It’s supposed to be the last wild night of your single life before you – supposedly – get hitched for life. But how crazy does it get? How much can people handle? And what do people dread the most? Iggy Fenech investigates.

When things get a tad out of hand at a stag do.

When it comes to the dating game, checkmate comes when two people decide to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. To mark the occasion, many take a leap of faith and have a stag or hen do. For some it’s a nice, quiet meal at a restaurant or pub; but for others, things might just get a little out of hand…

“The wildest thing that was done to a friend of mine involved his friends taking him out on a yacht, undressing him down to his underwear, tying him to the prow, sailing him close to the Sliema front and dropping him off at the ferry to walk along the front – still in his underwear,” says an apprehensive Matthew Galea Debono, who is engaged to be married. “Thankfully, my close friends are mindful of my likes and dislikes so I I’m not too worried … I’m also hoping I’m not made to eat those words!”

When it comes to stag or hen dos, it’s very difficult to know what the maid of honour or the best man have been concocting behind the groom- or bride-to-be’s back.

She was told to pack everything from gym clothes to raunchy underwear for her hen do

Take Krista Paris’s story, for example. When she was about to get married last year, she was told to pack “everything from gym clothes to raunchy underwear” for her hen do.

Next thing she knew, she found herself at a five-star hotel for a tea party with her close friends and family members – but that was only the beginning!

“Then, the bridesmaids, my sisters-in-law and I went up to a suite in the hotel, popped open some champagne and got dressed up for the evening event,” explains Krista. “Later, a taxi picked us up – still very responsible ladies! – and we ended up in a private area of a club. The theme was Sex and the City. At the end of the night, a dancer came in to do a little, ahem, show, but I was too shy to dance with him .”

The probability is that Krista’s friends enjoyed being roped in, especially if the dancer was good at his job. But some might be thinking that surely, the other half might get a bit jealous or upset, that there’s an exotic dancer present? You’d be surprised.

Groom-to-be Stefan Schembri, who will be exchanging his vows to Louise Bonnici on July 6, says “my stag do involves a weekend abroad, so anything could happen. My best man has already told me that he would like to bring strippers. And while I will obviously hold back, I wouldn’t want to deny that fun to my single friends.”

And won’t his fiancée get jealous?

“All I care about is that he has a great night with his friends,”says Louise. “Of course, that’s only as long as he is given back to me in a good enough condition to get married. Also, I’m sure guys can’t party like girls. I’m pretty sure it won’t get as crazy as mine will.

“Marc – who is my maid of honour – and Sarah, my bridesmaid, are being all secretive. What I’m looking forward to is to find how much they know me, and I am definitely curious.”

What’s funny about stag and hen dos is that some people really don’t see the point. “Hen and stag dos are first and foremost simply a tradition, and a case of if-everyone-does-it-then-why-not-me?” says Bernice Farrugia, who will be marrying her long-term boyfriend this December. “I mean, I haven’t given my hen night too much thought, to be honest, because there are still some months left.”

Her fiancé, Ron Camilleri, agrees. “I’m just hoping to have a good night out with my friends,” Ron says. “From time to time, I do get a bit worried about what they might have in store for me on the night.”

And that’s what stag and hen dos are all about. The apprehension, the laughs and the doorway to the unknown abyss that is marriage. Sometimes it works out and you get a good deal; other times, it doesn’t, and you end up nursing a hangover. But that’s okay: it’s just all part of the unpredictable rituals of life.