If you’ve been given the mighty Best Man chalice then chances are you want to organise a fantastic, memorable stag do for your best friend- an event with the suaveness of 007, the mightiness of Mike Tyson and the excitement of Die Hard.

The traditional stag do shenanigans might not quite make the cut which is why it’s time to look to more unusual options that’ll give your night the edge over all other stag nights.

We’ve done the stag homework for you and created a nifty checklist to help you give extra kudos to the weekend and make it different from the usual prank-fuelled, stag tomfoolery….

Tip one: Pick an unusual destination

A great first step is picking the destination for your weekend. Although places like London, Edinburgh and Cardiff are popular destinations, why not make it a bit different from the norm and choose an unusual location. Reykjavik’s a little known gem in the world of stag do’s, with great snow activities alongside the relaxing Blue Lagoon. A bit closer to home Galway’s also a lot of fun, with first rate activities and a lively atmosphere.

Tip two: Fill your weekend with unusual activities

Although traditional stag lore says you should spend the weekend on a 24-hour bar-crawl interspersed with fast food, why not make it an event to remember with activities that the boys have never tried before? A medieval banquet adds an unusual touch to dinner, with a delicious 3-course meal consisting of medieval-style food and old-fashioned servers. Other unusual ideas include chess boxing, blo karting or human table football.

Tip three: Decide on a date

Although stag weekends are traditionally over the main summer months why not go at a more unusual time of the year; spring and autumn usually have pleasant weather and it often works out cheaper having your celebrations during these seasons. Make sure you find out when everyone can go though, and once you have a good idea of how many people can make a particular date make your preliminary booking (you can always add people later on.)

Tip four: Manage the financials

Make your stag do different from the numbers of men before you who’ve ended up losing their money and spending the night at the local chippy. Book with a credible, financially protected company so that when it comes to getting the money off your mates you can assure them completely that it’s safe and secure. When keeping track of who has paid you should create a simple spreadsheet with each guests name and how much they have left to pay. If some guests are being slow paying then book without them at this stage.

Tip five: Have a fantastic time!

Make sure everyone, particularly the stag, has a fantastic time! No doubt he’s under a lot of stress with trying to organise the upcoming wedding so give him a stag night to remember, a night that will lift all his worries and make all his stag dreams come true!

This is a guest post by Gen from leading stag do organisers StagWeb. StagWeb are fully ABTA bonded and have hundreds of stag do ideas to help create the ultimate event.

Whether you’re the Maid of Honour wanting to create the best hen do ever, or the bride-to-be trying to organise all of your friends, approaching the pre-nuptial partying can be a little bit daunting. The best thing to do is to get yourself into gear and remember that planning the hen party is an honour and that you will reap the benefit when you’re celebrating with the girls! It’s a great opportunity to do something special and get together with your favourite females to make some fun-packed memories. To help you along on this path to riches and hen glory we’ve written some guidelines which should help to make the whole weekend dazzle!

Pick a date:

Staying in the UK for your hen party doesn’t involve as much organisation as attempting to get all the girls abroad, so there’s a chance for a mini celebratory wave right there. Picking a date is therefore marginally easier because it won’t depend on flights. Factor in all your plans for the next few months and talk it through with the girls to find a date that suits everyone. There’s plenty of options for hen parties no matter what the month is so if you’re planning a hen party during an unusual time don’t worry! Although summer offers plenty of beach destinations like Brighton, The Isle of Wight, Torquay and Portsmouth, in winter there’s a chance to explore a whole host of great hen party indoor activities in places like London,Edinburgh and Limerick.

Pick a destination:

The earlier in the planning process you decide the destination the better, so that you can make sure your favourite activities are available. It’d be a tragedy to find out that the hen party Boogie Bus isn’t free on your special night, so be sure to book well in advance! To help you out, the top UK hen party destinations at the moment are: London, Bath, Nottingham, Brighton and Bournemouth. These are all wonderful choices, but there are many more, so do some hunting around.

Decide who’s coming:

And for that matter decide who’s going to be maid-of-honour if you haven’t already! List your friends, then narrow it down to your best girl friends, and include any female family members who ought to be invited. Make some nice invitations, or create an event on Facebook, and don’t be put out if a few people can’t make it.

Sort the finances:

If you’re staying overnight in one of the UK’s great cities then chances are you’ll have to pay in advance for a hotel, as well as paying for the activities when you’re there. Make everyone aware in advance of the cost per person and the sooner they can get the money to you the sooner you’ll be stress-free! Also be sure to keep track of everyone’s money and who’s-paid-what.

Have a great time!

The best piece of advice is to relax and have an amazing time with the girls! Go to a fabulous location, book some wonderful activities and fill the hen do with giggles and memories!

This article was written by Genevieve who is Content Editor at GoHen, leading hen party organisers. Find over 66 hen party destinations and hundreds of amazing activities at their website here: www.gohen.com