Dominik Mystkowski had quite a struggle on his hands. Living in Pennsylvania along with most of the other groomsmen, Mystkowski was the best man for his friend Josh Gornick’s wedding and had to plan the bachelor party in Fort Collins.
That also meant creating a way for the groomsmen to meet the bride, Phoebe, and all of her bridemaids. Mystkowski didn’t want to scare the ladies off by getting plastered.
“We wanted to stay level-headed and not get too crazy. We didn’t want the typical bachelor party where we all get hammered and end up making the groom disappear to Las Vegas,” he says.
It was quite a puzzle…hmmm, a puzzle…like an escape room! He booked both rooms at the Fort Collins Escape Room and split the wedding party up. “We skipped the first three stages of meeting someone and went straight to arguing,” he says and laughs. “Arguing about how you are going to get out of a room is a great way to get to know someone.”
Only one team escaped under the hour time limit, and it wasn’t Mystkowski’s team. So don’t look for him in the shot of the winning group. “They don’t take a picture of the losers,” he says with a laugh. The bridal party went from the escape room to driving go-carts at Fort Fun.
Chris Corman, owner of the Fort Collins Escape Room, says they have hosted lots of bachelor and bachelorette parties. He says that many of the participants often end up at nearby Purpose Brewing after solving his puzzles and tricks, but he doesn’t suggest it beforehand. “We definitely suggest us as the first stop for the night,” he says.
The same goes for folks planning to throw sharp axes across the room, according to Ross Ericksen, co-owner of The Axe and Ale, an axe-throwing venue that opened in June 2020 in Fort Collins.
The Axe and Ale, Fort Collins
“We had one bachelor party want to do tequila shots before they started throwing,” he says. “We told him no and explained that was not a good idea.”
Drinking was not on the agenda for Jennifer Valasek, the matron-of-honor for her cousin Lacee Word when she planned the bachelorette party at the Axe and Ale. “Most of the bridesmaids were 10 years younger than me,” she says, adding the entire party also included the mothers of the bride and groom as well as the father of the bride driving the moms around. “We wanted an activity we all could enjoy.”
Word’s wedding was originally scheduled in 2020 but, well, we all know what happened then. Word was not happy about delaying it. Valasek suggested to Word that they go throw axes to get her anger out. That didn’t happen then, but they were still ready to throw when the event arrived in October 2021.
“For most of the girls, this was their first time throwing axes, and they had so much fun,” Valasek says. “It was just great getting everyone together and having a blast.”
The winning team of bridesmaids and groomsmen at the Fort Collins Escape Room, organized by Dominik Mystkowski.
Heather Black, regional sales manager for The Summit in Windsor, says that while The Summit has a number of fun activities, including laser tag and an arcade, most of the bridal parties who come in are in it for the bowling.
The Summit has four smaller banquet rooms for rent for such parties as well as the Eagles Nest VIP Lounge that has its own private lanes.
“Pretty much anything you want to celebrate, we can do,” she says.
