Bucks’ parties often raise expectations of wild nights out, blurring the line of legality, and risk finishing with you waking up in a trashed Las Vegas hotel room with a baby in the wardrobe and a tiger in the bedroom. But MAX STAINKAMPH says there is another way.
In an inclusive 21st century world, the old ways of bucks’ parties are falling by the wayside.
Here are some cool, new bucks’ parties ideas for you, your groomsmen and all the rest of your friends that everyone can enjoy — and you can even feel safe inviting your grandmother along, too!
Bowling: Keep it simple! A night out with the lads and ladies at the bowling alley is a safe, fun activity for the whole family, and is good for younger children or teenagers who might not be ready for the full-on nature of a traditional bucks’ party or big night out.
Golf day: Similar to bowling, a golf day — or golf weekend — could be a good way to escape from the realities of life, get out in the great outdoors and hang out with your mates.
Mini-golf day: Let’s be honest, golf kinda sucks. It takes too long, it’s too outdoors and just a bit much. However, what if I told you that you could capture the fun bits of golf (putting, hanging out with friends) without the bad bits (walking, watching your ball fly 150m in the wrong direction)? Well, do I have news for you!
Besides, you can still dress up in awful pants and all turn up in a gaudy BMW at mini-golf.
Kids’ birthday party: Re-capture the joy of being a small child for one more time before the groom is snatched away forever. Head to a Rebound or a Fun Planet, book the place out and everyone gets to be an eight-year-old for a day.
You wanna play dodgeball? Play dodgeball. Spend an hour on the arcade? You got it, kid. Want to order plates of chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs? In the words of Bob the Builder: Yes. We. Can.
Hen party: Here’s a modern twist if you still want something a bit saucy — you take the traditional hen party and just take the bridal party out and replace it with the groom’s gang. Leave everything else exactly the same — the prosecco, the charcuterie boards, the big human-sized cut-out of the groom, the scantily-clad male servers, the life drawing.
This is fun and silly for when your groom is marrying another man, and even funnier and sillier if they’re straight. Lean into the absurdity!
Tea party: Maybe the hen party is a bit too out there and racy for you — perhaps your groom would be more suited to a garden party. Dress thyself in Victorian-era hats and coat-tails, whip out the monocles and spend the afternoon in the garden drinking tea, eating cucumber sandwiches and discussing the latest revolution in France.
Then, you can put on your jackets with padded elbows and retire to the smoking room for a pipe of tobacco and a glass of cognac as you discuss the merits of Lord Pitt the Younger’s taxation proposals.
Commune with the dead through a ouija board: A bucks’ party is a chance to let loose a little, and what could be looser than communing with The Other Side? Ask a spirit to play a prank on the best man or get a poltergeist to terrorise the mother-in-law-to-be.
Make sure you don’t get too close, lest one of the groomsmen be sucked through the breach and into the realm of the undead. A trip across the River Styx the night before a wedding is bound to end in tears.
Howl at the moon: What better way to seal your brotherly bond than waiting for the full moon, stripping to the waist, covering your torso in blood and howling at the moon as you hunt the creatures of the night?
Many butchers sell blood, and some will provide you with werewolf blood if you ask nicely and get them when it’s in stock. Vampires are often in season from September through to December, while dragons migrate during autumn and make good hunting. Be careful of their claws!