Planning Your Wedding

A hen to remember

A hen to remember

Hen party ideas across Cornwall, Devon & Dorset

Bid farewell to singledom in so-you style. We’ve picked out our favourite hen activities from across the South-west



For spa-loving hens
HATHERLEY SPA & WELLNESS EXPERIENCES

From chic city abode to country gem, booking a property for your dearest friends to gather, bond and celebrate this special chapter in your life is a popular option for hen parties. Why not add a blissful element to proceedings with the luxurious mobile spa services of Hatherley Spa & Wellness Experiences?

The Plymouth-based team will bring their expertise – together with soft lighting, soothing scents, tranquil music and a cosy couch – to create an ambient spa-like experience in the comfort of your accommodation. Choose from a heavenly range of treatments comprising an extensive choice of facials and tailor-made massages (hot stones is a favourite) – and maybe even indulge in a yoga session.

plymouthbeautysalon.co.uk/pages/experiences

For spa-loving hens
HEN SPA BREAK AT ST MICHAELS RESORT

Located within pebble-hurling distance of Falmouth’s Gyllyngvase Beach, St Michaels Resort is a dream setting for a hen weekend. Beyond the silken sands and ocean vistas, the resort offers idyllic subtropical gardens, contemporary interiors and delicious menus brimming with local produce. Then there’s the award-winning spa, which boasts a large hydrotherapy pool, hydrothermal experiences and bespoke treatments as well as a spa garden featuring an outdoor hot tub, cold plunge pool and barrel sauna.

The Spa Garden Lodges make a luxurious setting for unwinding with your friends and savouring the dreaminess of this seaside sanctuary. Combining gorgeously styled interiors, calming hues and outdoor bathtubs, the interconnecting doors on private outdoor terraces provide a communal outdoor space. Relax in the pool, tuck into flavoursome food and lounge on the spa deck with drinks in hand for the dreamiest stay in this Cornish paradise.


stmichaelsresort.com

For crafty hens
LINNET WORKSHOPS

Get creative on your hen do and dabble in a block printing session with Linnet Workshops. Designed around your individual requirements, venue or any themes you may wish to include, tutor Grace Coombes will guide you through the whole process from designing and carving to printing your lino blocks onto paper or fabric.

From botanical inspired block printing to creating cards, prints, notebooks, bags, tea towels and even your own wedding stationery or table accessories, you can look forward to a relaxed and fun-filled affair – and gorgeous keepsakes to take home to boot!


linnetworkshops.co.uk

For hat-loving hens
HEADPIECE WORKSHOP WITH HOLLY YOUNG MILLINERY

Dabble with your inner creative and have a go at crafting your own hair accessories to wear on a night out – or the wedding day itself – at a workshop with Cornwall-based milliner Holly Young. Choose from cocktail hats, festival-ready pompom flower headdresses, knotted headbands, feather hair clips, buttonholes and lapel pins – or a bespoke workshop tailored to your taste.


Taking place at her studio in Veryan or a location of your choice, Holly will provide materials and tuition – you’ll just have to enjoy a relaxed crafting session with your friends and look forward to a beautiful creation to take home. 



hollyyoung.co.uk

For gin-swilling hens
SALCOMBE GIN SCHOOL

Gin-loving hens will delight in a visit to Salcombe Gin School. Offering exclusive use of the school with private sessions tailored to the individual requirements of the group, you’ll take charge of your own mini copper pot still and develop and distil your very own 70cl bottle of gin. Learn all about the production process while enjoying a classic ‘Salcombe & Tonic’ and, once your creation is complete, it will be bottled and placed in a presentation box with a personalised label. Your experience will conclude in the scenic waterside bar as you sink another shot of your signature gin topped with garnishes and tonics hand-picked to complement your recipe.


salcombegin.com

For adventurous hens
CAMEL SKI SCHOOL

A veritable water sports playground nestled on the banks of the Camel estuary on the north Cornwall coast, Camel Ski School offers the perfect combination of adventure, exhilaration and memorable bonding time in a dreamily scenic setting. The school offers waterskiing, wakeboarding and wake surfing behind a specialist Axis T220 boat as well as stand-up paddleboarding, inflatable rides, kayaking and boat charters.

And the best bit? The school has its own island – the Doom Bar Zero Island – floating in the heart of the estuary, which makes an unforgettable setting for a private party. Pull up by boat and enjoy a feast to remember. It might be brunch (perhaps after an island yoga session), lunch, a barbecue or fish and chips washed down with your favourite tipples as the sun sets behind the ocean.


camelskischool.com

For zen hens
CLAIRE BOWRINGJody Martin Photography

Experienced bridal make-up artist and yoga teacher Claire Bowring has launched The Zen Do – a wholesome and heart-filled activity for your hen weekend – for hens seeking some chilled-out time together amidst the pre-wedding shenanigans.

Freckle Photography

Tailored to your preferences, Claire’s yoga and wellbeing packages include a personalised yoga class (gentle strength vinyasa, flowing hatha style or relaxing yin yoga) and guided meditation followed by herbal teas when you’ll write a little something on a notecard for the bride as a keepsake. Smaller groups then enjoy a hands-on therapy (choose from a facial or range of massages), while larger groups will be guided on self-massage techniques using Neal’s Yard Remedies Organic Skincare.

Freckle Photography

You might choose to upgrade to access to Claire’s Moments of Calm videos and enjoy an at-home spa experience using products in her Neal’s Yard goodie bags. Whatever option you choose, you’re sure to emerge feeling relaxed, restored, uplifted – and truly connected with your dearest friends.


Photos by Jim
clairebowring.co.uk

BRIDAL CIRCLE WITH CHILL WOMEN
Becca Tapert

If you’re drawn to the idea of a deeply meaningful experience to mark your transition into married life in the company of your favourite women, Chantelle Hill of Chill Women conducts beautifully memorable bridal circles. “A blessing circle is a way to acknowledge the love and ties between you (the bride) and existing family members and friendships, as you prepare to become a partnership with your loved one,” explains Chantelle.


Edz Norton

“It is a wonderful way to start your marital journey in a sacred space where you feel held, supported and loved by your tribe.” Held at a venue of your choice, the blessing will include meditation, sharing stories and wisdom, oracle cards, a ritual in honour of the happy couple and some delicious treats to close and seal the blessings. 


photo_nic


Annie Spratt
chillwomen.co.uk

For outdoorsy hens
LAND & WAVE

Channel your inner Bear Grylls in an idyllic wooded corner of Dorset with the Ultimate Hen Package from outdoor adventure company Land & Wave.

Featuring an overnight woodland camp out and the opportunity to learn survival and bushcraft skills such as shelter building, fire lighting, axe throwing and archery – with hiking and wild swimming thrown in for good measure – this package promises an exhilarating experience as you connect with nature and each other in sublime surrounds.

Complete with cake and a feast around the campfire, you’re sure to make some magical memories in the woods.



landandwave.co.uk 

For sweet-toothed hens  
AFTERNOON TEA AT UGLY BUTTERFLY

Set on the beach tantalisingly close to the golden sands and clear waters, prepare to feel thoroughly spoilt from the moment you arrive at Ugly Butterfly and take in the breathtaking ocean panoramas across Carbis Bay. The Cornish restaurant of celebrated Masterchef winner Adam Handling is a dream of an experience from start to finish. Picture a tower of dainty sandwiches (the cheese and pickle was to die for), the prettiest cakes and (think flavours of banoffee, carrot and lemon) made with the finest Cornish produce served alongside sea views and possibly the most delicious glass of fizz you’ll ever taste. The highlight of a very special hen celebration.

uglybutterfly.co.uk

For luxe-loving hens
HEN PARTY SPECIAL AT POLURRIAN ON THE LIZARD

Does a blissful stay in a contemporary clifftop retreat sound like your idea of hen heaven? Boasting sweeping views across Mount’s Bay, Polurrian on the Lizard offers a heady combo of dizzyingly beautiful scenery, luxe interiors and facilities ranging from a gym and hot tub to a tennis court and indoor and outdoor pools.

The hotel’s hen party package includes chilled Prosecco or a signature cocktail on arrival, a one-night stay with dinner, bed and breakfast and a cocktail-making session. Treatments round off the delights (a 30 minute-treatment for each hen and an hour for the bride-to-be) as well as full use of the Health Club facilities throughout the stay. Heavenly indeed.


polurrianhotel.com

For boot-scootin’ hens
WILD WEST HEN PARTY AT MANHAY FARM

Eaton Photography

Saddle up for a hen to remember at Manhay Farm, where the new Wild West themed hen parties see the venue’s rustic barn transformed into a honky-tonk heaven, complete with a mechanical bull ride, garden games, hay bales and neon lights. Enjoy a welcome drink on arrival – signature cocktails Cowboy Crush and Honky Tonk Twist are favourites – followed by a line-dancing lesson and rodeo skill challenge on the mechanical bull. Play the likes of giant Jenga and tin can shy, groove to your favourite dance floor-fillers and gather around the firepit for marshmallow kebabs.


Additional options include your choice of catering (popular choices include a grazing table, hog roast or street food truck), beer or prosecco pong, a rustic photo booth with a Wild West backdrop, a soak in a Helsinki Lazy Z Spa – or even a cheeky cowboy appearance, barn dance band or DJ. Each hen will receive a cowgirl hat home as a fun keepsake of the yee-haw filled fun.




weddingcornwall.co.uk

For dancing queen hens
HEN CLASS WITH HENBIZ

For hens who want to learn a new skill or bust some moves, a fun class with Henbiz is the perfect way to kickstart the revelry with a bang. Choose from Bollywood Dance, hula-hooping and aerial and circus skills where you’ll be introduced to silks, hoops or trapeze alongside juggling and gentle acrobatics. Award-winning circus performer Lisa Truscott is open to your fun-filled ideas and can tailor your workshop to your fancy, whether it’s cheerleading, ’90s dance, burlesque or Dirty Dancing!


henbiz.com

For creative hens
CANDLE WORKSHOP AT BRYLUEN BOTANICALS

Immerse your bride tribe in a captivating world of scent at Bryluen Botanicals in St Ives. The owner of the candle workshop and flower emporium, Victoria Lawley Gibbs, will guide you through the process of creating your own unique scent and the art of candle-making using soy wax and essential oil blends.



The process starts with exploring your favourite perfumes – and maybe even creating a special scent that symbolises your friendship and coming together for the occasion – before blending the different essential oils to create a bespoke fragrance for each person in the group. It is then combined with soy wax and poured into a candle to create a treasured keepsake of the day – and, with the unique fragrance combinations recorded in Bryluen’s ledger, each one can be reordered and enjoyed again and again, stirring memories of this cherished day long into the future.



bryluen.com

SQUAD STYLE
Dress to impress on your hen do with these party-ready looks…

Charlotte Mills

Renowned for her gorgeous handcrafted bridal shoes, Charlotte Mills has unveiled a seriously chic collection of hen party dresses. From swing dresses dripping in sequins to spotlight-stealing bow trim minis, you’re sure to dazzle on the dance floor in these fashion-forward designs. And the Billie sequin bomber jacket is a must for the hen party, wedding day and beyond!


charlottemills.com

Ginger Ray

Ginger Ray’s new collection of hen weekend wearables includes pieces for celebrations of all styles: think floral veils and crowns, pearl-dotted bows, cowgirl hats and showstopping bride hats embellished with rhinestones, sequins and pearls. So fun!



gingerray.co.uk

Gigi & Olive

Whether it's a pair of statement Bride earrings, sheer bow gloves, a heart-trimmed veil or a build your own cowgirl hat, the hen party collection from Gig & Olive will ensure you look seriously stylish for the duration of the celebrations.


gigiandolive.com

Main image Eaton Photography
words Rebecca Matthews

 



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