Stag Night UK

Best Man Tasks at the Wedding

It is always an honour to be asked to be a best man whether it be by a friend or close relative. the down side is that it is quite terrifying when the realisation hits you that you have a responsible job to do to ensure your best mates day is the best ever and goes without a hitch– no pressure! Because you know what will happen if something goes wrong on the biggest day of his life? You will never be able to foregt the calamity as your so called friends will keep reminding you for the rest of your life!

The best man is usually chief attendant of the groom at the wedding. This job is typically given to the groom’s best friend, brother, close family or the friend.

Although difficult to generalise there are common wedding duties the best man has to perform. These can include some or all of the list below:

1.Stag weekend and stag night organising

2.Getting the bridegroom to the wedding in one piece and on time

3.Involvement in the wedding planning although realistically this is usually done by the bride

4.Supervision of ushers on the big day, although again usually very little to do 

5.Carrying the rings to the wedding which are to be handed to the groom during the service. On pain of death if this goes wrong!

6. Delivering a witty, funny wedding speech containing lots of anecdotes about the groom which are suitably embarrassing. Bet you won't be able to eat your meal before you've given your speech!

7.A toast at the wedding reception - and relax!

8.Decorating the bridegroom’s vehicle with streaming ribbons, toilet paper, clanking cans and worse. This tradition isn’t as prevalent as it used to be given the couple more often than not now stay for the duration of the reception and leave for honeymoon on the following day(s)

9.Support for the groom with nerves

10.Dance with the head bridesmaid

11.Help the photographer coordinate photographs particularly with large wedding parties

No pressure at all then really. All the best on your big day!

For more stag weekend, and adventure activity weekend ideas visit the Call of the Wild website.

Some Highlights From 2009

We have written a number of blog articles over the past year and we thought that as it was coming to the end of the year we would share them with you.

Well, the year started off pretty well, when we were awarded our Investors in People standard and, for some reason, we told people they could get a stag weekend for 1p! In March we discussed whether you should take out insurance for your stag weekend (of course!) and explored what a best man should do aside from arranging a stag weekend. we uploaded a film on canyoning and rock climbing in April and offered top tips on arranging a stag weekend in the UK.

May saw the introduction of our stag weekend photo service and the launch of our Facebook fan page; we also had a bit of a laugh at some Brits who were dressed up as nuns and subsequently got arrested! In June we revealed that Brits spent over £300 million on stag and hen nights. In addition, we revealed the top 5 stag weekend activities, advised you about keeping mum after stag weekends and informed you that Riga (like many European destinations) was saying goodbye to UK stags.

Aside from some pictures of Pen-y-fan, the Swansea Valley and canyoning in high water, we let you into some stag jokes and looked at wedding etiquette in July and in August we discussed the unsavoury topic of competitors copying us :(

In September we mentioned Mark owen's (fromTake That) stag do and let you into some wacky retro tips for the opposite sex! In October we visited the Neath food festival and wrote up about stags being pick pocketed in Barcelona (it's much safer here!). November saw us share a funny Speckled Hen video with visitors, introduce a 2010 stag and hen offer and receive the Walkers Welcome and Cyclist Friendly Accreditation from Visit Wales.

And finally we offered you some Brecon Beacons snow offered you a glimpse of working practices at our offices, showed you Santa's Secret Training Centre in the Brecon Beacons and, very importantly, gave you top ten tips on how to cure a hangover in December!

Stag Hen Night Special Offer 2010

With the current economic climate people are looking for stag hen night ideas that represent value for money. Value not only for money but also value for time and the quality of the experience.We understand that you want the best time possible but don't want to exclude anyone from the stag or hen do because they can't afford to participate. So here is a special stag hen offer.If you book both the stag and hen night with us in 2010 both the stag and hen go free.

 You don't have to come at the same time. Just make the booking at the same time to qualify for the special offer.

For more stag and hen weekend ideas in wales visit the Call of the Wild website

Stag Activity Ideas: Canyoning is the Most Popular Stag Do Activity 2009

Yet again our most popular stag activity in 2009 is by far and away canyoning.  However this is no surprise given canyoning is consistently our most popular activity year on year.

Why you may ask well simply because it is such an awesome adventure activity which you can't  experience to this standard many places in the UK. Our canyoning stag activity takes place on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in what is known as waterfall country. Not only is it easy to get to without having to travel to the north of Scotland, the river is set in some of the most outstanding scenery in Britain.

It is a great group activity which is why most stag parties will have a try during the course of their stay with us. Take a look athis video to see what it entails and to understand why it is consistently our most popular activity in Wales

Fancy dress office day

I think they work here

Normal day in the office

New member of staff Scooby Doo

Brecon Beacons in the Snow 23rd December 2009

View looking north towards Pen y Fan

Bachelor Parties Dead Long Live Stag Weekends!

In Britain it is now the accepted norm for the stag night to last for more than one night, which is why people are now more likely to use the phrase "stag weekend." It's strange how different phrases go in and out of fashion. Stag weekend and stag party seem to be the topical at the moment and have grown in popularity over the last 20 years. Stag night and stag do, I think, have been less used over the last few years and losing their popularity.

Can you remember Vera Lyn,  well maybe not that far back but what about Richard Burton, Morecombe and Wise? Well if you can then you will be more familiar with the phrase bachelor party, which is only occasionally used now, as it  has the tag of being old fashioned. For some reason this phrase conjures up images of the 1940's nostalga rather than modern stag weekends.

As a result of the popularity of, bachelor parties as were, there has been the emergence of a  Stag Weekend Industry in the UK with various companies taking the "hassle" out of arranging the   stag weekend experience. There are now a vast number out there and it is often difficult to see the wood for the trees. A good starting point is how many years they have been operating and are they just a one man/woman band.

In the UK, stag weekends are becoming mini-holidays with the groups taking part in various day time activities as well as the expected night out on the town. With the rise of budget airlines some stags go abroad,with Dublin and Riga Prague, Barcelona, Amsterdam still popular. However with the poor exchange rate trips to the Eurozone are becoming very expensive with the trend in 2009 to stay in the UK.

It is becoming the norm to try a range of stag activities on such weekends which can include paintball, clay pigeon shooting and quad biking. Also the nightlife is an integral part of the whole experience and becoming

Chapel at museum of Welsh Life today

Good place for a xmas carol concert with the school kids

Brecon Ideal Activity Weekend Destination not Homogenised Britain

The problem with Britain these days is that every city centre has become homogenised. What do I mean well all English towns have become indistinguishable from one another. They all have a Boots, WH Smith, Marks and Spencer and an empty Woolworths! Oh and not forgetting that pub which has recently closed down. The main shopping street has been pedestrianised with red block paving, show paving and usual array of cast iron trimmings and street furniture. They have things you have seen a million times before in England

There’s also the new by-pass or city centre ring road which makes it impossible to get to the city centre in anything else but a car unless as a pedestrian you want to take your life in your hands. Even where some hidden gems exist along the high street with some fantastic facades these rarely reach the ground. But then if you took out all the plate glass and the made the ground floors of the buildings look as if they belonged to the floors above we might not be able to see right into every Sketchley’s, Boots and Building Society (those that are left). Imagine passing a Sketchley’s and not being able to see racks of garments in plastic bags. Life wouldn’t be worth living!

Therefore it is little wonder that in the last 10 years many people have chose to visit Europe for their holidays and weekend breaks. Cities such as Prague, Barcelona and the Baltic states seem to have retained much of the distinctive character of their cities. The same goes for much of France. This is now changing given the Pound/Euro exchange rate and the state of the economy.

I don’t want to denigrate the whole of the UK. Amongst all this doom and gloom Britain still has some real gems and explains why they are becoming more popular again as activity weekend destinations. Wales, and particularly Brecon, is a good example of this. First of all it is in Wales which as you will know has it’s own distinctive history, culture and living language. This sets it apart from the majority of other places in the UK. You actually feel as if you are in a different country with a true sense of place with people having an authentic rather than “disneyfied” experience. 

It is three destinations in one having the mountain wilderness of the Brecon Beacons National Park, a coastal destination with the magnificent Gower within 45 minutes drivetime and a city break with Cardiff and Swansea a short drive to the south.. This makes Brecon an excellent base for an activity weekend as you can sample an extensive range of adventure activities. This can’t be said for many weekend destinations in Europe. And of course we mustn’t forget the great nightlife and hospitable Welsh welcome. These ingredients combine to make this a recipe for a top activity weekend destination.