When Should I Book The Stag Do?

This is possibly the first question most Best Men ask themselves as soon as they have been asked by the groom to to be the best man, "when should I book the stag do?". Well it's an easy one really, as soon as you can.

Right that's this post finished, my work is done!

OK, OK that's a bit of a cop out, why do you need to book the stag do as early as you can? What happens if people drop out? Of course; you don't want to loose any money.

These are perfectly good reasons to putting off booking the stag do, however, you will still need to do it, if you put it off it will never happen, so grab the horn by the bulls, I mean grab the bull by the horns and get your mind round it.

Booking early is always best, take it from me - you will get the best hotel, activities, cheaper flight, you will also give the group plenty of time to sort themselves out money wise and time off from work and their spouses.

Here's a little cheeky plug, booking early with a stag do company such as DesignaVenture is a breeze, for all non flight inclusive packages, all you need to do is to advise us of a rough idea of numbers and pay a £30 group deposit and that's it, it's all done.

We will also talk you through all the main terms and conditions and back it all up in writing. You will be able to invite group members via your online area of the DesignaVenture website, and they can pay independently, saving you the hassle of collecting all the money in person.

However, if you decide to go to the dark side and book your stag elsewhere, here are some top tips, well I am trying to keep this blog unbiased / impartial.

First things first, before you part with any money, make sure you understand the terms and conditions and if you don't want to have a yawn-fest of reading them, get the person you are booking the stag do through, to advise you about the main areas such as:

What happens if people drop out?
What are the cancelation restrictions?
What happens if you need to change the date?
When does all payments need to be completed by?

I am sure you will have more questions so just ask away, after all you are the customer and deserve to know everything.

Booking flights, what's that all about then?

OK this is when it get's a bit trickier. Most of the time you can only book your flights approximately 9 to 12 months in advance depending on which airline and route you need to book. You will also need to pay in full for the flight section of the package if you book with a low cost airline, however if you book with a scheduled airline such as British Airways, Iberia or KLM (for example), and providing you have a group of over 10 people, you can book a group ticket. The group ticket has more flexible booking conditions and payment terms which is ideal for booking rough idea of numbers.

Remember providing you are aware of the terms and conditions, getting your stag do booked early is essential, not only will it be a weight off your shoulders you will also be a hero, in the Groom-to-be's eyes that is.

Now a couple of other useful areas you might need to know is, should the groom pay for his own stag do?

Should we prank the stag, I should coco!

Good luck.