This is no ordinary ladies night, but a bachelorette party for the bride-to-be, who is anything but coy.
As the wedding season gets set to kick-off brides and bridegrooms, turn to their friends to ensure that they're given a chance to enjoy one last single's partyIt’s difficult to ignore the palpable excitement that cuts across the brightly lit room, filled with well-dressed women, sipping on cocktails and munching on hors de oeuvres. But all eyes are on the make-shift platform, as some good-looking, well-built men get on and start performing — stripping, actually, to the beat of the music.
This is no ordinary ladies night, but a bachelorette party for the bride-to-be, who is anything but coy.
Male strippers and that hint of risqué behaviour are slowly become a staple at bachelorette/hen parties. The last single night no longer belongs to man alone — women, too, are going all out for one last party.
Preeti Makker isn’t going to forget her bachelorette party in a hurry. "My hen party was organised by my boss, and she called all my close friends. The cake was phallic-shaped, and no one could take their eyes off it, that is, until the stripper showed up. But he didn't strip too much, he just danced for us. Thank god! It was definitely a party to remember," smiles Makker. She says that all her friends wanted to order a similar cake for their parties.
Usually, most wedding-related parties are organised by a wedding planner, but the ones DNA spoke to, say that they have yet to organise a "full-on" bachelorette party. Instead, common requests include performances by trained belly dancers, and themed parties like Bollywood night, Casino night, etc.
"After the release of Om Shanti Om, many people wanted it as a theme for their parties. The 60s and 80s is a popular theme for a bachelor party," says Rajiv Dhuri, managing director of SM Creation.
Even bachelor parties are taking a more sexy turn, and where once it was only for single men, these days, greying, married men, too, are invited to share in the fun.
And the venues have become swankier and more secluded with farmhouses being the most sought after. "Farm houses are expensive as they are away from the city," says Rahul Verma, wedding planner. "The cost of these bachelor parties could be anything between Rs1-2 lakh, and can go on all through the night."
Boats and yachts, too, are becoming popular venues. In fact, most people now prefer to avoid hosting their bachelor/bachelorette parties at hotels, due to increasing costs, high taxes, and the time limit. "Boats are an option that is widely approved of, and a party there can cost up to Rs2 lakh. However, it has to end at midnight," says Dhuri.
The new trend is to hire professional belly dancers — international or local — limited to five to six women. Sheila Pradhan (name changed) performs at such parties, but is choosy over her choice of clients. "I select my parties carefully. I have some permanent clients, and I trust them," she says.
She agrees that with bachelor parties, the men are prone to "misbehaving" and become "difficult to handle".
"They think we are call girls, but we are not. We just perform and leave," she says. These girls are paid anything between Rs25,000 and Rs2 lakh, and operate through a trusted agent.
With the wedding season in full swing, brides- and grooms-to-be are going all out to enjoy their last day of freedom.
h_namita@dnaindia.net 
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