A night out for the girls

Bridal showers are the latest trend in wedding celebrations.

KARACHI:

Dholkis have long been a big part of our wedding festivities. At these events, the newlyweds dance and party with her family and friends in anticipation of their big day. But bridal showers are now the hip and happening trend during wedding celebrations.

While dholkis end up being huge family affairs, bridal showers are entirely organised by close friends of the bride. Thus the ambience at these affairs is less formal, and the bride is able to let her guard down. She can bond, gossip and dance endlessly with her girls without any qualms. Just like the bridegroom lets loose with his buddies at a bachelor party.

And most of these events are quite nicely done. Little memorable treats are handed out to the guests on their way out. Boxed giveaways, filled with chocolates and other trinkets going with the party theme, are given away to the merrymakers.

When 25-year-old Moomal Effendi, a corporate employee was about to tie the knot in January, her friends threw her a bridal shower, also known as a bachelorette’s party. Effendi recalls the night as a thoroughly enjoyable one. “It was a stress-free event, and one that was a complete surprise,” she says with a smile. Her friends kept it simple and cost-effective by planning it at home. But the newly wed says that there is great potential for event managing companies to tap into the market for these pre-wedding events.

“Having a company organise such events in a customised manner is great because people are generally busy these days. An event management company can meet all your demands in the proper style.”

Saba Quadri, who is a managing partner at Tri-Angles, an event management company, explains why bridal showers are now suddenly in vogue in Pakistan.

“A lot has to do with young people coming from abroad and settling down in their home country. They have certainly imported this trend in Pakistan,” she explains.

“Only recently we did a bridal shower, with the theme that was pink,” the entrepreneur says, while talking about her own company.

“We even organised a bridal shower for a woman who was here from Africa. It was a grand affair,” she says enthusiastically. “Her friends suggested she go for an elaborate African animal theme. But the bride decided that it was too bold a theme for her and instead opted for a peacock theme,” Quadri explained.

With the trend of these events on the rise, it remains to be seen what the upcoming wedding season has to offer. However, one thing is for certain: Whether it’s a grand affair or a small get-together, the bridal shower or bachelorette’s party seems to be a welcome event where the bride is able to relax and let her hair down completely.

A bride’s tale

Zaynab Shakir from Lahore narrates her experience of her bridal shower:

My bachelorette party –cum-bridal shower was organised by my best friends, a little more than a month before my wedding. Since I was going nuts arranging dance practices and rushing to tailors and dyers, it came as a complete surprise to me. I was impressed at how well-coordinated and well-executed the whole plan was, since there were only 10 members on the organising committee (each one with her own ideas, I’m sure).

Ten of my best friends bombarded my place in the evening wearing identical black t-shirts reading “Zaynab’s entourage”, which had been designed by my dear friends. I was also made to wear one and hijacked into a stretch limo that was waiting outside. We drove to the Royal Elephant in style where we had a posh dinner. This was followed by a sleepover where we played an assortment of bachelorette games, imaginatively created by my dear friends.  This was followed by a cake cutting ceremony of a special cheesecake – quite a special treat- made my friend, Mamjoo. The revelry continued into the wee hours of the night, highlighted by special dance performances by my talented friends (the details of which shall remain undisclosed!). All in all it was a fabulous night, organised and spent with the people I love the most. And it made me feel truly special!

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2011.