Now that you and the bride have either laid things out on the table or you've accepted that there are just certain things you're not going to get away with, even at your own bachelor party, how are you going to get through this event without getting in trouble?

Easy. You're a big boy. Set your own margins for the evening, and stay in control of your faculties.

Know how much alcohol you can drink without falling over. In other words, don't accept shot after shot after beer after beer.

Other women? Off limits, babe — with the possible exception of tipping a dancer.

Have an alternative method of transportation — like a cab — in mind. Don't depend on your wild friends to take you home when you've had enough. You're stranded with them until you've proved you can still party like a single guy.

Not the night you had in mind? Picture these two very different mornings-after: The first one with you being able to remember exactly how you got home, and everything that happened the night before; the other one with you waking up in some dude's apartment, reeking of something foul (is it you or the apartment?), and knowing that you'll have some explaining to do when you find your way back to your fiancée, who will be waiting.