After postponements and cancellations due to health crisis, many opt for Bachelorette Party and Bachelor Party in France. – Ulza / Getty Images
- Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of marriages have been annulled, and with them many bachelorette parties (Bachelorette parties) and boys (Bachelor Parties).
- With the approach of deconfinement, the EVJF and EVG restart, but in a context still constrained by health restrictions.
- So, for those close to the bride and groom who organize these parties, we adapt, in particular with local bachelorette parties and stag parties.
That’s it ! After more than a year of the coronavirus pandemic and tens of thousands of postponed unions, the wedding season will resume! May 19 will mark the beginning of deconfinement, and with a gradual easing of restrictions, lovers will be able to say “yes” to each other. And who says marriage says… bachelorette party for a young girl and a boy. Finally, EVJF and EVG for the initiated.
Normally, trips to Europe are the most popular. Amsterdam, Lisbon, Budapest or Barcelona welcome every year from the spring hordes of bride and groom who come to party with friends. But how can you bury your single life with dignity when bars, restaurants – and borders – are closed? Many have had no choice but to postpone the festivities, or to play it safe with a stag or hen party in France.
“We had everything booked for Lisbon, finally, we did a bachelorette party at home”
“It’s a hassle,” says Etienne, who on May 8 organized the EVG of his cousin, of which he is the witness. We had set the date early enough, but between confinements and restrictions, it was complicated. Finally, we opted for a local stag party, with the groom’s dad, respecting the curfew and with less than ten people. It was very light, but we hope to let go at the wedding this summer! “
For her best friend Sophie, Marion had organized a bachelorette party. “We had everything booked for a weekend in Lisbon in June 2020. And bim, the pandemic: impossible to leave when she is passionate about travel. So I organized a round-the-world bachelorette party for her at home: each guest had to choose a country with a dish, a drink, a costume and a pledge. We planned a special decoration, a travel diary, personalized t-shirts, and staged the climb on the plane with me as a flight attendant! Mexico and Tequila Paf *, Spain and flamenco, Africa and boubous, Russia with vodka * and kalinka. We laughed a lot, the party lasted until the morning and the future bride had a blast! “
“Going to Portugal gave us a foretaste of freedom”
For some, the call from abroad was too strong. Kevin flew to Portugal last weekend, for his brother-in-law’s EVG. “We left at eight in Lisbon, knowing that the wedding was postponed three times, just like the EVG. We hesitated for a long time. But when the 10 km limit was lifted, we said “banco”! And we organized everything: PCR tests, form to enter Portuguese territory. We really needed to get away from it all, so we invented a compelling motif ”. And not to spoil the surprise of the future groom, “his partner made him believe that she was in contact”, laughs Kevin.
In Lisbon, the gang had as much fun as they could. “We had rented an apartment with a terrace and a swimming pool and we had restaurants on the beach. It was much cooler: the wearing of the mask is less strict, the curfew is at 11 pm, it was a foretaste of freedom, a preview of the imminent reopening of the terraces, ”explains the young man. But there were also constraints: “We couldn’t be more than six at the table, or more than two in taxis, nor do all the activities we wanted. The only frustration was especially in the middle of the evening: when you’re hot to go party but there is a curfew and the clubs are closed… ”.
“Abroad, it’s complicated, people prefer stag and hen parties in France”
“Lisbon is a very popular destination,” confirms Aurélien Boudier, founder of Crazy stag party and
Crazy bachelorette party, which offers turnkey bachelor parties in France and Europe. But for us, everything stopped in March 2020, and apart from a small rebound last summer, our activity slowed down sharply. Because no weddings: no bachelorette party or bachelorette party. Since the announcement of deconfinement, people are projecting themselves, rediscovering the desire to party. But at least until this summer, going abroad will be complicated. Especially since when the clubs are closed and some activities are not accessible, it cools a bit. I think that for Budapest, where we send more than 7,000 people a year, we will have to wait ”.
While waiting to have free rein, and “far from the 100,000 people that we make travel each year, for a few days, the phone rings non-stop”, rejoices the entrepreneur. And for stag and hen parties version 2021, “customers are the first to play it safe by betting on France,” observes Aurélien Boudier. Montpellier, Deauville and Annecy are popular: they are suitable for group parties, and it is possible to do very nice outdoor activities. Because for the moment, spa and paintball are closed ”.
The entrepreneur also offers villas with swimming pools and sports grounds for rent, two hours from Paris. They all fill up. “This allows you to be in a group and enjoy the outdoors despite the curfew and the bars and restaurants closed. People are in a hurry to get together and party, even if it means organizing stag parties after the wedding! “
“We will all go for an antigen test”
This is the case of Margaux and her friends, who rented in June a large house with a swimming pool near Nice. “After three cancellations, this time should be the right one”, hopes the young woman. “What is funny is that our friend got married in the meantime: the EVJF will take place a month after the wedding, it will be a nice way to celebrate the“ lesser anniversary ”of the wedding”, jokes Margaux. The program of this deconfined bachelorette party will be well filled: “canyoning session, workshop of making flower crowns with a pro and a chef who will come to prepare a dinner at home”, she rejoices in advance.
A schedule that will change her from her previous bachelorette party in November. “There too, we played it safe by booking in France, in Beaune. But we couldn’t do much: everything was closed, including the Hospices, it felt like we were in a ghost town. But the bride was already very happy to have her friends ”. Friends who had shown inventiveness: “Top Chef workshop with two teams who cooked the favorite dishes, cocktail party, personalized games and questionnaires, it was great! “For June, with the Covid-19 still present, Margaux and her friends are preparing for a bachelorette party with pandemic sauce. “We want to enjoy it in” normal “mode, without a mask, so we will all go for an antigen test: it takes fifteen minutes, it’s free, no one has reason to refuse. Especially since I am six months pregnant, so there is no question of taking any risks ”.
Objective: “to party in the sun”
As for professionals, we are counting on a busy recovery, “hoping that our service providers will not have gone out of business after a year of closure,” recalls Aurélien Boudier. We are looking for outdoor clubs because at the discotheque level, everything remains closed in France as in Europe ”.
But no question of being pessimistic: “Usually, stag parties are not too summer. And if September and October are generally calm months, I think this year it will be a hit with a wave of post-wedding bachelor parties, ”predicts the entrepreneur. Who develops new destinations. “The next one is Dubai, to party in the sun all year round”.
* Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health.