Girls just wanna have fun?

Having an engagement, mehndi, sangeet and reception party is not enough these days. Brides-to-be and their friends are getting adventurous and indulging in wild and wacky ways to bid goodbye to singlehood. And why not? What’s the harm in a little fun before you exchange vows? Wild parties, outrageous themes and a whole lot of girlie-bonding. Welcome to the latest fad in the city — the bachelorette party. Also known as hen party, hen night, kitchen tea or stagette in other parts of the world, it is given in honour of the bride-to-be as a send-off party.

Following close on the heels of the bachelor party, it looks like this custom is here to stay, no matter what the older generation thinks.

Girls, these days, are shedding their inhibitions and indulging in some risqué fun. Sample this SMS that did the rounds for a while. “Does anybody know a hunky guy who’d be willing to jump out of my friend’s bachelorette party cake?” Apparently, after weeks of cajoling and pleading, a guy finally agreed to jump out of the cake, dressed only in boxers.

While another set of girls managed to get a male stripper for their party, a student of fashion design in Bangalore and her gang of girls ordered a bachelorette party kit from the U.S., comprising a set of kinky toys, games and game ideas. The party was based on the Moulin Rouge theme and had girls dressed in outrageous costumes with masks and feather boas. Sausages were served in cigar cases, the menu had aphrodisiacs, and the décor was red and black.

Fun as it may sound, organising these risqué parties can also be quite hectic. Edna had been planning for her friend’s party for a month. Everything had been planned for except the cake. They wanted it to be in a rather suggestive shape, and a few bakeries turned down the order. “I was left with no choice but to bake it myself. Not much of a baker, I used Britannia cakes and cut them into the desired shape and used coloured icing,” grins Edna. The result was a flashy party but a sad-looking cake.

Though risqué is still in its nascent stages in Chennai, people are finding other fun ways of making their parties a success. Says fashion designer Lavina Mahbubani, who recently threw a party for her sister, Karishma: “These parties can be somewhat lurid in the West. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. My sister’s party was a hit and people enjoyed it even though it had no male strippers or explicit games. We wanted something glitzy and glamorous, and so came up with a retro Bollywood theme.”

The invitations were designed like old Hindi movie posters and the venue was done up with movie posters, life-size cut-outs of movie stars, the bar was called “daaru ka dukaan” and alcohol was served in baaltis. “The theme and games can be crazy as long as it’s something all the guests are comfortable with. Sometimes, a bachelorette party is just an excuse to get away from all the conventions of marriage and let your hair down with a few close friends,” she adds.

“Earlier, we had people coming to us for their wedding planning and bachelor parties. Of late, we have girls asking us to help them organise bachelorette parties. So, this trend of celebrating has definitely caught up in the city,” says Lakshmi Krishnakumar, who assists Sidney Sladen with his wedding planning company, Fuchsia.

While most often it is the bride’s friends and cousins who organise the party for her, in Priyanka’s case it was her mother and aunts who threw a surprise bachelorette party and the theme was “Devils and Angels.”

Horns, halos, wings, pitchfork and all the necessary accessories were ordered. The venue was resplendent with red and white lights, smoke and a huge cauldron of boiling orange liquid. “I wanted my daughter to have a memorable wedding and, as most of her friends are abroad, I planned this party to make her happy. It was a classy, enjoyable party,” says Priyanka’s mother.

If planning a party is too much of a hassle, you can also plan a getaway to de-stress. Harsha’s gang of girls took her on a surprise trip to Mumbai. They hired a limousine to move around the city. The bride really let her hair down. “After all, why should boys have all the fun?” giggles Harsha.

Victorian

Superheroes

Barbie

Imps, elves and goblins

Item girls

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