How To Pay For A Bachelor Party With Pool

Weddings are fun. Hello, open bar and dance floor! But the pre-wedding bachelor party is a great time, too. Although this time-honored tradition is notorious for being debauchery, bachelor parties aren't just "The Hangover" on repeat.

A stag party celebrates the groom's last days of singledom and the vows he's about to make — replete with a little embarrassment, good old camaraderie, and of course, some liquid courage.

But who pays for it? How do you manage everyone's money? Whether bachelor parties are new territory to you or you want to avoid money trouble at an upcoming shindig, this article answers the big questions for you.

Contents:

• What are the basic bachelor party "rules"?
• Who attends a bachelor party?
• Who pays for the bachelor party?
• Do bachelors pay for their bachelor party?
• What does the best man pay for at the bachelor party?
• How much is reasonable for a bachelor party?
• Establish a bachelor party planner and a money manager
• Do you get anything for a bachelor party?
• How to use Pool to pay for the bachelor party

What are the basic bachelor party "rules"?

There aren't many bachelor party "rules," which isn't helpful if you're planning a stag party for the first time. But the silver lining is that you get to write your own.

To that end, here are some standards that seem consistent for bachelor parties:

• The best man usually plans, organizes, and "hosts" the party — you can think of him as the MC
• The best man usually manages the bachelor party money, too
• Consult the groom to understand his ideal party, and then with the groomsmen to understand how much they can comfortably spend
• Bachelor parties usually take on the characteristics of the friend group: casual friends might lean toward casual parties, like hiking and camping with microbrew beer in tow. Golf enthusiasts might take to the green and welcome the evening with aperitifs

Who attends a bachelor party?

The guest list is up to the groom. Some grooms only want to celebrate with their groomsmen and the best man. Others want additional friends and family members to attend, too. Before you send the invites, talk with the groom to decide whom he'd like to attend.

Who pays for the bachelor party?

Financing the groom's send-off can cost a pretty penny. And organizing the bachelor party money can get messy without the right tool. With Pool, you can collect, manage, and spend everyone's contributions in dedicated Pools. Before you learn to set yours up, keep reading to see who pays for what at the bachelor party and what a party might cost.

Do bachelors pay for their bachelor party?

The groom usually doesn't pay for his bachelor party. The main exception is when the event involves travel and separate hotel lodging — then, it's common for the groom to cover his own expenses. Otherwise, the best man and groomsmen pay for all of his activities, meals, drinks, etc.

What does the best man pay for at the bachelor party?

The best man might outrank the other groomsmen in the wedding party hierarchy. But he usually doesn't pay more than the other groomsmen. Instead, the best man splits bachelor party expenses with the other groomsmen.

Your group might decide to split everything evenly. Or, you might split significant expenses like the boat or cabin rental, and then have each individual pay for their meals and drinks.

How much is reasonable for a bachelor party?

According to recent surveys, bachelor party attendees now spend an average of $1,500 per person — up $440 since 2019. Short 1–2 day parties run around $1,300, while 3–4 day celebrations average $1,650. Destination parties requiring flights push costs to $2,000 or more.

Why are bachelor parties pricier than bachelorette parties?

• Groomsmen usually only have one event to plan (the bachelor party), unlike the maid of honor and bridesmaids, who plan both the bridal shower and the bachelorette party
• About 1 in 5 bachelor party-goers travel by plane
• Bachelor parties last longer — compared to bachelorette parties, bachelor parties are slightly more likely (over 60%) to be two or more days, with one in three celebrating for three-plus days
• There are fewer attendees (eight, on average) and therefore fewer people to split the costs with
• Bachelor parties can include pricier activities, including casinos, sporting events, and golf

Have a money manager

To have a successful bachelor party, you need someone to manage the money. Since the best man usually plans the party, he often assumes the role of the money manager, too.

Some of his responsibilities include calculating costs, collecting contributions, and making payments. Pool is a great way to help you stay organized from start to finish.

But before you start collecting cash, have a conversation with the groom to understand what kind of party he wants. Then, consult with the attendees to gauge what they're comfortable spending.

If attendees have different financial backgrounds, here are several ways to make the bachelor party accessible and affordable:

• Take a survey. Send everyone an anonymous survey to gauge what attendees can pay. The advantage of anonymous surveys is that people are more likely to give an honest answer since the social awkwardness is removed
• Provide a rough estimate of the final cost so attendees know what to expect before anything is booked or reserved
• Shorten the length of the party
• Invite more people to lower everyone's financial contribution
• Opt for budget-friendly activities — rather than plan expensive activities like sporting events or gambling, reserve an evening at a laser tag stadium
• Plan to save on flights, car rentals, and hotel reservations
• Remember there's a wedding, too! Factor this into your planning to prevent financial problems
• Let guys opt out of certain activities — if the bachelor party is a 3-day or week-long event, some attendees may not be able to attend every activity, and they shouldn't have to pay for everything either
• Use Pool — it's free to use, and it's free to contribute with a debit card or via bank transfer. There are no maintenance fees, overdraft fees, or monthly fees, so you can spend 100% of the pooled money on the bachelor party

Do you get anything for a bachelor party?

Giving the groom a party gift is optional. Since everyone is probably attending the wedding and buying a gift from a registry, another pre-nuptial gift isn't necessary. Additionally, the groomsmen always cover the groom's expenses at the bachelor party, and many people consider this gift enough.

But if you'd like to give the groom something special, run it by the other attendees first. Some ideas include tickets to a game or concert, a round of golf, etc. All in all, the best gift to give is your best party attitude. Your presence, support, and enthusiasm are a great way to celebrate the groom's upcoming milestone.

How to use Pool to pay for the bachelor party

Planning a bachelor party is one thing. Paying for it is another. If you're managing the bachelor party money, you need Pool to make everyone's life easier.

What is a Pool?

A Pool is a dedicated place to collect, manage, and spend everyone's contributions. Pool is designed to be collaborative, so you can have as many groomsmen in your Pool to manage the bachelor party money with you.

1. Start your Pool

Sign up at Poolmoney.com — Pool is free to use, and you can set up as many Pools as you need for your bachelor party plans. Some people like to collect everyone's money into one Pool. Others like to create separate Pools for different expenses, like activities, transportation, airfare, etc. How you organize your Pools is entirely up to you.

2. Customize your Pool and invite others

It only takes a few minutes to set up your Pool. Make it your own by choosing a color theme, giving it a cool name, adding a brief description, and uploading a photo.

You can share this customized Pool with as many people as you’d like! All you have to do is open your Pool and invite members with their email.

3. Invite other groomsmen to join

Pool isn't just another peer-to-peer money transferring platform like PayPal or Venmo. With Pool, multiple people can participate in the Pool and manage funds together.

As Pool admin, you can invite anyone to join the Pool with you. Once they sign up at Poolmoney.com and accept the invitation, you can permit them to spend from the Pool with their Pool debit card, add money to the Pool, and more.

4. Collect contributions

Once the bachelor party is planned out, let everyone know how much they owe so they can contribute to the Pool. Any Pool member can also contribute via bank transfer for free.

The great thing about Pool is that the bachelor party money always stays separate from your bank account. You never have to juggle your personal budget with bachelor party funds.

5. Spend from your Pool with the Pool card

Pool is an ideal tool for your bachelor party because you can spend funds directly from the Pool with the debit card that comes with it. You never have to transfer funds to your account to spend them.

The Pool card is a free, digital debit card that works everywhere Visa is accepted. Use it to purchase airline tickets, reserve a venue, or pay for the bar tab. You can also order a physical debit card for easier, in-person spending at bars, restaurants, etc.

As Pool admin, you can permit other Pool members to use the Pool card, too. To keep everyone within budget, you can set spending limits as needed. You can also freeze the card at any time on Poolmoney.com.

6. Track Pool transactions

Instant notifications show when someone contributes or spends from the Pool. Can't remember your current balance? Check anytime on Poolmoney.com. With Pool, you always have a crystal clear picture of bachelor party money.

At any time, you can see who's paid into the Pool and whose contribution is still pending.

With Pool, you get:

• A dedicated place for everyone's contributions
• A collaborative tool to manage money with other groomsmen
• A free debit card that makes bachelor party money easy