Stag and hen nights - pushing the boat out
Traditionally in the UK, the night before a man’s wedding was known as his “stag night” – his last night of freedom before being joined for life in matrimony to his bride. The stag night was generally a night of drinking, the bridegroom having a good night out with his male friends. Sometimes things went a bit over the top, with the oft repeated urban legend of the rather drunk young man being stripped stark naked and put on the night train to Edinburgh by his rather over-enthusiastically mischievous mates. Quite how he ever made it back home in time for the wedding, I am not sure.
It was probably shenanigans such as this that led to the stag party now being more commonly held a week or so before the actual wedding itself, to avoid the risk of the groom not turning up to the altar at all due to his friends’ perhaps misguided jokes.
In modern times it has also been the fashion for the bride to have a night out with her friends, again with much convivial revelry.
Stag and hen parties have now become so major, that people are now turning them into full weekend parties, often taking place in locations specially chosen for the event, such as a major city, or resort. A number of companies, such as The Stag and Hen Company, offer packages which can include costumes, champagne, meals, visits to nightclubs and so on. Other companies offer trips to Eastern Europe where the revellers may avail themselves of the cheap beer.
Needless to say, some couples decide that they will forego the whole stag/hen thing altogether, deciding that it is one extra expense that they don’t need, and one hangover less at an important time of their lives.
Filed under: Pre-wedding events
