Let’s start with the basics. A bachelor party is held for a man who is about to be married. The groom-to-be is referred to as the bachelor, thus the term “bachelor party.” Traditionally, these events are thrown by the best man of the husband-to-be, yet any close friend can host this event.
It may be held before the wedding day, on the weekend of the wedding or any time before. A bachelor party has no specific rules, but some well-known traditions are attached to it.
Let’s go into more detail about WHAT is a bachelor party and HOW you can throw one for your buddy!
The History of the Phrase “Bachelor Party”

The phrase “bachelor party” comes from the Latin word for “single man.” While it’s true that the term bachelor is used to describe a single male who has never been married, it is also used to describe a man who hasn’t yet reached the age of maturity. This may seem like a trivial comparison; however, some say that “marriage makes a man.”
When Do You Host a Bachelor Party?
Traditionally this type of party is held the night before the bachelor’s wedding. Originally, this tradition was the “last night of freedom” for the groom and his friends—not just the night before the wedding.
Today, bachelor parties are more commonly held any time before impending nuptials (though there are no hard and fast rules) and have become less about debauchery than they used to be.
How They Resemble Wedding Receptions
Bachelor parties today are not just a celebration of the groom’s life—it’s a celebration of both the groom and bride. The guests are people who have known the groom for a long time and likely know his family as well. They want to share this special moment with him because they love him and want him to be happy.
The bride is also given recognition during this event: it shows that she is loved by her fiancé, close friends and his family. The bride can look forward to similar celebrations after her wedding when her husband-to-be hosts parties in honor of his new wife — a practice common in parts of Europe but less so here in America.
Who Throws a Bachelor Party?
Traditionally, these events are thrown by the best man of the husband-to-be, yet any close friend can host this event. The best man is often responsible for helping with other wedding details too. If you’re considering throwing your own bachelor party or attending one as a guest, it’s important to know what they entail.
The groom should pick his best man, but if he doesn’t want to choose someone in particular, the responsibility falls to his father or another close family member (such as an uncle).
This person should be prepared to take care of all bachelor-related tasks such as booking hotels, transportation and entertainment. He may also be tasked with organizing other aspects of the ceremony itself — especially if there’s more than one wedding party member involved!
Not All Bachelor Parties Have to be Held the Night Before the Wedding
Bachelor parties can be held before the wedding, on the weekend of the wedding or any time before. While most bachelor parties are thrown by the future groom himself and his friends, some grooms choose to have it thrown by their fiancées instead.
When planning your bachelor party, ensure everyone understands what it’s about. While many people think of them as a night out at a club or bar for men to enjoy without their wives or girlfriends around, there are other ways you can celebrate your upcoming marriage with your close friends in an organized way.
A Bachelor Party Has No Specific Rules
A bachelor party is a night out or two for the groom before he gets married. It has no specific rules, but it should be fun and not too expensive. You shouldn’t do anything illegal that would embarrass the groom or make his bride uncomfortable.
Remember: A bachelor party is a way to celebrate your upcoming marriage to someone you love dearly. That said, you should always have your soon-to-be spouse at the forefront of your mind and never do anything that could potentially hurt them. Trust and honesty are the #1 key to a successful and healthy marriage
You Do Not Need to Have a Bachelor Party
As you can see, there are many reasons to have a bachelor party. They can be an incredibly fun and exciting way to hype yourself up before the big day! But remember, it’s your decision.
You don’t need to go out and get drunk at some strip club if that isn’t what you as the groom-to-be want. What matters is that you follow the groom’s wishes, even if they seem strange or unusual. You want your friend to have a memorable last night as a single man, but not at the expense of his future happiness and financial well-being.
Also, be mindful of what might make the bride uncomfortable — if she doesn’t approve of strippers, she won’t enjoy him being at a strip club any more than her husband would enjoy watching her dance on stage with someone else.
Bachelor Parties Don’t Have to Include Alcohol- It’s a personal choice!
Bachelor parties don’t have to include alcohol at all, but the groom and guests will likely engage in plenty of drinking. Bachelor parties can be held anywhere, whether at a bar, strip club or even a restaurant. They are often held at a person’s home as well.
Ideas For a Fun Bachelor Party
Planning a bachelor party is a huge responsibility and you need good bachelor party ideas. You want to make sure that it’s memorable, but you also need to ensure that everyone has fun. If your best man is getting married in Kentucky, then you don’t want him to spend his final night as a single guy watching football and drinking beer. That’s why we’ve come up with some unique bachelor party ideas.
You also shouldn’t miss these other top picks for the ultimate party ideas:
- The Best Bachelor Party Favors Your Groomsmen Will Love in 2023
- 19 Ideas for a Great Bachelor Party
- A List of the Best Bachelor Party Games
1. Tasting At a Brewery
Beer tasting at a brewery is a great way to celebrate. Why? Because it’s fun and because breweries are awesome. Breweries have tons of things to do, including:
- Beer samples! This is the obvious one. You can sample all kinds of beers they’re making in their facility (or maybe ones they’ve made in collaboration with other breweries).
- Food samples! If you plan on going out for dinner afterward, this will help your appetite. Be careful, though — you don’t want to overeat before the main event!
- Games! Some breweries have board games for customers to play while they drink beer and hang out with friends; some even have specific games designed by breweries (such as Cards Against Humanity).
- Brewery tours! A tour of any kind can be super educational and fun at the same time — it’ll give you some history about how beer was first made thousands of years ago and how it’s made today (and maybe even show off some cool equipment).
2. Axe Throwing
Axe throwing is a fun activity to do with your friends. You can do it indoors or outdoors, which means you can throw axes inside if the weather is bad — or out in the sun on a nice day.
It’s also a great activity for a bachelor party because axe throwing lends itself to breaking up tension and relieving stress before the big night starts. It’s also good for working on your hand-eye coordination!
3. Golf Sessions
Golfing is a classic bachelor party activity, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most popular events. It also is a great way for you and your friends to bond before you get married.
Plus, golfing is an activity that everyone can enjoy regardless of age or ability level; even if you’ve never picked up a club before, there are plenty of lessons available for beginners that will have you hitting balls in no time.
4. Shooting Range
This is a great idea for a bachelor party if you’re looking for something that will be fun and relaxing but also provide a bonding experience. Shooting ranges are also good ways to get rid of stress (much better than drinking alcohol), which is why it can be such an effective way to spend time with your friends before the wedding.
If you can schedule shooting range visits ahead of time, bring some extra money with you so that everyone can have enough ammunition. This way, each guest gets something out of it — not just the person paying for their own bullets!
5. Camping / Glamping Party
Camping is a great idea for your bachelor party because it’s cheap and accessible. You can rent a house or cabin or even just bring tents if you’re on a budget. Then, you could do the obvious thing: have a bonfire!
After that, why not a cookout party? Bring all your food and make some delicious steaks on the grill while drinking beer (or whatever other drinks you like)!
When it comes time for dessert? Well then, make s’mores! The best part about camping is that there are all sorts of things around which will keep you entertained: going swimming in lakes, playing Frisbee on green grassy hillsides, hiking through forests full of wildlife — but most importantly — making sure you always keep warm when night falls upon you.
6. Kentucky Derby Party
The Kentucky Derby is a popular event in the United States and abroad, with millions of people tuning in to watch this horse race each year. But you don’t have to be at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, to experience this event’s excitement and pageantry. You can host your own Kentucky Derby party with just a few simple steps!
7. Tailgating Party Night
Tailgating is a terrific way to get your friends together for a bachelor party. Whether you’re tailgating at home or at the stadium, you can serve many different types of food at your tailgate party: hot dogs and burgers, chips, chicken wings and pizza (to name just a few).
8. Casino Night
A casino night is an event where guests pay to gamble and play games of chance, like blackjack and roulette. It’s a great bachelor party theme because it involves fun, entertaining activities that your friends can enjoy while they get drunk. When planning your bachelor party, make sure that there are plenty of places for people to sit down or relax between gambling rounds.
It’s also important that you have enough chairs so that everyone can comfortably watch the game at once without having to stand up or sit on the floor (unless they want to).
That said, if you have space constraints — say, if you are planning your bachelor party in someone’s home — then make sure there’s enough room for everyone who wants to play before setting up tables with chairs around them!
Bachelor Party Gifts
If you’re planning a bachelor party, you’re probably also looking for some great gifts. Well, you’ve come to the right place! We have compiled a list of the best gifts for a bachelor party that will be sure to impress your groomsmen and make your event even more memorable.
Personalized Flask
A flask is a perfect gift for a bachelor party. It’s not just a great way to keep the party going — it’s also a great way to commemorate the event and create lasting memories. And with customized flasks, there are no limits on what you can say!
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An Engraved Bottle Opener
If you’re looking for a gift for your buddy who will soon be married and ready to settle down (and maybe even have children), this bottle opener engraved with his initials could be an ideal choice. It will remind him of when he was free from responsibility and could enjoy himself however he wanted.
This would make an excellent gift because it can be personalized to include the groom’s name and date of birth/marriage date or anniversary date. At the same time, it doesn’t need too much thought put into choosing one specific thing over another because so many designs are already available online!
- Trustworthy and Serviceable: mainly made of stainless steel, the beer bottle opener is long lasting for wear resistance and color fastness; You can engrave on it and experience the fun of DIY, you can create your own design and make your item truly one of a kind
- Trustworthy and Serviceable: mainly made of stainless steel, the beer bottle opener is long lasting for wear resistance and color fastness; you can sublimation carving on it and experience the fun of DIY, you can create your own design and make your item truly one-of-a-kind
- Easy to Store: the handle of this steel bottle opener has a round hole for easy hanging, and it can also be applied as a key ring to hang your keys on it, bringing much convenience for you
Boxer Shorts with the Bride’s Face on Them
The gift should be something that the bachelor will actually use. Something like boxer shorts with the bride’s face on them is a big hit! Make sure they are not too risqué though, or she might be offended. Also, make sure they are not too small, or he may feel uncomfortable wearing them, which could cause tension between him and his bride-to-be. You don’t want to upset anyone right now — this is supposed to be fun!
A Wooden Travel Case Full of Cigars
If your friend is a cigar connoisseur, there’s no better gift than a wooden travel case full of cigars. The best part about this gift is that it’s practical for anyone who enjoys cigars: it keeps them fresh and properly humidified so he can enjoy them for years to come. Plus, if he doesn’t already have one, he’ll need something to cut up those stogies before smoking them. You can also include lighter accessories like flint or matches to help get things started with his new smokes!
The Dos and Don’ts of the Bachelor’s Party
There are various ways to throw a bachelor party ranging from fancy five-star dinners to a Texas Hold’em weekend at the casino.
However, despite your party taste, there are a few essential tips and advice worth adhering to. These bachelor parties can make or break the celebration – and even the groom if you’re not careful.
The Dos :
- If your friend’s group always hangs out at a particular restaurant or bar, it is advisable not to host the bachelor’s party there. Instead, take the groom and the party somewhere totally different but still a good spot.
Whether the groom likes to show it or not, this party is important to him. Therefore, why not give him the best? Go all the way out to make the entire party a success, so there will be no regrets about that night years later.
- To get the best results of things, one needs to plan way ahead of the D-day. It makes no sense to try to hold a bachelor’s party just three days before the wedding. This is because there are lots of things that can go wrong due to improper planning.
Therefore, endure to start planning for the party as early as you can, especially when some of the guys will be traveling in for the occasion.
- Regardless of all the funds, excitement, and planning that go into having the best bachelor’s party, the most crucial thing of the day is to have fun. Remember that, at that party, all your closest friends are celebrating this important moment in the groom’s life.
Hence, no matter the craziness that may or may not be happening, don’t lose sight of such an amazing moment. Also, always remember that in life, it’s not what you do or where you are, it is who you are with (friends) that matters at the end of the day.
The Don’ts:
- Regardless of how open-handed the groom may be, never let him pay for anything for and during his bachelor’s party.
Know that this is his last night with you as a single man before he ties the knot, so it’s your responsibility to take good care of him and make his night memorable. But there can be exceptions if the celebration will go on for a longer time.
- When it comes to bachelor parties, no one is allowed to be tired, especially on trips to cities like Las Vegas. Las Vegas is well-known for its energetic nights, and yes, there’s no need for any illegal stuff to be done to feel frisky. You guys can do other simple things and enjoy the party. So ensure everyone takes their coffee and is ready to party!
- Finally, remember that your friend (the groom) is getting married the next day to the love of his life, so don’t let him get out of control during and after the bachelor’s party. As his best man and friend, you must ensure that he’s well-behaved throughout the party and ready the next day for his wedding.
The Take-Away on What is a Bachelor Party
Bachelor parties are a great way to celebrate the end of an era and can be a lot of fun. If you’re getting married in two weeks and you have a bunch of friends who aren’t busy doing other things on Friday night, why not throw them a bachelor party?
If you want to make sure that your bachelor party is memorable and unique, then it’s important to consider what kind of activities you’d like to do at the event. Some people prefer going out for dinner or watching movies together to drinking.
In conclusion, a bachelor party is a fantastic way to celebrate your last night of freedom and have fun with your friends. You can invite whoever you want, spend the night drinking and partying or just sit around and talk about life. It’s all up to you!

Serena & Dominic are a married couple and parents to 3 wonderful children. They plan weddings, run multiple small businesses, and curate wedding events.
By giving you everything you need to make your dream wedding attainable, you can eliminate stress, get the ‘wedding glow,’ and focus on spending this rocking day with the person you adore. Discover their podcast for more information
Last update on 2025-02-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API