The Basic Ideas Behind Planning a Bachelor Party
The bachelor party is like the final reward for the groom before he gets married, after suffering through a long wedding planning process designed mainly for women. Everyone knows that the bride is the centerpiece of the wedding. The groom is just a decoration, dragged around from one wedding planning task to another. But that is only fair, as the bride is the one who has been dreaming of this moment all of her life so everything needs to be perfect. Sure, the man is happy that he will be married to the woman he loves, but for most men, the wedding itself is simply a formality. The bachelor party, on the other hand, is a once-in-a-lifetime, highly anticipated reward to the groom for going through all (and surviving!) of the months of planning for the wedding.
It is only fair for the groom to have his party. After all he has to put up with in the process, planning a bachelor party should center around helping him recover. Traditionally, the bachelor party planning duties fall onto the shoulders of the best man. In some cases, the best man can enlist other men in the wedding entourage to help with the planning. If you happen to be the best man tasked to give the groom the best bachelor party of his life, you may want to inject a few surprises. However, you need to find out exactly what the groom wants for his last special celebration as a free man.
Of course, the most infamous detail of the bachelor party is the dancing girl although not every bachelor is going to want this, especially if he fears it is to be followed by years of paying for it. A dancing girl should only be hired if the groom specifies it and you are sure the bride is not the type to take up prolonged retribution. There are other ways of celebrating the last night of freedom from womankind than having a woman around.
If you are dealing with a romantic groom or a Christian, inviting a stripper to the bachelor party planning may be about the most offensive thing you can do. Some guys would be happy for one last chance to play at an arcade before everything has to be eternally all serious. Batting cages are surprisingly popular places to go. If the groom is really into action, a night of all-out paintball will create a lifetime of fond memories of freedom for him. Just make sure you don’t injure the groom or you will have a very unhappy bride come the day of the wedding. Really, anything that physically exhausts the groom while putting a smile on his face will help him to relax the next day at the wedding.
However, there are many more detailed aspects of planning a bachelor party that sometimes go forgotten. Many a best man ends up unwittingly footing the whole tab for the bachelor party simply because he fails to make payment arrangements. It is a good idea to solicit funds from each of the guests, or at least from the groomsmen. If these pockets are empty, you may need to go to the wedding couple’s parents.
Likewise, the guest list is very important. Nobody knows better than the groom who will make the event a lot of fun for him. The guest list should be done in detailed consultation with the groom. If for some reason you are doing a secret bachelor party, the bride, groomsmen, and ushers will have to be your helpers. In some cases the parents are useful, but more often than not they don’t really know much about with whom their son enjoys spending his time. Planning a bachelor part is all about giving the groom one last chance to get freedom and lighthearted enjoyment of life out of his system, so make sure you give him what he wants.
