FI is in the process of planning a bachelor party for a buddy of his getting married in a few months. I was running through our next few weeks with FMIL and brought up the bachelor party.
She was curious about it and asked who would be involved. I told her that FI's buddy's BM is in New Orleans so FI and the other groomsman are planning everything but that it would probably include other friends in the area. She was shocked that FI's buddy, we'll call him Mike for simplicity's sake, Mike's uncles, brother and dad wouldn't be included. When I brought up the fact that Mike's family are all out of state and Mike, FI and the other groomsman are a unique bunch for whom a bachelor party simply means any other night hanging out playing video games and card games, just with more food, I pointed out that I wasn't sure how many people beyond FI and Mike's social circle that would appeal to.
She asked me "Well what about the money?" I said "What money?" and she informed me that the bachelor party is where the Groom's family gives money to the groom to help them start a new life. I had never heard this before in my life...like ever. And when I asked my mom about it, she said "Not in Oklahoma it's not."
So here's my question. Is this standard protocol for bachelor parties? is it a regional thing? is it an old fashioned thing? Everything I've found about bachelor parties makes no mention of this so I'm honestly curious where this came from and if it's something we should do.