Hen Do's and Stag Do's
Weddings are one of the great family and friend festivities in our lives! I haven't been to many but the few I've attended have been unforgettably fantastic!
What are the customs and rituals in your country? Does the bride and groom have their own individual party like in England?
In England we have what is called a stag party or stag do for men. This is a kind of send off party or a bid farewell to singlehood...
The general aim of the stag party is to have fun, get drunk, annoy the bride, get the groom in as many precarious situations as possible, inflict embarrassment on the groom-to-be and perhaps have a few interesting stories to tell the grandkids
Normally the best man plays a pivotal role in organising the debauchery, and gladly so! These alcohol fuelled events have become the norm with destinations like Prague and Tallinn being two of the most popular with the English.
The bride-to-be on the other hand has her own send off. We call this a hen party, and these have become as legendary and as messy as stag parties. Hen parties, I would say, often start off much more civilised, with the maid of honour arranging a sober-ish day trip or visit to a spa for example.
The outcome of these generally end the same way though. Pictures that need to be kept hidden, empty wallets and purses in addition to horrendous hang overs the day after.
Historically these parties took place the day and night before, but to ensure both the stag and hen arrive on time and in one piece, these have been pushed back to weeks or even months before the magical day.
The wedding itself is generally a lot more tame, the main issue being the father of the bride's bank account afterwards.
Common practice in England is for the best man, groom and father of the bride all to make speaches. This leads to laughter (fake laughter in some cases) followed by the universally typical drunken dancing and bloatedness....
The average in England spent on weddings nowadays is £17,000 plus, and this, in my humble opinion, is a ridiculous extravagance. I'd much prefer to spend a tenth of that on a memorable trip to Las Vegas with my wife-to-be....that is perhaps why I've never been married, however.
