DO: Remember to Have Fun

From the moment he pops the question, there’s one thing groom-to-be thinks about more than anything else – the bachelor party. This isn’t a new phenomenon either, as bachelor parties are rooted in ancient history. Many believe that the Spartans were the first to hold bachelor parties as a celebration of the groom’s last night as a single man. This celebration included dinner and drinks with many a toast given in the grooms honor. The term bachelor itself, used as we do today, first appeared courtesy of Geoffrey Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales in the 14th century.

Bachelor parties have come a long way since then, and more importantly, they’ve become much more creative. Unfortunately, they’ve also tended to get more out of hand as well. In more recent times, bachelor party debauchery has even contributed to numerous celebrity break-ups. Paris Hilton, Mario Lopez and Ali Landry have all had relationships affected by the grooms last night out.

From fancy five-star dinners to a weekend in Vegas, there are many different ways to throw a bachelor party. But regardless of your party preference, there are some basic tips and advice worth following. These bachelor party dos and don’ts can make or break the celebration – and even the groom if you’re not careful.

1. Don’t let the groom pay
No matter how generous he is, the groom shouldn’t have to pay for anything during his bachelor party. It’s his last night out as one of the guys, so take care of him. Certain exceptions can be made, especially if the celebration spans a weekend or longer. But make sure to cover him when it counts – after all, it’s his celebration, right?

2. Do something different.
If your group always hangs out at the same bar or goes to the same restaurant or club, don’t go back to that place for the bachelor party. Take the groom somewhere different – hopefully somewhere nicer too. Whether he’ll admit it or not, this is a big deal for him, so do something special. Go all out, that way there are no regrets when he looks back on the night 10 years from now.

3. Don’t let yourself get tired
This is particularly important for weekend excursions or trips to Vegas. No, we’re not talking about doing anything illegal here, but some real simple things can help make sure everyone’s energetic and enjoying the party. Sleep can be hard to come by on a bachelor party weekend, so know where to find a good cup of coffee if you’re on an overnight trip. Better yet, bring one of your own coffee makers along with you. This can save you some serious money too – Starbucks gets expensive!

4. Do some advance planning
As great as it made the plot of The Hangover, don’t try to hold a bachelor party any closer than three days before the wedding. There’s just too much that can go wrong. Trust me – the bride and her family will thank you. Be sure to start planning early, as well, especially if there are a number of guys traveling for the occasion.

5. Don’t let the groom do anything he’ll regret
He’s still engaged, after all, so don’t let him get too out of control. It’s the best man’s job to make sure the groom behaves, which is actually the second most important thing he has to do – other than plan the bachelor party. Everyone else is on his own, just make sure to keep an eye on the groom. If Mario Lopez can get caught, then there’s no reason to expect that he won’t.

6. Do remember to have fun
Despite all the excitement and planning going into the bachelor party celebration, the most important thing is to just have fun. At the end of the day, it’s all your friends together celebrating an important moment in the groom’s life. Don’t lose sight of that amongst all the other craziness that may or may not be going on. And remember that at the end of the day, it’s not where you are or what you’ll do that matters – it’s who you’re with that really counts.

Mike Tennant is a freelance writer and columnist from Orange County, CA. Mike currently works with Air & Water Inc., where he helps newlyweds pick out their first wine cooler and tries to make other home appliance shopping exciting.

—-

We want to hear from you. What other do’s and don’ts do you have for throwing a memorable bachelor party? Let us know in the comments section below.

After they announced their Shark Attack Bachelor Party, we weren’t sure whether FireFly Group Events could top it. They have proved us wrong with the release of their Best Man Speech Generator!

Best Man Toast Generator (click to get started)

We tested the generator out and here’s what we came up with (a perfectly legit wedding toast that I will recite at my friend Lebron’s wedding later this summer).

I met LeBron when we were 19. Right away, I knew he was a salty kid and the perfect friend for me. He was always a hit with the ladies even at the young age of 19. I remember his best line was “For feet like yours I would jump the biggest salad. Then along came Sally and everything changed. It takes a tall girl to tame the hedgehog that is LeBron. I remember they met at Cleveland and within the space of 23 shots he was wearing her mini-skirt and she had installed  all over his VCR. Ladies and gentlemen I ask you to raise your glasses for Sally and LeBron. May they live furiously  ever after and have greasy babies.

After you get done creating your speech over at Firefly, come back and paste it below in the comments. We’re looking forward to seeing the great (and not so great) ones.

Another Great Moment in Best Man History.. this guy lays down some rhymes about the grooms old and new answering machine messages.

‘Ol Matt Foley took some time away from his van to toast this couple on their wedding day. Enjoy!

Guest Blogger Profile: Simon Daykin

Your Best Man is the one guy who you can count on to stand with you when all others will not.  He is unwavering in his loyalty to you.  That being said he will not stand by and not voice his opinion.  He’ll offer the facts, let you know what he thinks and then NO MATTER WHAT you decide he will stand by you.  In short, if your life was a zombie film, he’s the guy you want to have watching your back.

You’ve Chosen Him Before You’ve Chosen Her

Usually you know exactly who your best man will be even before you have asked or even chosen the girl you want to marry.  Yup, the bond can be that strong.  I knew who my best man would be before I met my wife.  We live 3000 kms apart but we’re still tight and chat every chance we get.  This is a man I would die for.

He Tells It Like It Is Even If You Don’t Like It

So make sure you have that bond, you know he’ll give you straight up answers without worrying about offending you.  Sometimes the thing not said is the worst thing NOT to say.  You need to be comfortable with each other.  Way back in the day, the best man’s job was to spend the night with the groom the night before his wedding and make sure he didn’t make a run for it.  Strange but true.  The night before my wedding, my best man and I got a case of beer and sat around reminiscing and writing our speeches.  Well, in truth, he wrote his speech, I watched a movie, drank most of the beer and ad-libbed the whole thing the next day.  It went surprisingly well.

Best Man Etiquette

Make sure he knows he is YOUR BEST MAN.  Ask him to stand by you in private.  You can ask the wedding party as a whole, but ask you BM in private.  Here are some things that will make him stand apart from the rest of your bridal party:

* Make Him Unique- Have his tie or boutonniere differ from yours AND the wedding party’s so people know he is unto himself.

* Let Him Know His Responsibilities- He’ll be making a speech, so make sure you can count on him for that.  He should know not to tell the Mexican hooker story, but some people get caught up in the moment, or the bottle…if you have the bond I mentioned earlier this will not be problem. But he won’t be offended if you run him through some rules you’d like him to follow.

* He’s Your Party Planner- This man will also be the driving force behind your stag party as well.  Another good reason to pick a guy who knows you.  There is nothing worse than showing up and finding out it’s the old “donkey show” and you went and invited both your dad and the bride to be’s father.  Stag parties take on many different faces these days.  The strip club trip, while not a thing of the past, is no longer the be all and end all of the stag experience click here for information on Gutsy Groom’s Stag packages. If there is something you REALLY WANT to do, don’t be afraid to ask to work with him on the Stag.  Or at least let him know if there is anything you 100 percent do not want.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

Always pick a guy you know will stand by you.  This may offend or upset other friends but try to incorporate them into the wedding party or the wedding in some other way.  Real friends will understand why a certain person will be chosen to be your Best Man.  Treat him well, when picking wedding party gifts, get your best man a little something extra.  He deserves it.

If he has to travel a long distance and you can swing it, pick up his tux rental, send a kick ass car to get him from the airport or take him out for a great dinner.  He came all this way to stand by you so let him know how much that means to you.  Always be open to any questions he may have.

I have a lot of friends and I consider myself lucky enough to have quite a few good friends. But guys I would ask to stand by my side on the most important day of my life, well I can count those guys on one hand and I’m sure you can too.  It’s pretty bloody overwhelming to be a Best Man if you do it right.  And I want every man, standing next to you on that special day to be the Best Man they can be.