Bachelor & bachelorette parties go outdoors

Brides and grooms are trading the traditional carousing for adventure and wellness getaways with loved ones

- JULIE WEED

A GROWING NUMBER of bachelors and bachelorettes, typically those who are a little older and have enough money to travel, are choosing to bid farewell to single life by bringing their loved ones together for destination gatherings centred on more wholesome experiences — glamping instead of gambling, surfing instead of doing shots.

Jolie Golub, a co-founder of Bach Boss, a company that has helped plan more than 350 bachelor and bachelorette parties, says about 40% of its events, up from about a third of them in 2023, now focus on activities other than partying, with an increasing number of inquiries into places "with a focus on nature and wellness." Couples in their 30s and older, she said, gravitate toward hiking, yoga, glamping, fishing and golf outings. It helps that their friends may want to celebrate "in a way that doesn't leave them hung over at the end of the weekend," she said.