Bachelor Party: 10 Mistakes You Never Want to Make


Will you exit bachelorhood with an epic showdown or just jeopardize your marital bliss in its earliest stage? Best men and maids of honor have the sacred duty of planning the ultimate party. And, no matter how crazy and memorable you want your special night to be, there are 10 epic bachelor party fails you never want to make. For each of them, I give you my two cents on better ways to do things.

Improvise

“I’m a marine! We don’t plan, we improvise”.

That quote is the only good thing the 1997 thriller “Most Wanted” should evoke. Amazing, the number of thrill-seekers who live by that motto, convinced that a plan takes the fun and excitement out of things.

Without being a control freak, a good road map should help you land group travel deals, spot and reserve activities. Make fun rhyme with smart… somehow!

At Last Vegas

I guess the Hangover left a long lasting negative impression on me. Sin City, its attractions, and sources of vice are the best way to throw your bachelor party plans over your shoulders and go wild.

Dude you are getting married, not starring in ’21 and over’ Part 2. Vegas is too much of a cliché. Innovate!

Make it an open party

The more the merrier, right? WRONG!

Make the party an open event if you want to kill the buzz. Have random people or, better yet, your better half’s relatives show up. Your bachelor party is guaranteed to be di-sas- wait for it- trous! (OK, that last HIMYM reference will be the last I make, promise).

Keep the guest list to best and close friends that the bride or the groom approved. Should things go wrong, they are people you can trust to cut damages.

Ignore the bride or groom’s will

You want to enlighten their boring lives one last time before it agonizes forever in the boredom of marriage. As the one in charge of the bachelor party and you have one job: make it awesome for the people you are there to honor and nobody else.

Carry on with your daily routine

Let’s travel miles, spent thousands on lodging, and carry on with the everyday stuff. No! It should be epic. If rafting is your thing, try a weekend on the Magpie River, Canada. But don’t go bar crawling especially if it’s something you do together every weekend.

Get an unusual dose of adrenaline rush

Be a daredevil and try that Jackass-inspired stunt you did with your buddies in College. Do so and the only stunt you will pull is trying bride dresses or groom suits with an arm in sling. Ever seen someone prepare a wedding with broken ribs and bruises? Me neither.

You want to throw some activities in there, for sure. But please make sure everyone lives to see another bachelor party.

Do it the night before the big thing

Blood-shot red eyes, dark circles, and nausea. Your hangover face will give the makeup artist a run for your money. And your wedding day photos will truly be worth a thousand words. Don’t spoil your big moment.

Plan that bachelor party a couple of weeks ahead, just to be safe. And the night before the big day, play nice and be all fresh in the morning.

Document everything

So much thought went into it, it would be a shame not to document this for posterity. Allow smartphones, create a special hashtag for the event, and –while we are at it- hire a professional video crew. Hey! Ever wondered why Mardi-Gras is so much in check ever since camera phones and social media emerged?

You don’t want one night of total liberty to haunt you for the rest of your personal and professional lives. What happens in… oh right, I said no Vegas.

Assume everyone has money to blow

For better or worse, we marry only once. At least in theory! Everybody that came along is ready to make it rain in the club, or rent the Bellagio’s presidential suite for the weekend. No!

Sure money is the nerve of war; but you need a good idea of the size of the financial war chest your friends want to use before you start your campaign. Don’t force anyone or be too pushy.

Send the groom the bachelor party bill

It is his or her party so he should be the only one writing checks and signing bills, right? Wrong! And this is why it is good to plan some things like how to cover for the guest of honor’s expenses.

A good practice is to split the extra charge among the participants, but only those who agreed to it.

Every man for himself

Let the bride or the groom wander off on their own, hit on the barmaids, or god know what made them end up locked up. Just kidding. All the friends attending should consider themselves wing men and bodyguards. No matter whose big day it is or how hot that person at bar is, it is just not happening under your watch.

Look out for one another and leave no man or woman behind. (At least not the one you came with and care about).

Have you been to any bachelor(ette) party? How was it? What made it successful or an epic fail? Share your comments with us.