The brains behind thousands of epic stag and hen dos has dropped a major tip for keeping those wild nights memorable.
Having kicked off Last Night of Freedom back in 1999, way before the social media frenzy and camera phones invaded our lives, Matt Mavir has built his Newcastle venture into an international heavyweight, clocking in over 50,000 pre-wedding bashes.
But as times have evolved, so has the difficulty in truly enjoying those last moments of singledom, with social media making it tough for folks to really soak in the vibe.
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Matt emphasises that the key to an ultra-special bash is going old school: “Often the best way of making these one-off events special is to strip away all the distractions and go back to basics – you and your mates together for one last adventure.”
(Image: SWNS)
Reflecting on the days when mobiles weren’t glued to hands at parties, he added: “When I first started organising these dos you didn’t really have camera phones and everyone joined in much more than some do nowadays.”
“You were almost forced to socialise with people on the stag and hen do who you may not know without retreating onto your phone. I tell the people on these events that it’s a lot of money being spent on a memorable few days and you’ve to be present for every moment. I always think it’s a pity when pictures and videos of stag and hen dos are posted online or – even worse – live-streamed.”
“By all means take a camera along and decide on an emergency meet-up point if anyone gets lost but the best man or woman must make sure no one gets lost.”
Fancy organising a raucous pre-wedding bash?
Here’s the Last Night of Freedom’s official list of Stag Dos and Don’ts to keep your party from going off the rails.
DO:
1. Do have a theme. A bit of fancy dress never fails as an ice-breaker especially if there are people who know the soon-to-be wed but not each other.
3. Do try at least one sober activity. Switch it up a bit. Maybe throw in a cookery or handicraft lesson for good measure – it’s surprising what you’ll enjoy.
4. Do give your merry band an itinerary of times, places, and dress codes, plus a ‘Missing In Action’ plan (emergency rendezvous spot).
5. Do tuck into a greasy fry-up and have a final banter session with the group before everyone heads back to normality.
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DON’T:
1. Ditch the phones. Snap away with a camera instead and share the memories after.
2. Don’t abandon your mates. Stick together and make sure no one gets left behind.
3. Keep it classy and don’t ruffle feathers – respect the locals and fellow party-goers whether on flights, in pubs or anywhere else.
4. Avoid peaking too soon. If it’s a multi-night affair, pace yourselves – you want to remember at least parts of the weekend!
5. And definitely don’t have it the night before the wedding. You don’t want the bride or groom keeling over at the altar. Plan it for a few weeks prior and save the hangover for after ‘I do’.