By David Gale
When Jared Plank was invited to his friend''s bachelor party, he reacted the way many Latter-day Saints would in the same situation.
'I thought what are Mormons going to do at a bachelor party,' said Plank, 23, a junior majoring in civil engineering from Olympia, Wash. 'You can''t drink or watch some bad movie or anything. I thought sitting around eating chips or something is what would probably happen.'
Bachelor parties, with the traditional image of drinking, women and a general disregard for inhibitions and morals, seems completely out of place in a traditional LDS wedding, especially when a temple sealing is involved.
Bachelor parties have evolved since the days of girls popping out of cakes in smoke-filled rooms.
Although those parties still exist, a growing trend nationwide is bachelor parties that reflect the bachelor''s interests.
For example, a party might feature going to a sporting event such as a hockey, football or basketball game.
Or the party could involve participating in a sports activity such as skiing, fishing or camping.
Weber State student Micah Bate, a junior from Ogden, Utah, went go-kart racing for his friend''s bachelor party.
'We just had a fun night out swapping stories at a restaurant and driving cars,' Bate said.
No matter what a bachelor party consists of or what you choose to do, it is still a gathering of men having a good time on behalf of a good friend.
Traditionally, the party begins with some sort of embarrassment of the groom.
This can be a roast, with everyone telling good-natured but mildly humiliating stories about the groom, or making the groom do something silly like hit on a beautiful woman.
At a party Plank attended, he and his friends sent the groom around downtown Olympia with a camcorder asking strangers for marital advice.
'It was quite entertaining,' Plank said. 'People loved sharing their advice for marital happiness, and some of the responses were quite interesting.'
Usually bachelor parties tend to be intimate affairs where only the groom''s closest friends are invited.
'It''s just another time to get together as friends before the big day, but I''m sure it''s more special for the guy getting married,' Bate said. 'It''s not necessary, but I''m sure it helps build up the suspense of the occasion.'
Bachelor parties serve as a quiet reminder that things are about to change.
At the bachelor party he attended, the groom seemed a little nervous, Bate said.
'Even though you''ll still see your friends and still hang out with them, things are different once you''re married,' he said.
When planning a bachelor party, wedding planners recommend hosting the party a week in advance.
That way, the party doesn''t interfere with other wedding festivities and wedding participants and last-second preparations.
Most of all, it''s important that the night is one that leaves no regrets for the groom and lasting memories with his friends.