Your buddy is doing it, he's getting married, and if you are planning the bachelor party then most likely that means you are the best man.  Before his big day you need make sure he gets a proper send-off and that means throwing him a bachelor party to remember.  Fortunately, this is a party for guys and that means that planning it is fairly straightforward.  In years gone by the standard bachelor party included drinking, making toasts to the groom, more drinking, a night out on the town, maybe a stripper, and more drinking.  Well, you can plan a party like this if you want, but these days many grooms prefer a very different kind of bachelor party.

You have a wealth of options at your disposal when it comes to planning the ultimate bachelor party and you need to consider the groom and his personality and interests.  If he is into fishing, you can plan a big fishing trip.  If he is into golf, go golfing.  There are no hard and fast rules and there is no end to the possibilities.  You can get ideas from the other groomsmen.  Other popular ideas are a paint ball war, camping, renting a box for the big game, renting a cottage, or even renting the back room of a pub or pool hall.  The main thing to note is that these days the groom generally does not want anything going on at the party of which his bride would not approve.

You will also need to be sure that the date for the party work with the groom and the rest of the groomsmen and doing it the night before the wedding is no longer a popular option, for obvious reasons.  After all, the bride does not want a hungover groom on the wedding day.  It is best to do it at least two weeks before the big day.  Once you have set the date and decided what you will do, you will need to invite the rest of the guests.  If you are going on a fishing weekend, then you might want to keep the number of guests down and if you are going to just have a barbecue and party at home, then you can invite more.  You will have to plan the invites based on the groom's wishes and your chosen party plans.

If you are planning a party at home or in a bar or even a weekend long trip, you can still include some very fun games and embarrassing moments.  You can get the groom a ball and chain to wear for the evening or the weekend.  You can also get him and the groomsmen personalized shirts and be sure to make the groom stand out.  Food is easy.  Have a barbecue or eat out at the grooms favorite restaurant or a bar or pub.  When it comes to games you can play a truth or dare game.  You can play the game “Don't Say a Word” and tell the guests at the beginning of the evening what word or words are not allowed to be said.  These can be the bride's name, a swear word, or anything else you can think of.  Whenever anyone says any of the forbidden words they have to take a drink.  

As you can see, planning a bachelor party does take some time and forethought, but probably far less than planning the bachelorette party.  Be sure to collect any required money upfront rather than waiting until the night of the party or after and be sure that if there is any drinking that night, and there probably will be, that no one drives while drunk.  You want the groom, the groomsmen, and the guests to be alive for the wedding.  And remember, the bride will inevitably find out what happens at the party, so keep it in good taste for the groom.  Above all, have fun!  The whole point of the bachelor party is to ensure the groom is having the best last night out as a single guy and you want it to be so memorable that he will be telling his grandchildren about it one day.