so I was just recently informed that I am going to be my buddy's best man, therefore I am charged with planning the bachelor party for him.

any tips?

I am wide open to ideas and would love to hear of any pitfalls and advice TWW has to offer. money has to be considered here...ideally, I think we would like to spend $500-$600 each or something along those lines. we are planning on having it about one year from now (beginning of next summer)

5/25/2009 5:12:44 PM

if anyone in the bachelor party wakes up in jail going "wtf just happened" then it is a good party; otherwise, lame.

5/25/2009 6:32:18 PM

ok...aside from that.

is a cruise a bad or good idea? I am thinking a cruise out of Tampa...spending a night in Tampa would be fun.

5/25/2009 6:45:45 PM

If all of your buddy's friends are cool with spending $500-600 on a bachelor party, then money does not have to be considered. Maybe I just roll with the proletariat, but I would never even consider asking anyone to spend that much on a bachelor party, much less everyone attending.

5/25/2009 8:44:36 PM

I wouldn't expect anyone to spend that much money on a bachelor party. Don't be surprised when you throw that price out to friends and get a lot of blank stares back.

5/25/2009 11:44:28 PM

I can compare both my own bachelor party AND wedding versus another person in my family who married a year before I did. BOTH mine and family member's bachelor party / wedding went off well, but, VERY different ways of going about things.

Give us some background on the groom. What are expectations of bachelor party? What has been typical lifestyle / socio-economic / income status? Current age range? Hobbies? Etc.

5/26/2009 1:22:18 AM

i have been a good bunch of them lately (or the past 3 years)

all of them we have traveled somewhere for 3-4 days. below are the top 3. all have been done over college spring break because at least one of us was back in grad school somewhere. i will also put how much i spent. i would plan on going some where. it really makes for a good adventure.

1. new orleans- flew there, stayed on bourbon st, drinks were pricey but grenades are potent so you don't drink more than 7-8 a day. you don't spend money on doing things as the street and people are the entertainment. harras has a casino there as well for added fun. more strip clubs than you can imagine should you want to go. you will come back sick and exhausted so you may not want to work that monday. i came back with more than i left with thanks to the casino. i did keep track of what i spent and i spent under 1000. keep in mind i am not frugal mcdougal. intense partying and boozing here.

2. vegas- flew there, stayed ny ny, great time. cant talk about it. can be done under 1000 bucks. not sitting at the tables would make it under 1000. plenty to do that is free.

3. key west- drove there like morns. fly dont drive. stayed at the double tree. went fishing one day. good time. expensive though. spent a lot of time at duval st and our pool at the hotel. considerably more low key than new orleans and vegas. kind of relaxing. if your group is not into partying hard this is a good spot. under 700 bucks.

Quote :

"Maybe I just roll with the proletariat, but I would never even consider asking anyone to spend that much on a bachelor party, much less everyone attending."

lame. who would not spend at least 500 bucks to go some where for 3-4 days if they had a year to plan for it? i am glad i have friends who have jobs and like to have fun.

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 8:51 AM. Reason : ojo;l.]

5/26/2009 8:48:29 AM

thanks for all of the input.

all of the guys are 28-29 years old and have good jobs so spending $500-$600 on a 4 day vacation is not out of the question. plus, a good number of the guys who are going are spread across the country....michigan, penn., louisiana, D.C., etc...so they will be flying somewhere regardless. maybe its just me but I figure they would want to spend a little extra if they are already going to be traveling to be comfortable and have a good time. because of the expense, I am trying to plan it about one year in advance so everyone has plenty of time to plan and save.

a lot of the guys are either married or in serious relationships so while chasing tail is not going to be a huge priority, going somewhere warm with great scenery would be. boozing and sitting on a beach is probably what the majority will want to do. not many 'weekend warriors' in the bunch but going somewhere where there are options would be good. that is why Tampa is appealing.

5/26/2009 9:13:32 AM

the airport there is not bad. should not be hard to get in and get out. nor is it so small you will pay a premium to fly into it. there should be an option of off shore fishing as well from there. that would be a fun thing for all the group. if you plan right you could catch a rays game which could be fun.

there is only one season better than football season and that is bachelor party season!

5/26/2009 9:27:36 AM

i need to read better

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 10:56 AM. Reason : .]

5/26/2009 10:55:23 AM

Where are the groom and bride going for the honyemoon? If they definitely aren't doing a cruise for that, it's a possibility. Cruises are cheapest in September, about half off any other time of year. Not sure when the exact date is, but FYI on that.

Otherwise, given this is going to be treated as a vacation for all parties involved, and a bachelor party to boot, I agree with all three of stone's suggestions.

5/26/2009 5:57:35 PM

Quote :

"lame. who would not spend at least 500 bucks to go some where for 3-4 days if they had a year to plan for it? i am glad i have friends who have jobs and like to have fun."

seriously. if you don't have like 4-5 good friends that aren't down for wasting a few hundred bucks to send you off into marriage with a bash, then you have shitty/selfish friends. it's not like they don't get to enjoy the party just as much if not more than the bachelor anyway.

two fun ones i've done were atlantic city and then another that was split between nyc and foxwood's in ct. both trips were driven. first time we took two vehicles, the next time i rented a van for everyone. worked out about even by the time you figured gas on a second vehicle.

it doesn't even have to be a party place though. a lot of people would much rather do something besides the cliche bachelor party stuff. you want to appeal to everyone going, but don't forget the bachelor is the main focus. just try to go all out within your budget, and be original if you can. for example, say the bachelor likes amusement parks. go on some crazy 4 parks in 4 days road trip.

5/26/2009 11:43:16 PM

im flying to new orleans on friday for what would have been my bachelor party


now just a dude weekend 2009

haha

it's the same trip with or without the marriage

5/27/2009 1:53:53 PM

Quote :

"im flying to new orleans on friday for what would have been my bachelor party now just a dude weekend 2009 haha it's the same trip with or without the marriage"

fuc ya man. that place gave me some awesome memories. where you stayin?

5/27/2009 4:54:57 PM

i havent been since before katrina and when we went then it was always at the sonesta

this time we're staying at the Renaissance Pere Marquette

it's about 6 blocks from Pat O's, but we ended up with rooms for $99 a night...and since hotel rooms in new orleans are really just a formality, im not worried. we're actually equidistant to the heart of the quarter and Harrahs...

nice location overall

5/28/2009 11:03:47 AM