Planning a Bachelor Party for Your Best Bud

So, it has happened. Your best friend finally proposed to his partner and is getting married soon. Now is when your work, as the best friend, truly begins and that is because you need to plan an epic bachelor party that will go down in the records books as historic. Don’t be fooled by the movies, a bachelor party is so much more than simply getting drunk and going on a pub crawl, so you need to put some serious effort and planning into it. And you need to start saving up some money too, because this will not be cheap – that said, there will be others chipping in as well, so it isn’t all on you. If planning a bachelor party eludes you, don’t worry, here are some tips that should set you on the right path.

1: Sit Down With the Future Groom

Some bachelors like to just leave the entire thing to the planner, but that is completely stupid and way too much pressure on you. Besides, you need to at least set up a game plan as to when the party will be and where. If you want a surprise element, you can simply nail down the time frame and come up with some possibilities for the party, so at least you know ahead of time what they want to ideally be doing and what holds zero interest for them. For instance, planning an epic trip to Las Vegas may take a serious nosedive upon realizing that your friend just went to Vegas a month prior and has no interest in going back any time soon. You are planning this party for them, not for yourself, so you need to really know what they are into.

2: Figure Out the Budget

Like we said, the cost of the bachelor party should not rest solely on your shoulders. Obviously the groom shouldn’t be pitching in at all, but the rest of the guests should. Now, this is probably going to be the worst part of the planning, so be warned. You need to discuss with the group what you are thinking and come up with a general price point. There is always that one person who doesn’t want to (or can’t) chip in as much as the rest of the fellas, so it could take some creative thinking. And make sure that everyone pays their share before the party happens – you don’t want to be chasing them around to pay up during the party or even long after.

3: Find a Place to Stay

Once you have the location and budget nailed down, you need to find a place to stay. We recommend going with a cool Airbnb that caters to large groups of people. Not only do Airbnb’s tend to be more unique than a hotel, they will offer the event a more relaxed vibe than a hotel. Look for super strange options, like a cool treehouse or a houseboat. Plus, these options tend to be cheaper and you won’t be stuck at a hotel pool surrounded by strangers who can potentially kill the party vibe.

4: Figure Out a Rough Game Plan

Once you have everything above worked out, you can figure out a game plan for the group. Make sure that everything that you roughly plan is optional, meaning that if someone would rather sleep in one morning than head to the harbor for speed boating adventure, they can. And since you never know what will happen, it helps if the plans are open for alterations. For instance, maybe set up a list of potential options that includes a day visit breweries or hiking out to a waterfall.

5: Get Some Goodies

You should definitely stock up on activities for the house, and plenty of food and drinks. If the house or hotel you are staying at has a pool, maybe get matching swim trunks or tanks for the boys. Head over to Tipsy Elves and pick something out that is funny and will be something they will want to wear again, like a shirt that says “Beaches Love Me” and pictures a Baywatch-era David Hasselhoff–there are plenty of bachelor party shirts to choose from. And get plenty of pool floats, like a giant swan, because they will make those pictures of the future groom passed out in the pool that much funnier.