How To Plan The Best Bachelor Party & Ideas To Get You Started

The time has come to plan the most important of wedding events: the bachelor party. As the best man, you’ve been entrusted to put together a party that will live up to the groom’s expectations. So where do you start?

If you’re scratching your head because you’ve never done this before, don’t worry. We’ve put together a guide to help you plan a killer party. Not only that, but we’ve also included some bachelor party ideas that have every other guy asking you to plan theirs.

How to Plan a Bachelor Party

As you might imagine, you need to take care of the logistics before anything else.

1. Pick a Time & Place

First thing’s first: choose a weekend and a destination.

At first glance, this might seem simple, but there are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

The first is that you should steer clear of holiday weekends. Your guests will not appreciate being made to attend a bachelor party on a holiday weekend for which they already may have plans. Choosing a holiday weekend could greatly affect the number of attendees. You’ve been warned.

 

The second is the bachelor party’s proximity to the wedding. If there are a lot of groomsmen attending the wedding from out of state, it may be a good idea to plan to celebrate the bachelor party a few days before the wedding.

And the last is how far, if at all, you want to travel. Keep in mind that requiring groomsmen to travel may significantly reduce the number of people who actually attend, but destination bachelor parties are probably the most fun. Your call.

2. Get a Place to Stay

Once you’ve got the date and general location nailed down, you need to figure out accommodation. The question here is whether to book a hotel or rent a house.

Each option has its pros and cons. With hotels, you’re usually within walking distance to bars and restaurants, you have access to a pool, and the ability to disconnect a bit from the party if need be (never a bad thing).

 

A house often means a private pool, ample cooking opportunities (did somebody say barbecue?), and a more intimate party vibe. 

This question will often be decided by your location, as rural areas will have more private house options and cities cater more toward hotels, but it’s good to think about which you prefer.

3. Create a Guest List

Creating a guest list is all about finding that sweet spot with the number of invitees.

If you plan to rent a house and mostly stay there, you can confidently invite a large number of guests. Since having a kitchen means opportunities to barbecue and cook, you won’t be limited in choosing restaurants that can accommodate large groups.

But if the groom wants a city vibe, consider keeping the party list at or around ten. Moving around with a large group starts to get unwieldy, and it’s easier to plan for fewer people.

4. Come up with a Killer Plan

You’ve got the date nailed down, an excellent place to stay, and the party attendees confirmed. Now comes the time to come up with some bachelor party ideas to get the good times rolling.

We recommend creating a general outline of what you want the party festivities to entail and planning for things like food, drink, and costumes.

While nobody wants to feel like they’ve got to follow a party itinerary, it’s good to have a general idea of what you want to do—especially if you’re going to see a show or do some kind organized activity.

 

Fun Bachelor Party Ideas

Speaking of activities, cool activities are the bread and butter to a weekend everyone will remember. The best bachelor party ideas are the ones that bring everybody together and allow for maximum enjoyment. Don’t plan to wing it when you get there because your party’s potential to be boring increases drastically.

Not sure where to start? Here are some good bachelor party ideas to get you started.

Pick A Theme

Bachelor party themes are a must. We recommend starting your activity planning by choosing a theme, as this will focus the rest of your party decisions.

Some funny bachelor party theme ideas we love are:

• Scavenger hunt, where the idea is to have party guests search for things in the place you’re in and move around quite a bit—great for cities
• Groom’s choice, where everything at the party centers on all of the groom’s favorite things: food, drink, color, sports team, etc. 
• A game show, where you create a game based on trivia about the groom
• Bar crawl, where … do we need to explain it?
• Gambling; best to get the majority of this done early in the night! But it’s always great to close out the night with a game of poker with the boys.

Let your imagination run wild here—the more creative the idea, the better. 

Go on a Cruise

Hitting the high seas is one of those cool bachelor party ideas that no one considers because it just seems too expensive but hear us out.

If you live near a coast, chances are there’s a weekend cruise option near you. The beauty in this type of bachelor party is that while the price might seem a little higher, your cruise fee generally pays for all of your entertainment and food.

And let’s be real here—is there a more epic setting for a bachelor party than a cruise? Not only are you at sea, but you’re also surrounded by a bunch of other people whose only goal is to have a good time. Sounds like a recipe for fun.   

Rent a Killer Place

The typical bachelor party destination cities like Vegas, Austin, New Orleans, and Miami are classics for a reason, but if you want to stay closer to home, renting a killer place is a great way to get away from it all with your guys.

What do we mean by “killer place”? We’re talking about some place you won’t want to leave, which is the point because you will stage the bachelor party there. Think a big house with a pool and Jacuzzi, a barbecue, and if you can swing it, it should be by the beach or have excellent mountain views.

This criterion is not strict, but it’ll help guide your search. You want the party guests to say “wow!” when they arrive.

Go Whiskey Tasting

Is the groom a whiskey fanatic? For some reason, whiskey tasting isn’t among the most popular ideas for bachelor parties, and we don’t know why. If there’s a whiskey distillery near you, gathering the gang to taste whiskey is a great bachelor party idea.

And if there isn’t, consider hosting a whiskey tasting yourself where each guest brings a bottle of whiskey. If you go this route, we recommend getting some personalized whiskey glasses for each person. These make an awesome party favor!

Pro Tip: Not everyone is a super whiskey drinking pro, so if you’re a beginner, check out our guide to drinking whiskey like a boss.

Learn a New Skill

Bachelor parties don’t have to be all strippers and drinking (though if that’s your thing, no judgment). Taking time to learn a new skill with your buddies is one of those underrated but good bachelor party ideas.

We’re talking something like a sushi-making lesson, rock climbing session, or even some axe-throwing. Think something that most people don’t know how to do so that you and your wedding crew can become experts.

Get Your Adrenaline Pumping

Bungee jumping. Skydiving. If your group is filled with adrenaline junkies who have the money to spend on these slightly expensive activities, these are two awesome bachelor party ideas that pack a lot of punch.

A thrill-seeking activity, while not one of the more common things to do for a bachelor party, can be highly memorable. There’s no better moment to jump out of a plane than when you’re surrounded by your closest friends.

Team Building Activities

If skydiving or bungee jumping is a little too much of an adrenaline pump, team-building activities make unique bachelor party ideas that will still get your beating fast. Things like a rope course, laser tag, or go-karting are fun ways to bring everyone together and even foster some competitive spirit amongst party-goers.

Now That You Know How to Plan A Bachelor Party …

It’s time to start thinking about gifts.

That’s right, as best man, you may be tasked with helping the groom find appropriate gifts for the groomsmen. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of the top five groomsmen gifts, as well as a guide to practical groomsmen gifts.

And what about the groom?

Are you looking to get the groom a special something that he’ll cherish forever? Think about getting him a gift from Swanky Badger. From personalized watches to beautiful phone cases, we make gifts he’ll be proud to display.