While boozy, wild bachelorette weekends can certainly be fun, not every gal group wants to spend their vacation partying. Sometimes a little creativity is in order, and travelling away or working on something with your bridesmaids is the perfect opportunity to bond in several different ways that will strengthen your relationship. Are you eager to find a way to relax before your wedding and bring your favourite friends with you? Then take a look at our suggestions and pick something that suits your personalities.
Words: Sophia Smith
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1. Nurture Your Wellbeing on a Yoga Retreat
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You’re not the only one who wants to look her best for the wedding day — all the gals are probably eager to tone their bodies and get into those tight dresses with ease, and going on a yoga retreat can really help with that. You can travel away to Italy and try a place like Revealing Vajra that’s set on a charming little estate that will offer you peace, or you can find a renowned yoga teacher like Sally Parkes in London and let her teach you how to relax as you practice your poses and tighten your bodies. Spend your weekend doing nothing but beneficial things for your health: eat well, exercise, and meditate. You’ll feel gorgeous and rejuvenated.
2. Bring Out Your Inner Adventurers on a Camping Trip
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Outdoorsy brides who long to get away from the city bustle and have a lot of nature-loving friends can definitely indulge their inner adventurer. A camping trip can be just what you need because it’s one of the quietest, most peaceful things you can do, and it creates an atmosphere that will help you bond with your bridesmaids. Setting up tents, gathering firewood, applying sunscreen to each other’s faces, and hiking down beautiful nature trails is a form of meditation, so if you’ve all been feeling stressed lately, this is a great way to unwind.
3. Organise a Cooking Event at Home
Those who can’t afford to travel anywhere can still have a perfectly relaxing wellness weekend. You can organize a cooking event where each gal should bring her best dish or snack, and then you can sit down, grab some wine and play something on Netflix. You can also use this time to pamper yourselves a bit. Prepare a basket with a few beauty goodies: a tube of luxurious hand cream, some creamy Mor body lotion, a few face masks, and maybe even hair oils. Light a few scented candles, wash your faces and apply nourishing masks, and enjoy some lighthearted movies as you simply chat and laugh together. There’s nothing like good food and beauty rituals to bring everyone together.
4. Pamper Yourselves at a Spa
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Speaking of beauty rituals, if you can afford a spa, go for it. Letting professionals take care of everything is incredibly relaxing, and there’s something quite magical about returning home with your girlfriends, all of you looking fresh, pampered, and absolutely glowy. You can go for something like the Turkish Baths spa in Harrogate where you can try traditional hammam treatments and enjoy Moorish architecture, or maybe go for Ironmonger Row in London because there you can also use a gym and work out with personal trainers. After you’re done with the spa, you can always go for a night out and show off your new confidence as you dance at the club.
5. Relieve Stress Through Crafts
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Here’s another unique idea for all the crafty friend groups out there. Making paper flowers, making flower arrangements, embroidering, sewing, knitting, or any other type of creative work is genuinely therapeutic. The point isn’t to create something spectacular but to relax as you work on a project. If you’re very skilled then you can end up, for example, making your own jewellery for the wedding, or creating your own bouquet. The best thing about this is that you can travel away anywhere you like — why not take a cooking class in Greece and enjoy the sea breeze? Why not learn to paint from a French artist? Regardless of whether you find a workshop in your own town or actually go to a foreign country, it’s easy to modify this vacation however you like.
Whatever you pick, make sure that everyone in the group is eager to do it. You can talk to your bridesmaids and organize a poll to pick the best activity, or if you’re eager for more than one experience, pick a few of these suggestions and do a different one each week.