3 Disturbing Stats That Prove a Bachelor Party Is the Worst Investment You Can Make in Your 20s
Bachelor and bachelorette parties are a quintessential adult bonding ritual — or at least, that’s what exotic golf courses and companies that sell injection-molded phallic straws want you to think.
Every year, untold thousands of the recently engaged guilt their friends into shelling out for overpriced Airbnb’s in cities they have no emotional connection to, under the guise of celebrating one last time before they slip into the eternal narcotic stupor of wedded bliss. These parties can be a great time, sure. But in aggregate, they’re actually an incredibly efficient way to decimate your bank account and your closest relationships.
In the latest episode of Honest Ads, our own Roger Horton pulls back the curtain on bachelor and bachelorette parties to reveal an entire insidious ecosystem thriving on what amounts to infidelity tourism. Watch “If Bachelor Parties Were Honest” right here, to see how otherwise respectable young professionals get reduced to drunk, muttering hoards, every weekend, by twentysomethings who just made the worst decision of their young lives. And read on to learn about why these shindigs are, empirically, the most self-destructive events you could possibly attend.
The Average Bachelorette Party Costs Over $10,000
Bachelorette culture is replete with slogans that fit perfectly on sashes and plastic martini glasses — a la “One Last Fling Before the Ring!” and “Sip, Sip, Hooray!” There’s a built-in expectation of memorable shenanigans, but all that forced frivolity and compulsory binge drinking comes with a hefty price tag. With lodging, travel and all the mandatory props and outfits, the average attendee of a bachelorette party will shell out $1,300.
Bachelorettes may appear more ostentatious, but bachelor parties actually clock in at about $1,400 per person, on average. They tend to revolve around activities like golfing and gun ranges, which are especially expensive in big cities, where these bro-downs are more likely to occur. Apparently, you can put a price tag on performative masculinity: $100 per head.
35 Percent of Millennials Have Gone into Debt to Attend Them
That’s more people than go into debt to attend the actual wedding, which is a near-equally astounding 30 percent.
Over the past 40 years, the average age at which a young rube will enter into their first marriage has increased from 24 to 28. So while there are still plenty of dick necklace girlies and lap dance bros at that age, to-be-weds are increasingly a more mature crowd, who opt for more sophisticated events. A long weekend glamping in Scandinavia is a lot more expensive than 50-cent beer night at the college dive bar where the bride and groom first hooked up in the bathroom.
While it’s millennials who hit that 35-percent benchmark, a mere 20 percent of people overall have gone into debt. That means the pressure to shell out for your friend’s big mistake is skyrocketing. If you’re worried about your finances, though, we’ve got one more data point that’ll take your mind off your money.
70 Percent of Attendees Have Cheated on Their Significant Other
A 2023 survey of 6,000 people showed that, if you’ve never cheated at a stag party, you’re in the minority.
Now, before you break up with your significant other on statistical grounds, let’s break down what “cheating” means. This survey defined it as anything from “flirting or downloading a dating app” to “sexting or sleeping with someone.” Some of those activities feel significantly less gut-wrenching than others.
On one end of the spectrum, 33 percent of respondents said they’d gotten a lap dance. On the other, 9 percent said they had a full-on threesome. Of course, the only definition of “cheating” that matters is the one you and your partner(s) decide on. But it’s safe to say, based on these results, 70 percent of people have done something to which their partner might object at one of these overhyped bacchanals.
