God I feel awful. I woke up last night and found myself chained to a lamp-post naked from the waist down. It turns out that whilst Donald Duck pulls off this look well it’s less popular with passing grannies and, sadly, police officers. Worse still I boasted a monster hangover and the prison offered little facility for tea or bacon sandwiches.
Fortunately, as I turned to find a leprechaun, a giraffe and Piers Morgan in the cell next to me I realised that this was, upon reflection, probably just a nightmare. However with my wedding drawing ever nearer and my best-man asking me for my mates email addresses I fear it could become all too close to reality. I can only hope that naming my brother as best-man will encourage those natural big-brotherly protective tendencies… yeah right!
Anyway, the stag (and Hen) parties may be the ultimate last wild night out but, in a world where the stag is usually no longer the night before the wedding, where it’s increasingly common to have a female “best man” and where guys and girls friends circles are more mixed than ever before should the traditional stag and hen parties be discarded in favour of the new generation of so called ‘Hag’ parties: a joint and generally slightly less raucous celebration?
Let’s find out!
In the Red wine corner, calmly suggesting a joint meal with friends and a few drinks, she won the competition to create a toilet paper veil at the last Hen Party she attended (whilst wearing a cat mask!), it’s Dom “The Tog” Shaw.
In the golden beer corner, downing his pint ready for a night on the tiles (and hoping to avoid a real fight!), his last stag party involved going shooting – a brilliant activity but a seemingly strange thing to allow a large group of “stags’ to do on a day in which it’s almost mandatory to be completely bladdered! It’s Matt “The Gormless” Groom
Stags and Hens, it’s time to lock horns and… beaks?
FIGHT!
Matt – The Stag and Hen parties are that last big singleton send-off. Doing it jointly surely destroys the whole point!
Dom – But most couples share the same friends: male and female, and I for one have just as many male friends as female. Isn’t it more fun to have a night out with ALL your friends rather than just half?
M – Taking those vows means taking on a new level of responsibility and the end of those crazy drunken lads nights out – on your last night of freedom you want to do it in style!
D – But you haven’t really gone for big “lads nights” for years – when you do go out you go with all your friends male and female alike – the reason is surely that that’s what you find more fun!
M – The stag party is all about those macho lads activities – paint-balling, go-karting, shooting, assault courses – no girls allowed! I thought the girls expected a bit of pampering on the Hen weekend, not being coated head to toe in mud and sweat!
D – OI! Sexist! If you read Wednesdays guest post you’ll know that the girls are just as capable as the guys at all those macho activities and the Hen party can be just as wild as any stag! And we all the know some of the guys secretly want to sneak off for a nice facial! But if the guys and girls want to separate for various activities during the day then that’s fine too! Lots of Hag dos start separate and join up for a meal and drinks in the evening.
M – The Stag party is the last chance for the Groom to still be remembered as “one of the lads” before he becomes known as “collared” and “under the thumb!” Partying with the future wife does your street cred no favours – particularly when on best behaviour in front of the Mrs!
D – People are tending to get married later in life than they used to and a lot of the people coming to the stag or hen parties will themselves be married or in a long-term relationship. They themselves may want to bring their partners and have a night out together – particularly when going for the big hag do abroad!
M – The stag isn’t just for the Groom, I can’t believe I’m saying this but the lads look forward to it as the chance to play a few pranks on the groom and make him look an idiot. It’s one of those guy things that tends to get toned down with ladies present!
D – Hey that’s not a lads thing – if you’d ever been to a Hen party you’d know this is just as common amongst the ladies! But it’s equally good fun to make the couple look like idiots together, and sharing the embarrassment makes it all a little more tolerable!
M – Surely you girls want to get together and do all that girly stuff… pillow-fights in your underwear for example?!
D – Yeah I’m afraid that actually is just in your dreams! Anyway I’m a bit of a tom-boy really, I don’t want the traditional pink handbags, ‘bride-to-be’ sash and girly activities… going out with the lads is much more appealing!
FINAL REMARKS
M – Dom, you really don’t want to see me as drunk as I know the boys plan on getting me! You may not want to marry me any more!
D – I’ve seen you when you have “flu”… if I still want to marry you after that pitiful display I think we can survive anything!
So, if you’re still sober enough to be reading then firstly you’re doing this whole Stag/Hen/Hag thing wrong and secondly we’d love to hear from you! Stag or Hag? Which way will you be going? If you have an opinion then let us know via our comments section below! Or if you’ve already had your bachelor(ette) event we’d love to hear what you got up-to!
