There’s more to the stag do than strip clubs & Jägerbombs
By Mark Booth – The Stag Company
As web content editor for The Stag Company, the first hurdle I always have to overcome when I want to start working on a piece with another company is that infamous stigma that stag weekends have attached to them.
Yes, it’s true that the British institution of the stag do has something of an image crisis to address. Whether it’s a drunken brawl or an elderly MP citing stag weekends as a plague on their constituency, it’s fair to say that “Dave’s stag do passes without incident, fun had by all” doesn’t make the best headline for sub-editors on Fleet Street. At The Stag Company, we’re looking to redress the balance and look at ways we can promote the stag do as the opportunity to catch up with friends that you might not have spent time with for a lengthy period due to work or family commitments.
A modern trend that we’re seeing in stag party groups is that they are increasingly drawn from the four corners of the country because of university and people moving for work or to start a family, meaning choosing a destination is an important consideration for a best man. Choosing a destination that is central for all of the party is an easy way to curry favour with members of the group that you might not be acquainted with. Nottingham is quite a safe bet, given that it’s the most central location in the UK with a good selection of stag-friendly activities.
When it comes to selecting activities, you’re going to want to choose something that cements a bond between your group so something with a competitive element should fit the bill. You could arrange to play football at a local astroturf pitch or perhaps go-karting or paintball sound like your idea of fun. You could also try zorbing which is probably the closest you’ll get to being Sonic the Hedgehog, as you fling yourself down a hill in a transparent ball.
If you’re looking for something a little less obvious and you want to push the boat out there’s no better way to ensure that your stag do is memorable than arrange a once-in-a-lifetime activity like sky-diving or bungee jumping. Alternatively if you’re by the sea, look up “coasteering” which is a new activity that will see you living out your childhood fantasies scaling cliff faces and swimming in underwater coves.
When it comes to giving plenty of attention to the groom-to-be, you’re going to want to make fun of him a little bit, but don’t go too far – remember that one day your time will come too and you’re going to want to escape your stag party with at least a crumb of dignity intact. That means it’s definitely bad etiquette to pay fake terrorists to kidnap the stag, by the way.
We hope that this short introduction to the thinking man’s stag do shows you that there’s so much more to this pre-wedding ritual than strip clubs and Jägerbombs. Don’t accept a lazily thrown together stag weekend plan, put the effort in and you’ll be rewarded with a weekend that’s memories will stand the test of time.
