The wedding preparations are done, the cake is ordered, but now you or your best man/maid of honor still want to organize a bachelor party. There are all kinds of things to consider here – we have put together a checklist for you.
Step 1 – Guest list
Depending on what you have in mind for your bachelorette party, the guest list will naturally vary. However, one should keep three things in mind.
- Who would I like to have with me?
- What is my maximum for the guest list?
- What should the whole thing cost and how long should it take?
Bachelor and bachelorette parties traditionally come with an all-male or all-female guest list, but who’s going to quibble? Priority is – invite who you want to celebrate with. At the bachelor party for couples (link follows) this is of course even easier.
At the very traditional polterabend, the whole village community came together anyway to wish the bride and groom good luck for the wedding the next day.
It’s best to first think about WHO you want to celebrate with and then think about the activities.
Step 2 – Send out invitations
The tricky part of such celebrations is always the overlap of “who can do what, when and for how long”. The perfect date usually doesn’t exist – but if you get it right, finding something good becomes a lot easier. Little gimmicks like Doodle can make things a lot easier – enter possible dates, inform guest list via email, wait until everyone has signed up to the list, and you have a good idea of when would be a good date for the bachelor party.
Alternatively, of course, you can just set one and who can.
For how to design the invitations themselves, of course, there are no specifications. Unlike the wedding, here you do not have to follow any greeting card protocol. Facebook, a Whatsapp group, a circular email, by phone, whatever suits you. However, make sure you keep a good track of who is accepting and cancelling – especially if you need to book activities.
Step 3 – Plan activities
Now is the time to start thinking about what all you want to do. Do you want to start at a bar, or would you rather play some pre-gaming drinking games at home? Should there be a motto or will everything remain civil? And most importantly – do you have to book anything?
If you’re still undecided about activities, we have tips for bachelors, bachelorettes and couples.
Step 4 – Who pays?
What many often forget in the preparations for the bachelor party is to clarify the finances. Who pays what? Is everyone the architect of his own fortune? Do the groomsmen invite you to the party? Think beforehand about the financial situation of the bachelor party and clarify this with your guests to avoid unpleasant surprises.
We personally recommend the Splitwise app, available for both Android and iOS. Splitwise is our favorite app for keeping track of shared expenses, joint bills, etc.
For more tips on budgeting for your bachelorette party, just check here.
Step 5 – Reservations
Once you know what all you want in the program, it’s time to start thinking about reservations. Activities like bar visits are of course easy to do on the spur of the moment, but those aiming for something more elaborate like an Escape the Room game, a wine tasting or even a trip abroad should make reservations well in advance.
For this, of course, it is important that you know quickly who is coming. So the more ambitious your plans are, the earlier you should start planning. Especially when traveling – the earlier flights or train rides are booked, the cheaper it gets.
Step 6 -Organize transportation for the bachelor party
Typically, alcohol flows at a bachelorette party – and that means unless you want to condemn some poor bastard (or several) to sobriety, you’ll want to figure out in advance who’s coming where and when.
During a bar tour in Vienna’s city center, this problem is of course easily solved thanks to the public transport system. But if you have something crazier in mind, you should think about the transport beforehand. The early booking bonus with ÖBB for a train to Prague, for example, already pays off. Some polter packages offer transportation right away – either way, consider ahead of time if you will need a shuttle service, or if transportation of some other kind will need to be booked.
Step 7 – Accessories and shopping
If you’re aiming for a specific theme or want to put the bride/groom in a pretty costume, or if you want some fun gifts or goodie bags for the attendees, now is a good time to think about it. Party decorations* or other odds and ends* can add that special touch to the bachelorette party.
Step 8 – Celebrate
The hurdles have been overcome, you’ve somehow managed to get (almost) everyone to show up and transportation is also organized? Then there’s only one thing left to do – party till you drop. Have fun!
