Getting into the Swing of Things

Like most of the ladies out there, the idea of wrapping myself around a pole, pretending to be sultry, in front of friends and possibly family sounded like a cringe-worthy nightmare. Then one night it really was me around that pole, it wasn’t a bad dream and my perception was forever changed.

My sister was my maid of honour and as best friends we are absolutely incapable of keeping secrets in order to surprise each other, so we agreed up front that there would be no surprise hen party and we would decide on what to do together.

Being loyal advocates of the regular girls night, we have quite a fun group of friends between us and I was certainly up for using this occasion to do something a little bit naughty instead of the boring old traditional kitchen tea. The thought of downing shots and “booty” dancing in front of my mother and future mother-in-law however, did make me feel touch queasy. Still, I had to find a way to include them because I knew that they, and some of the aunts and other older ladies in the family-friend circle, would be disappointed if we didn’t do something fun with them as well. It was clear that the only way around this was to have two parties.

Once that was resolved, my sister quickly got to planning a traditional, but fun, kitchen tea and onto some research on options for a hen party with the girls. When she suggested a pole dancing evening my first response was not exactly enthusiastic, but after considering alternatives, it just seemed like the obvious choice. It was something different, they come to your place and set everything up so there is no driving around and co-ordinating of transport, meeting points and entry fees into clubs plus it’s in the comfort of your own home or space of your choice.

Even though the invite showed what to expect, I was still a little apprehensive as to how it would be received. I had many friends, in different areas of my life, who didn’t really know each other and I was worried that it may be bit awkward for some more than others.

The night of the hen party finally arrived and the apprehension was clearly unnecessary because it was an absolute blast. We started out with a few cocktails to loosen up while the pole-dancing instructor set everything up. The instructor then explained that she would teach and demonstrate one move at a time and each of us would get a turn to do it, and at the end we would put all the moves together and do a sequence. She then demonstrated the full sequence and we made a group decision that we would definitely need to down a few shots before proceeding!

As the bride-to-be I was given a black feather boa and the honour of being the first to go after each new move. The instructor really eased us into it, starting out with simple moves like walking around the pole seductively and slinking up and down. A few moves (and shots) later everyone was having a great time, nobody was self-conscious and the instructor really knew how to motivate everyone into letting their hair down. Also, the fact that we could choose our own music helped create the atmosphere.

Doing the actual moves turned out to be rather easy, we were a group of girls of all shapes and sizes and everyone could do it. The instructor was patient and made sure that we could figure out all the angles and in the end we all looked forward to our turn on the pole.

The most challenging move was the one where you had to lift your entire body up and really swing all the way around the pole like Demi Moore in Strip Tease! It looked so overwhelming and we were all convinced that it was impossible but again, each and every one of us managed to do it well. The move that looked the hardest turned out to be the most fun to do and when it came to doing the sequences everyone went up and gave it their all.

When the pole dancing was over we were all in such good spirits and we laughed for hours at how silly we felt at first and how much fun it was in the end. Later that evening, I shared my prior apprehension with one of my close friends and I told her how much it meant to me that everyone participated and enjoyed themselves. She responded with something that made me realise that in stressing about whether it would work or not, I had totally missed the point. She said that it was silly to worry, that everybody was bound to have fun because they were there because of me and the wonderful life-changing experience that I was about to embark on. They had fun because they were there to celebrate something special with a friend.

Getting into the Swing of Things | Wedding Articles