As best man, the job of planning the perfect stag do falls on your shoulders. It’s up to you to make this a once in a lifetime experience for the groom! A lot of organising is involved to make sure everyone has a fantastic time and things run smoothly so get planning as soon as possible and don’t leave it until the last minute.

Here’s some top tips to help you get started:

Firstly, what does the stag have in mind for his do?

The most important place to start is to speak to your best mate and find out when he is free and what his expectations are. Does he want a quiet night in the pub, a weekend away, an adventure day or does he want to go large and do it all? Is there anything he definitely does not want to do?

Who to invite?

Ask the best man who he wants to invite. Does he want to limit it to a close group of friends, with similar interests who enjoy the same activities (and get along)? Or would he like to extend the invites to work mates and acquaintances – the more the merrier? It's defiantly best to try and keep the stag group to a smaller group of close friends (around 10-15 if possible). This way it will be more manageable with less conflicts and it’s less likely for the group to split up or get out of control!

Pick a date.

It’s a good idea to get the gang together before you start planning to choose a date that works best for the majority. A popular time to go on the stag do is around a month before the wedding. Very important - make sure you double check the date does not clash with any other key dates like major sporting events or someone else’s special day!

Discuss costs

What is everyone’s budget? Have you decided to pay for the groom? Is there going to be a kitty? It's important to discuss costs at the early stage to help you narrow down what everyone can afford as this will impact where you choose to go. Also, would everyone prefer to go somewhere where there are cheap drinks or would they like to splash out on something more upmarket? Once you have an idea of everyone’s budget, you can make a decision on where to go! Give everyone as much notice as possible so that they can start saving.

Home or abroad?

Firstly, can everyone make the commitment of going abroad? If not, it may be easier to arrange a stag do closer to home. What are the stag’s preferences?

Selling point of going abroad:

• Guaranteed sunshine in some destinations to top up your tans before the wedding.
• Different activities and adventures may be on offer abroad.
• Cost of beer may be cheaper (and taste better) in some destinations abroad than the UK. Bulgaria, Turkey and the Algarve are rated best value among 42 destinations according to This Is Money.
• Cheap flights and accommodation are available if you shop around so it needn't be expensive.
• Exploring new destinations is a major attraction when going abroad.

Selling point of staying in the UK:

• It's less of a commitment for the stags to be able to attend a stag do in the UK.
• UK travel is simpler and easier to arrange. No worries about someone missing their flight!
• UK destinations can be more welcoming to stag dos. Newcastle, Cardiff and Bournemouth have been listed as top UK stag destinations in 2018 by stag provider Chillisauce.
• See here for more information on the top stag do locations in the UK.

Choosing the Accommodation

Accommodation in a central location is ideal for some – close to the action and the local nightlife. Alternatively, you may want to unwind and get away from it all by staying in a retreat or going on a river cruise. You may even find cheeper location just out of town but research the area and way up the costs of transport. The most popular choice of accommodation for stag groups is still a hotel. Staying at a villa is also popular as the group are all together. You can also rent a house suitable for a group or party with some companies doing the leg work for you such as Partyhouses.co.uk. For something different, Pitchup also has a new search facility for single sex groups if camping is more your style.

Booking accommodation and flights

Book in advance if possible. Spring is a very popular time for stag groups and gets booked up quickly (May and June especially). Alternatively, there may be a chance to get a last minute deal somewhere which may be a bit trickier to organise with less time to plan it all. 

Ask for any discounts available for group travel and accommodation before booking to save money. It's worth asking! Ensure the hotel accepts stag groups as you don’t want to run the risk of being turned away when you arrive!

Activities

Choose activities that suit all ages and abilities - remember the stag party has to be suited to everyone! Alternatively, break up the day into sections of different activities so people can dip in and out of the party plans if they are unable to take part in certain activities. Remember to suggest some local attractions or eateries for those who cannot take part in something to make them feel involved. They can then meet up with you later.

Companies like Chillisauce and The Stag Company can help suggest popular and unusual ideas for activities.

Top activities include:

For adrenaline junkies: If you all love extreme sports or doing something active during the daytime, you can choose from quad biking, water parks, theme parks, rafting, biking, coasteering, race car days, rock climbing, paragliding,  white water rafting or mountain biking. These activities will get the blood pumping and foster some team bonding, ready for the big night ahead!

To relax and unwind: Try a spa or thermal baths, wine tasting, sightseeing, beer tasting, whisky tasting, beach day, boat and river cruises, camping, canoeing, country retreats or a villa with a pool.

Shooting activities: Shooting is a popular daytime activity on stag dos and there are a wide range of options from archery, clay pigeon shooting, and paintballing to trying your hand at shooting AK47’s, shot guns, and assault rifles. The UK offers a range of shooting destinations and top shooting destinations abroad are the Czech Republic, Prague, Riga and Krakow.

Party ideas: For partying, enjoy a strip show, bar crawl, night club, casino night, comedy show, boat party, pool party, steak dinner, live music or karaoke.

Something different: There’s so many alternative activities to choose from such as bubble football, escape games, zorbing, gentlemen’s afternoon tea, wrestling, bush tucker trials, skiing, assault courses, bush crafts and even cardboard boat racing.

Finally, plan for everything else

• Make sure you have a way to stay in contact with everyone such as a social media group in case any changes occur, someone is running late or if they get lost.
• Make sure everyone has their insurance details, travel tickets, hotel reservations and passports with them before they set off.
• Take some emergency funds and appoint someone to be in charge of the kitty.
• Make sure everyone is clear on the time of arrival, travel times and itinerary. Make advance reservations for the activities, clubs, restaurants and anything else you want to do in advance (especially for a large group). Ensure everyone is clear about the itinerary or limit last minute changes to ensure things run more smoothly. The best man should have a backup plans in case things change or go wrong.
• Make introductions every time someone turns up to get the group acquainted.
• Get some stag party games / ice breakers ready to help everyone relax and have fun.
• Don’t forget the stag t-shirts or team kit.
• Stay safe and have a great time!