Combining the Stag and Hen Parties
Stag parties (aka bachelor parties) and hen parties remain popular traditions amongst couples today. However, the tendency to go ‘all out’ and hire strippers, and so on, is becoming less and less common. Rather, both parties are often characterised simply by close friends and family members attending and making your pre-wedding celebrations fun and memorable. This has led to several couples and their party planners considering the option of rather combining the parties, so that the celebrations are a shared combination of even more fun and love.
There are several real advantages to hosting a combined bachelor and bachelorette party. These include:
- There is one less pre-wedding party to organise, worry about and fund.
- A combined party is still organised by the groomsmen and bridesmaids, taking any pressure off of the bride and groom. These ones should split the costs evenly.
- The couple can enjoy each other and their friends and family at once.
- Gifts are more likely to be geared towards both of you and your new home than silly gimmicks or sexy lingerie.
- The planners only need to organise one venue, one lot of invitations, and so on.
- The atmosphere is more relaxed as brides- and grooms-to-be are not under pressure from their friends to go wild and they are not worried about the other one losing control in their absence.
- These are great for those who have been married before and / or are not up to a traditional hen night or stag party.
- There should be no strippers or offensive games, as the mixed party will, necessarily, enforce added boundaries.
There are many fabulous things to do for a mixed pre-wedding party to suit the couple and their friends. Some ideas follow:
- A luxuriant wine tasting on a gorgeous wine farm.
- A yacht cruise at sunset, set off with champagne and snacks.
- A visit to a spa that caters to men and women for the ultimate in relaxation and pampering.
- A travelling dinner party, where starters, mains and desserts are all enjoyed at a different home or restaurant.
- A daytrip to the beach for fun in the sun with your loved ones.
- A dress-up party (avoid sexual themes) where friends and family can dress up as the great lovers of history, famous celeb couples, and so on.
If you are planning the co-ed party, bear in mind the following hints and precautions:
- You do not know everyone that is attending well enough to give the party a sexual theme. This may offend some, including the bride- and groom-to-be.
- NO STRIPPERS. It does not matter how funny or ridiculous you plan for it to be, strippers (whether male or female) are bound to upset someone.
- Do not force the couple (or anyone, for that matter) to drink more than they want to. If you want a drinking fest, rather opt for separate parties, so that tensions do not rise even higher than they already are as a result of the pre-wedding nerves.
Photo Credit: funny-pictures.picphotos.net
