The certificates were keepsakes that remind us of a fun night.
After the lesson, the groom brought his bachelor party to the studio, where we piled on a party bus and headed to Cincinnati.
Ride-sharing with the guys was a good idea — it was cost effective and entertaining. The ladies were dropped off at Mynt Martini on Fountain Square, and the guys headed to “the casino.”
There were a few headaches along the way, and many afterward, of course. Nothing as dramatic as the night recalled in “The Hangover,” but still one in which unexpected turns occurred.
First, the ride downtown took a long time because the driver had to pull over so everyone could use the restrooms. (Mistake No. 1: Too much drinking before a long ride.)
He chose a Walmart, which had a McDonald’s that took an order from one of the guys with our group. He ordered 20 burgers, then went to the restroom and forgot the order. The server delivered them to the bus, and we had to figure out who made the order and who would pay for it.
Later, the guys got caught lying to us, which was discovered because the bride had a little too much to drink. (Mistake No. 2: The entire party was buying her beverages.) I called the party bus driver and said, “You guys have to come back and get us, we’re going home early.” He told me, “Um, well, we’re not at the casino ...” They were further away at a strip club.
Busted.
So we waited 45 minutes for the driver to round up the inebriated men and haul them back to get us. The ride home was fun, but people began to fall asleep. The night ended with everyone crashing at the bride’s parents’ home, where the group was treated to late-night snacks and a good hardy breakfast in the daylight hours.
“Top night!” was the name of the photo album on
the next morning.
And it was. The dance studio, the bus service, the bars that catered to a pre-wedding crowd ... they made the night fun and easy.
My advice to bachelor and bachelorette party planners: Party buses are essential if you aren’t going for classy or chic. They are cheaper than bus limousines and become a relocation point if people get separated.
(Perhaps if Phil, Stu and Alan in “The Hangover” had rented a bus, they wouldn’t have had to hunt for Doug.)
An area service many of my friends use is Belly’s Party Bus. It caters to the Cincinnati region and offers a lot of different sizes of buses.
Owner Gary “Belly” Trabel tells me they handle an average of 150 bachelor and bachelorette parties per year.
Other advice? Save up. Ride rentals and booze are not cheap. If the whole group chips in on transportation, get their cash in advance and be prepared to pay extra if you go over your ride rental time limit.
One more thing — and this is just my personal preference — skip the matching group T-shirts idea. It could make or break the evening for those who don’t like the color or style, or have the body type for it. Though a group identifier does help the person who has to round up the gang when it’s time to go home.
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