Disclaimer: I barely survived the last one...but an inch is as good as a mile.

The truly legendary bachelor party…It's something we aspire to be a part of, but when faced with the task of actually putting one together and making sure it all goes smoothly, it can be a genuinely daunting task. Take eight to fifteen guys, add adventurous activities, naked women, alcohol, and the logistics of getting the entire circus to and from each stop on the party itinerary (preferably without anyone getting kicked out of a bar, passing out, or getting arrested), and you have a recipe for a memorable night or a complete and utter sh**-show. In fact, if you've planned it perfectly, what you'll have on your hands will be semi controlled chaos that amounts to an absolutely epic night. It's a subtle art.

Step One: Figure out what the bachelor wants out of the party
This is the first of several subtleties. You must find out what he wants to do, and who he wants to do it with, without making him basically plan the whole thing himself. Try to come up with some ideas that fit his taste and then ask which he likes the best. Determine if traveling or staying local is preferred, and find out a general idea of how many people he expects to be there. With those details, you can plan logistics accordingly.

Step Two: Sort out a reasonable budget, arrange transportation, and plan a loose timeline
Budget:
The budget is key for several reasons. We are going for controlled madness here and we want to make sure the dude who is about to take a pretty huge life step has the night of his life. Sorting out who is paying for what, splitting up the dinner bill, and scraping together a tip for the stripper can be a major buzzkill if there isn't a plan beforehand. What I learned from my most recent weekend was that you should WAY over budget for dinner and collect cash for it in advance. Trust me, handing a waiter $1200 cash is a lot more fun than trying to split a $1200 bill 13 ways between varying amounts of cash and cards. Seriously, cash rules the evening. If there's extra money at the end of the night, you can buy the gang a round at the bar or split it back up with some easy math.

Moral of the story: figure out a budget, double it, then get that amount in cash from the participants. Don't forget you're also buying the whole night for the main man, so factor his costs in.

Transportation:
Keep everyone together, make sure no one drives drunk, and the party keeps rolling. Everyone driving themselves around splits up the group and opens the door to some major irresponsibility. I recommend a van, bus or (if you're going for a high rolling party) a limo. My personal favorite option is a 15 passenger Mercedes Sprinter van. As long as one member of the group agrees to stay sober for the first part of the night, everyone else can party in the back while “the drunk bus” moves the whole crowd between adventures. Some rental sprinter vans come equipped with an Xbox and games, plus it's possible to remove a seat and replace it with a cooler. Instead of the drive between adventures being tedious and slowing down the fun, it can be a highlight of the night. Have a blast jamming out, playing Forza and getting the bachelor some drinks before you even get to dinner. I cannot emphasize this enough: if you're moving the group more than a mile, get some type of group transportation that fits your size and budget. DUI's sort of kill the mood.

Timeline:
Start with something high energy: you need an activity or adventure that will get the party rolling and set the tone for the rest of the night. A paintball tournament, skydiving, trampoline dodgeball at "Skyzone,” go-kart racing...any of the classics will do. Recent experience showed me that K1 Speed electric go-kart racing is an absolute blast and is definitely the perfect adrenaline pumping competition to set the tone for the night. The torquey electric motors, fast corners and closely matched racing make for an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend it.

Next up you need to plan dinner. If the bachelor has excellent taste in food and scotch, you need to set about finding a foodie type restaurant that can handle a large group, prepare an awesome steak and pair it perfectly with a good Cabernet or single malt. On the other hand, if you're planning a party for a man that prefers hot dogs and mac & cheese, bring your traveling circus to a bar that has food trucks parked outside and turn the guys loose. If you need a nice place that won't break the budget, I'd shoot for a brewery that makes a good burger.

After dinner, you can continue with a pub crawl or head to your hotel for what I like to call the "halftime show.” If you've decided to go the stereotypical route of hiring a stripper for an hour or two, this is probably the perfect time to ask her to show up. If you've decided against the stripper option, heading back to the hotel can still be a good opportunity to regroup, slightly sober up the guys who are peaking early, and knock back a few for those who aren't keeping up. This is also the end of your semi strict itinerary, as the rest of the night will probably be somewhat out of control, so there’s not much point in trying to overly plan it.

Step Three: Go with the flow
From here on out, the night is yours to be as epic or chill as you want to make it. Plan a pub crawl, one more brewery for a tour and tasting session, a night club, or whatever the group is best suited for. As long as you don't accidentally run into the bachelorette party, get lost or arrested, the party should flow naturally for the rest of the night. You've done your job by getting everyone stoked, fed, and filled with sustenance.

In the end, a legendary bachelor party is what you make of it. You can disappear into the woods with some close friends for a weekend of beers and camping, or stick to the metro and have a night of adventure with the bros. Whatever you decide, make sure it's as much fun as possible for the guy who's about to get married. If he's having fun, I guarantee everyone else will be too.