Headcount decides cost per head more than anything else you choose, so it comes before the budget, and the budget comes before any booking.
1First: ask the groom
- Who has to be there? (His list)
- What should this cost people? (He knows who is skint)
- Anything he would genuinely hate?
2Headcount, then budget
- Confirm the list; 6–10 is the sweet spot, 17+ is an event not a trip
- Name a bracket and say what it covers — including the groom's share
- Send the full number once, before anyone books
- Offer a one-night / Saturday-only option, unprompted
33–4 months out
- Poll 3–5 weekends, at least three weeks clear of the wedding
- Set a poll deadline and hold it
- Fix the destination
42–3 months out
- Book accommodation
- Take deposits immediately — do not float £900 on one card
- Decide the room pricing before anyone sees the rooms
51 month out
- Book the Saturday activity — named owner
- Book the Saturday table — named owner
- Share the outline; no ambush 9am starts
- Assign the rest: transfers, food on night one, the photo, the playlist
6The week before
- One message: address, arrival times, what to bring, what is still owed
- Chase outstanding money now
- Create the shared photo album
- Someone other than the groom has the venue and accommodation details
7The things people forget
- Food on the first night (twelve hungry people at 8pm)
- A plan for whoever is not drinking
- Getting back at 1am, not just getting there
- Sunday: checkout is 10am, trains are later — what fills the gap?
- A running total everyone can see, so budget creep is visible while it can still be opted out of
Worth knowing
- A £220 weekend becomes £300 through individually reasonable additions. Make the running total visible so nobody finds out on Sunday.
- Never poll the group on budget. Set it from the groom's steer.
- Structure for the budget spread: cheap core weekend, expensive extras optional and separately priced.
- The pre-trip message should contain the details, not a link to them.
Common questions.
Who pays for the groom on a bachelor party?
Most groups split the groom's share of accommodation and the main activity between them, but it is a convention rather than a rule. Whatever you decide, say it in the first message as part of the headline cost. Cap it — covering his open bar all weekend is how a £220 weekend becomes £310 for the people who could least afford it.
How far in advance should you plan a bachelor party?
Three to four months before the wedding. Getting a date across ten or more people is the slow part, and the weekend should be at least three weeks clear of the wedding itself.
What is a good group size?
Six to ten. One house fits everyone, a restaurant will take the booking, and decisions happen in one conversation. Above about sixteen it stops being a trip and becomes an event — plan a single big night at home instead.
Can I copy this checklist?
Yes. The Copy button puts it on your clipboard as markdown with tick boxes. Free, no account, paste it anywhere.
A checklist that fills itself in.
Kinora keeps this list live for the whole group — every job shows who owns it, the date poll closes the date, the budget tracks who has paid. Free while the beta runs.