Good Ideas for a Bachelor’s Party

The traditional bachelor’s party includes lots of drinking and girls. Why not change this up and throw your best mate a party that impress him and be something to remember, rather than something he could NOT remember even if he tried……

Here are two ideas for bachelor’s parties that are bound to work.

1. Adventure Sports

This could be is a bit expensive, but is ideal for a small group of really good friends. There is nothing like taking the leap, OUT OF A AIRPLANE, just before you take the leap into married life. A weekend away in the Drakensberg with the boys is also really good bonding. There are so many options within adventure sports that is bound to be loads of fun.

2. Tool Party

This is more in the form of a party, and you can improvise to suit the bachelor’s taste. WHY SHOULD THE BRIDE BE THE ONLY ONE TO GET ALL THE PRESENTS :-) LOL. The idea is that all the gents invited to the tool party and they bring a tool wrapped in newspaper. The groom is given a few seconds to guess what the tool is by a quick feel and he needs to name the tool and describe what its used for.. OTHERWISE……. What’s good about this is that his mates give him tools to start of his marriage, and we all need tools!!!!

Groom’s Speech Guideline

The idea of the Groom’s speech is to ensure that he thanks all the necessary people on behalf of the couple.

A good tip, that always works is to address the guests on behalf of you and “your wife” it is bound to get a reaction…..

Here is who you would need to thank, use your discretion and omit where necessary – there is nothing worse than a long, boring speech by the groom.

1. Start off by thanking the venue and services i.e. caterers, marriage officer, singers etc.
2. Thank the people that have travelled distances to be at your wedding
3. Thank the retinue and your best man
4. The bride’s family with special attention to the parents, and the father-of-the-bride for his speech
5. Thank your family with special attention to your parents
6. Lastly, but most importantly, you address your wife – and this needs to be special, it makes the guests feel that it was worth the wait!!!

Check out the sequence of speeches in my section on “Ideas and Advice”

What is a Rehearsal Dinner?

In the days before your wedding it is good practice to run through the events at the ceremony with everyone involved. It is typical that you arrange with the establishment where the ceremony takes place that you have a slot for a rehearsal. Run through the detail of what will happen when so that the retinue feel comfortable on the day of the wedding.

The Rehearsal Dinner typically takes place after the rehearsal. This is a great opportunity for the two families to get to know each other as well as for the people directly involved to feel part of the wedding on a more social level.

It is the perfect opportunity for the groom to thank eveyone who helped with the wedding preparations.

Who is invited?

As a start the Bride and Groom's immediate family are invited. You would also invite the marriage officer, the retinue, and anyone directly involved at the ceremony i.e. singers, musicians, special guests etc. We found it useful to invite the photographer for two reasons, i) he/she get's an intimitate take on the important people to focus on at the wedding, the families get to meet and socialise with him/her and this makes photos on the wedding day much more relaxed and ii) you get some really good photos of the people closest to you at the dinner.

Who is responsible for the Rehearsal Dinner?

Traditionally the Groom is responsible for the costs of the dinner and it is the Groom's mother that hosts the event. The invitation comes from the Groom and is best formally printed and handed to the guests. The costs could really be kept to a minimum for this, remember its more a gesture than an event. You do not want the added stress of arranging a rehearsal dinner before your wedding.

What happens at the Rehearsal Dinner?

In my opinion the dinner should be kept as informal as possible so that people get to know each other. Its the Bride and Groom's opportunity to hand over thank you gifts to all attending and for the couple to thank the people who helped. I have seen dinners where the blessings are spoken over the couple by the guests attending and where the families share in Holy Communion, and this is usually very special for the family.

 Where does the Rehearsal Dinner take place?

I've attended rehearsal dinners at quaint restuarants close to where the ceremony takes place, to the house of the Groom's mother - which is in my opinion the best place to host it. The atmosphere is what you create and the laid back relaxed atmosphere is always the best in lieu of the big day. It entirely depends on the host where the dinner is, and I always say if there is money to spend - SPEND IT!!!!!!

 HAVE FUN MAKING THE DECISIONS!!!!!

  Consideration 1 - Do you keep it all a secret and surpise her?

This is the first decision you need to make, either on your own or together. Is she the type of woman that would like to be surprised, or is it best that the two of you sit down together and decide where you are going?

The element of the unknown and surprise is always romantic, but will pose problems. If you decide to travel oversees, VISAs and applications will require the bride's signature so she'll inevitably find out that you plan to cross the South African border....

If you stay within the borders of our beautiful country, the element of surprise is ESSENTIAL, and lots of foreigners flock to our shores for amazing honeymoons.

Consideration 2 - Budget

This is a major part of of the honeymoon equation! Your budget will determine and narrow your options down to what is realtistic. So before you or your fiance start dreaming of the beaches in Cancun Mexico , I suggest you decide on what you want to spend first, as the beaches of Bloubergstrand Cape Town might be what you can afford.

Traditionally the groom pays for the honeymoon, but its becoming more common for the wedding expenses to be split between the couple. A honeymoon of about 8 days will start at anywhere from R10 000 up. Remember that the accomodation needs to be nice, as this is where you'll be spending most of your time, and for decent accomodation you need to pay a bit more than the usual vacation at the coast.......

When considering an oversees honeymoon do not forget to take into account the cost of visas, passports(if you don't have one), transfer flights, taxis etc as these can contribute quite a bit. I find it easiest to arrange oversees travel through a reputable travel agent as its sorts out all the fuss.

Conderation 3 - Weather Conditions

Once you've decided on your budget, you need to consider weather! Strange to think of this, but if you are getting married in December in Cape Town because of the really good weather, your options for a honeymoon (depending on what you want to do) will reduce as December in the Northern Hemisphere is COLD! So Europe becomes less of a honeymoon destination and a boat cruise to the Greek islands is not an option since its closed for the winter.

This is not normally taken into account when deciding on a wedding date, but your wedding date has a HUGE influence on your honeymoon plans.

You need to decide whether snuggling up at a Ski resort in Europe is a preference to laying on the Copacabana in Rio.

Consideration 4 - Location, Location, Location!!!

Based on your budget and your idea of what the honeymoon should be, you can narrow down your options to the locations that suit your needs.

For oversees travel, Cancun Mexico, Rio, Tahiti and St Barts are great beach destinations. Whereas, Venice, France, Bavaria and Italy are stunning romatic destinations. You might opt for something more cultural like Spain, the Czech Republic or Turkey, but it all depends on what you enjoy as a couple.

There are always many GREAT local options!

Consideration 5 - What to do? :-)

You need to take into to account that you will have the occational need to go out and see the place you have decided to honeymoon in, so take into account your interests and needs. Opera and museums vs laying in the sun.

You will be spending lots of money on the honeymoon make sure that it will suit your expectations.