Best Man Advice - Booking a UK Stag Do

Booking a stag do can, let’s face it, causes all sorts of stress; organisers can lose money, hair and the will to live!

By following the few simple tips below you may alleviate some of the pain and make it to the end of the weekend without losing your temper!

Watch out for the boys who will waste your time -

Pub Talkers

They are your best mates down the pub, who after a few pints say yes to anything (going onto a club, a global warming march on Downing Street, artificial insemination) so watch out for these time wasters. Don’t add them to the list until you see the colour of their money.

Book a weekend within your group’s budget -

Just me and the stag then!

Last year a best man booked 40 guys going on a stag do to Newcastle and he wanted to do every activity possible (we tried to ground him, unfortunate this landed on deaf ears) pushing his stag package price to well over £300 per person. When he came to finalise his numbers and pay the balance, he mumbled the infamous phrase “just me and the stag”! The moral to this story is be realistic! Get an idea what your group can afford.

Logistics -

Newquay, will I need my passport?

If you live in Edinburgh and you book a stag do to Newquay please bear in mind this is quite a road trip. If you go by train the price could cost you more than a flight to Prague! So if you have people scattered around the country try and find a central city or location which will give everyone an equal ish distance/travel duration. Bristol and Nottingham are excellent destinations for this as they are both off major motorways and offer amazing daytime activities and great nightlife to.

I am getting too old for a Leo Sayer! -

Leo Sayer = All dayer

When you go for a weekend away, try and avoid arranging or falling into the all day binge drinking trap. Most stag parties that drink all day end up kissing the pavement around 4.00pm and totally missing the great nightlife. Avoid this by booking a half or whole day of activities or go horse racing, rafting, paintballing, tobogganing or anything else that ends with ing, well apart from drinking!

Yeah, I’ll pay you mate don’t you worry -

Read the small print

The amount of people who will commit to a weekend thinking they will get their money back if they don’t attend is rising. Well anything is possible these days, we’ve got the internet!

DON’T pay for anyone you don’t know or trust, you will find you cannot cancel people off your booking within a certain time scale, so don’t pay for them hoping they will pay you back as they probably won’t.

Be sharing and caring with the party information -

Keeping everyone in the loop, gets you off the hook

Most good group, stag and hen tour operators will not only send you a nice pack when you have paid in full detailing the finer points of your weekend, they will also email you an electronic version.  Email everyone in the group these details so no one in the group can deny not knowing a certain detail, such as dress codes for nightclubs or what to wear on your white water rafting session. If you are feeling bright and have time on your hands, personalise the details to your group and add other information such as a fancy dress theme or how you are going to stitch the stag up!

If you have any questions or want further advice don’t hesitate to contact me via the Designaventure supplier page or email me at marco@designaventure.co.uk

Article by Hen and Stag Party Organiser Marco Walker

Read more Hen and Stag Party Advice articles

Read other Wedding Advice articles