The end of an era? One major wedding tradition could be on the way out

For couples preparing for their wedding, a hen or stag do is a must - or so we thought.

A chance for a bride and groom to blow off steam with their closest friends and family in the run-up to the big day, they're supposed to just be a bit of craic. In the last few years, hens and stags have become a big part of wedding planning and for many the traditional night out is now a weekend (or even longer) away either at home or abroad. Activities, food and drinks and all of the bells and whistles (i.e. penis-shaped stuff) that come with sending your friend off into married life all mean that going on a hen or stag has become pretty costly. That might be why couples seem to be losing interest in them. A new survey in the UK reveals that fewer than one in five people reckons that having a hen or a stag do is important. It's not the only wedding custom that's falling out of favour, according to the research by F. Hinds. Wedding favours aren't a big deal to most people, with just nine per cent saying they think they're important. Meanwhile, just ten per cent of people think that the bride's family should pay for the wedding as per tradition. Even wedding rings could be on the way out as just 37 per cent of those surveyed said that they thought rings were important.