It seems that men and women have totally different ideas of what a good party really is, and how far in advance they should be planned.
HenParty.ie and StagParty.ie have compiled data from some 40,000 guests that they have hosted over the last 12 months to reveal just how different Irish men and women are in their approach in organising a send-off.
The figures indicate that planning a stag do has never been more challenging with groups increasing in size by some 20% since 2016, and over half of stags (51%) going away for two nights or more.
On the other hand, the 'I do' crews tend to pack their festivities into a single evening. It seems grooms-to-be are far more laid back than soon-to-be-brides.
The research shows that men never plan their own stag party, while 1 in 10 brides get involved in the organisation of their prenuptial celebrations, with even a small cohort planning their fiancés' stag too.
Indeed, the traditionally held gender clichés have never been more apparent when looking at the booking timelines in the past year alone, with men far more likely to book with weeks to spare while most women begin planning months in advance. There are bookings already secured by HenParty.ie for 2020.
On the contrary, their tastes in activities continue to become more and more distinct, with hens favoring gin tea parties above all else in 2018, while escape rooms have proved to be one of the most popular stag pastimes in the same year.
Another differing aspect between the two is age. The average age at a hen party has taken a serious dip in recent times with an uptick in babies in attendance. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, new mums now often bring their newborns and partners to a hen so that they can celebrate with their friend for at least some of the time. Unsurprisingly, this is not a trend that has been seen with stag dos!
The research did show some similarities however, with an overwhelming majority of male and female merry-makers choosing Kilkenny as their number one hen/stag Irish destination.
In addition, when finding out what the biggest source of stress is when planning either a hen or a stag, the accomplished customer services teams at both HenParty.ie and Stagparty.ie agreed that every client considered collecting money from the group the greatest apple of discord – a service that both businesses offer as standard. This hassle was closely followed by securing final numbers and agreeing on an activity that all in attendance wanted to do.
Perhaps due to a focus on health and wellness on the rise with people in their 20's and 30’s, it's of little surprise that both companies are asked to arrange booze free celebrations at least once a fortnight – typically because the hen or stag is a non-drinker.
Speaking of these findings, Director Kate Hyde said, 'The way stags and hens plan for their events is ever evolving'. For instance, despite popular belief (and worried girlfriends), strippers are rarely requested. However, they were once asked if they could find a stripper that looked like Phil Mitchell from Eastenders!
Other such strange and wonderful requests in the past year alone have included a request for a blue dwarf to be handcuffed to the groom, as well as a much less odd request but original nonetheless, an Alice in Wonderland-themed hen.
