Calling all 413 brides.....Jack & Jill party

How much you make varies on how many people come and the success of your games but in my experience usually about $1,500 - $2,000.

Wow.. I want one of these.

I just might have to move to Canada.

Jennifer i'm in CT right on the Mass border, we didnt have an engagement party. But we did our Jack & Jill in late March and we got married in the beginning of June.

As someone who was raised in the 978, lived in the 617 and married in the 603. I had a hard time asking people to pay to come to a party, when I knew that they were going to have to pay for a lot of other stuff. I didn't do it. I think that it would a better idea if you did a couples shower. I think that sometimes a J&J can end up costing you money.

Becky S...thanks for the time line! I am having an easier time planning this instead of the actual wedding! I guess I consider this a big pre-wedding party without all of the frills needed for the wedding.

Hehe loving the zipcode references, I'm a little farther east in MA (508) and I've been to a lot of weddings in the last 8 years... never been to a wedding fundraiser. It sounds like its really specific to certain locations. But hey if there are people expressing interest in attending, why not?

Your welcome ours was just a big party with all of our friends, my aunt put it all together she did a tropical theme. It was so laid back just like our wedding and once word got our for the Jack & Jill, I had people donating booze for the raffle and calling up wanting to know if we needed help making any food. Good luck with yours.

Wow us here in the 661 haven't heard of them! Maybe I should move to Canada, here we are a$$ed out and on our own!

Do you have enough game/fundraiser ideas?

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/buck-and-doe-theme/75cbdf42f7843275.html

http://www.vanrock.com/stag%20and%20doe%20games.htm

Make sure you budget so that you Make money

http://www.vanrock.com/jack_%26_jill_budget.htm

When planning a Jack and Jill write a detailed budget, just like you would for a wedding. Include your projected ticket sales and assume that if you sell 150 tickets, about 90 people will show up (60%). From those guests, use a typical average of 4 drinks per head to count your alcohol sales. Add another ten percent onto your final figure for gaming and draw sales. These figures should be on the conservative side.

(and I saw someone planning a June Stag for a September wedding)

I live in central CT and I work in Mass and people have them all the time! You just have to make sure there is enough activities for the guests. I went to one that had a raffle with great prizes, a cheap cash bar, buffet and a DJ - it was a lot of fun! But I've also been so some horrible ones where there are weird ice breaker games, lame activities and GIFTS that we were forced to watch them open! It was painful. Just try to plan it as a really fun party and people will enjoy themselves.

Side note- They are a lot more fun then the boring bridal showers. I figure if I was going to spend around $50 for the gift, I would much rather enjoy a few drinks and hang out with all of our friends. It is also a great way to meet other people that will be attending the wedding.

Haylee...thanks so much for the link. We have been talking and I think you nailed it with writing a budget and sticking to it. I have so many friends and family looking to help out with it! Ashlee thanks for the vote of confidence! I agree, its not like we are going to be doing the bridal shower and engagement party. I think people in my area actually look forward to the Jack & Jill....they know it is a very casual dress, DJ/dance party with alot of food and drinks!!!

413 wow...I was born and raised in Springfield, MA. Just had to give a shout out to the 413! (smile)

Damn the 530 and 916!

These parties sound like a BLAST!

http://tinyurl.com/3hjmx35

I'm jealous!

They really are a blast....I am really not the traditionalist type. I would prefer a big party for everyone to have fun, drink, dance and socialize!

I had never heard of this either, but it sounds awesome!! At first it did seem a little odd to fundraise for your wedding, but when you consider the gift for a bridal or engagement party, this is much better for everyone!!! The couple gets money and the guests have fun! Win-win if you ask me

413 OVER HERE!! Hey ! Im so glad there is someone in my area over here because i posted a post similar to this like a while ago and no one knew what i was talking about. I didnt know it was certain areas.

Jack-and-Jill parties, or "Stag-and-Doe" as they are also called, are primarily popular in Canada in the small-town maritime regions (which have much in common, culturally, with the 413 area code). You don't see them in Western Canada, and even in Toronto they are primarily an import brought with maritimers moving to the big city.

People who think of them as "tacky" typically have never lived in a town with fewer than forty-thousand people, and a multi-hour drive to the nearest movie theatre. In towns like that, the "Stag-and-Doe" is an *obligation* the bride and groom OWE to the community. It's something to do, as an alternative to the regular Saturday-night activity of going to the bar (there is only one in town) or curling at the community centre. And everyone is invited because the Stag-and-Doe takes over either the bar, or the community centre, and where would the folks go who ordinarily spend their night in the facility where the Stag-and-Doe is, if they weren't welcome there?

I live in the 413 (Pittsfield area) and Jack and Jill's are DEFINITELY the norm here! My mother, sisters and bridesmaids are already all over planning it! It's like a nice gesture from your guests to come, have fun, and yes even though they are spending money, it IS in place of the bridal shower. It can be in shower form (quiet with registry for gifts) or in party form (dancing, raffles, drinks, etc), they're definitely a big help especially since these days hardly anyone is handed a big wedding budget from the bride's family, if anything at all. No one in my area sees it as tacky, it's just what everyone does! A Jack and Jill is a dual bride-groom party in place of both the bridal shower and stag.

This is how it is here pretty much:

engagement party (optional)

bridal shower (gifts for the bride or marriage home)

stag (outing with tickets for the groom and groom's friends)

(^both events primarily for raising funds)

OR a jack & jill

bachelor/bachelorette party are additional events

(cont...) in which the respective parties well, go party.

Considering the costs for raffle prizes, party venue, food, drinks, etc... a lot of the money raised goes to funding the actual party, but everyone has a great time!