A stag and doe party, stag and drag party, hen and stag party, buck and doe party, a jack and jill party, or a wedding social is a
Canadian party and fundraiser for an engaged couple.
Canada
A cultural event in Canada, popular mostly in Manitoba or Ontario under various names to raise money for a couple for their future wedding plans or honeymoon. In
Southern Ontario it may be called a stag and doe, or buck and doe, and in Northwestern Ontario it is called a shag. In Manitoba, this is often called a social or wedding social with less fundraising pressure than seen in Ontario.
The event is usually organized by the bridal party, but in some circumstances may also be held by the
bride and
groom
A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed.
When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...
before they are
married, similar to a Jack & Jill. It acts as a
fundraiser for the
wedding. Guests purchase entrance tickets and are entertained by draws, food and drink, music and fun and games that they will pay for to participate in. It is not a combined stag night/
bachelor party and
bachelorette party, or
engagement party
An engagement party, also known as a betrothal party or fort, is a party held to celebrate a couple's recent engagement and to help future wedding guests to get to know one another. Traditionally, the bride's parents host the engagement party, but ...
, as the primary focus is to raise money for the engaged couple, so their new life together is not started in debt.
The intent of a stag and doe party is specifically to make a
profit
Profit may refer to:
Business and law
* Profit (accounting), the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market
* Profit (economics), normal profit and economic profit
* Profit (real property), a nonpossessory intere ...
.
Often, people who may not be close enough to the engaged couple to warrant an invitation to the
wedding or reception (especially in the case of a small wedding), will be "tapped" to attend the stag and doe so as to be part of the overall wedding fundraising. Hosting a stag and doe party does not preclude the couple from participating in other wedding-related parties, such as a
bridal shower,
bachelor party,
bachelorette party, and so on.
A popular stag and doe tradition is a toonie toss, which has guests toss
toonies ( coins) at a Texas mickey (3L) bottle of liquor. The toss runs for some time until the Toonie closest to the bottle without making contact wins the bottle.
In Manitoba, in addition to purchasing entrance tickets, guests bid on silent auction prizes, participate in a 50-50 draw, and purchase liquor. Typical food at a Manitoba wedding social includes KUB bread,
cold cuts,
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
cubes, and
Timbits.
[Cherniack, Lawrie, and Cy Fien. "Common Law Marriages in Manitoba." Man. LJ 6 (1974): 85.] Often the bridal or wedding shower is held the afternoon before the social. Other times, it is used as a fundraiser for the wedding itself and will be held a few weeks before the day of the wedding.
Other countries
An uncommon event borrowed from the tradition of Canada, and only held in small pockets of certain US States. Guests typically have to purchase a ticket to cover the costs of the event.
Guests could be offered memorabilia such as an engraved cup with the couple's names and wedding date.
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2020
Marriage
Pre-wedding
Canadian traditions