Bachelor parties…they are what every groomsmen – and I will go ahead and say it, what every husband-to-be – looks forward to.

I have been to some real scorchers. Unfortunately, I have also been to some really lame ones. Nothing is sadder to me than a guy whose friends do not know how to send him off into the world of matrimony. To paraphrase Vince Vaughn in the film Old School : Getting married means going to bed with one person for the rest of your life.

While I do not recommend putting the bachelor in any situations that could preemptively destroy his marriage, you can still put forth the effort to make his bachelor party an experience he will never forget. Here are some suggestions for doing just that!

Rally the troops. It all starts with rounding together a group of the people who have been the most important to him in his life. For my best friend, it meant planning a college reunion, basically. We ordered a couple of luxury suites in our state’s capitol, and all chipped in equal shares. We selected a location and planned it around a whole weekend several months in advance. That way, everyone who wanted to come could be there, and we would not be limited to just one evening of fun.

Plan your location wisely. It is highly recommended that you spring for a luxury hotel around a hip section of town. Many towns keep all the top bars and clubs in one area, and if you can set it up to where travel can be accomplished by foot, then you keep open the possibility for many adventures at low risk of arrest.

Watch out for each other. Face it: most bachelor parties require the presence and consumption of alcohol. You do not have to partake, but many will, and it is a good idea to keep each other out of trouble. Bachelor parties are as much about brotherhood as having a good time. You can still play cruel pranks and insult one another, but make sure you do it responsibly. And never should a husband-to-be have to spring for his drinks!

Choose women selectively. And by “women,” I mean strippers. I had a friend, who showed up to one bachelor party with his girlfriend. Other than becoming a target of ridicule for the rest of the night, he also made his girlfriend miserable. It was hard to feel sympathy for her, as most women are smart enough to know what a bachelor party entails and are intelligent enough to keep away…not so with her. She was a drag on the whole evening until we finally attended a strip club. She attended that as well, but quickly wished she had not. Excuse me, while I try to care. As a general rule, do not invite women to a bachelor party, unless you plan on paying them for the removal of clothing. Otherwise, keep it to just the guys.

Keep the past in the past. The most successful bachelor parties do not require loads of money or innovation. They do require close-knit friends showing their buddy a good time. When having a good time, it is important to remember that the past memories should stay in the past. Stop rehashing the same stories as you slam down beer after beer to the point that you are too intoxicated to make any new memories. That is what a bachelor party should be about…making new memories.