes or old trainers they need to know before they go on the stag do, you don’t want to hear “no one told me I can’t wear my white Stilettos quad biking”
55. Forewarned is forearmed!
You’re On Tour
56. If you are going on a UK stag do the first thing to arrange is a meeting place
57. Most people meet at the hotel or if they have an activity booked on the first day, at the activity site
58. Hotel check in is usually after 2pm
59. Hotel check out is usually 11am
60. When checking in, get the guys to pop a hotel card in their wallet, so in the likely event of them forgetting where their bed is at, they have a little reminder
61. Have a stag kitty – this will keep your group together and is a fair way of buying drinks
62. If you have activities booked for the next day, make sure everyone is aware of what time to meet and where
63. Will your group need transport to the activity site, most activity sites are a short drive away
64. Will you need to pre-book lunch at the activity site?65. Check that you have the arrival time, not the activity start time, you don't want to be late!
66. Check if there are any restrictions.e.g weight limits or swimming ability
67. Make sure everyone knows what clothing to wear e.g sensible footwear
68. Activity sites will not allow anyone to take part if they have been drinking, so no beer for breakfast!
69. If you plan on dressing the Stag up, check with the activity site / organiser before forking out for a costume
70. Think about what time you want to do the activities, you might want to book the activities early so the boys don't get on it at lunch time and get turned away from the activity.
71. Make sure you allow enough time between your last activity and evening entertainment, we all know men can take longer than women to get ready
72. Get your group on the guest list of bars and clubs, you don't want to be walking around all night looking for a venue
73. Plan your bar crawl and make sure all the boys have a copy of the plan
74. Check out these drinking games
75. Do you need to take confirmation / tickets with you ~ make sure you have these
76. If you plan on going fancy dress, check first, some clubs don’t allow it or have restrictions
77. Here's some fancy dress ideas
78. What are the dress codes, e.g some places require collars and no trainers
79. Will you be going to a Lap Dancing Club… time to stitch the stag up?
80. Check out these stag pranks
81. If someone has control of the group's kitty, you are less likely to have any wanderers
82. If anyone in your group looks under 25, make sure they take a valid form of photo I.D.
83. Make sure you know what time you need to be in your chosen venues…less time queueing, more time drinking
84. If going to a Casino, keep spending under control, you don’t want any post stag weekend divorces
85. How far is the walk into the centre
86. Will you need to book taxis, probably best to book through your accommodation
87. At the end of the night, try and agree a rate for your journey before you get in and make sure it's a licensed taxi
88. Check your crew are still standing and know where they're going by the end of the night
89. Make sure everyone is alive and well
90. Headache tablets and berroca at the ready OR hair of the dog
91. Put in a reassurance call / text to let the 'wife-to-be' know that the stag is in one piece
92. Before departure, make sure everyone is safe to hit the road
93. Anyone who looks worse for wear, sick bags at the ready
94. Fill up on a good breakfast
95. Does the stag still have his eyebrows
On return
96. Book an extra days holiday so you have time to recover97. Collect together your photos from the weekend
98. Embarrass the stag with 'selected' photos' for the best-man's speech
99. Give the stag do organiser feedback and send them some snaps of your stag do
100. Above all…give the stag, a weekend to remember
101. Book with DesignaVenture, experienced in stag sense.
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