Most bridal showers happen in the same three places: a restaurant private room with a fixed two-hour slot, someone's backyard with rented chairs, or a rented banquet hall that smells like the event before yours. None of those feel special. The bride deserves a place that actually feels like somewhere.
Fernwood Hills is a private nature property 10 minutes from London — 40 acres of Carolinian forest, a 1,200 sq ft farmhouse with a full working kitchen, an outdoor deck, a fire pit, and trails that lead nowhere but quiet. It's available for exclusive use: when your group is here, the property is entirely yours.
Why a Private Property Works Better
Restaurants give you a room and a clock. You have 90 minutes for your party before the next reservation. You can't move between spaces, you can't linger, and the ambient noise of the dining room leaks through the partition wall the whole time.
A private property changes the whole texture of the day. There's no staff hovering to turn the table. No other guests walking past. The space bends to the group instead of the group bending to the space. That's the difference between hosting and renting a time slot.
The Farmhouse
The Farmhouse is the natural heart of a bridal shower at Fernwood. It's 1,200 sq ft with a long harvest table that seats 12 comfortably, a full working kitchen, and French doors that open onto the outdoor deck. The deck overlooks the property — mature trees, garden, open sky.
The kitchen is the real secret. Groups that cook together as part of the day — a group brunch, a baking activity, a cocktail-making session — end up with something more memorable than a catered lunch eaten in silence. If your group wants to use the kitchen, it's there. If you'd rather have everything handled, Manna does that too.
Manna by Fernwood Hills
Manna is the farm-to-table catering sub-brand we run on-property. Bridal showers typically book a brunch or a full afternoon spread — charcuterie, seasonal salads, warm dishes built from local producers. The kitchen is 20 feet from the table, so the food arrives at the right temperature and the pace of the meal is relaxed.
Manna runs at $85 per person per day for all meals. For a half-day event, that usually means one main spread plus grazing boards. We'll talk through what fits your group when you inquire.
What a Bridal Shower Day Looks Like Here
- Morning arrival — Coffee and pastries on the deck while the property wakes up
- Outdoor photos in the forest — The trails offer soft light and natural backdrops; no photographer has complained yet
- Farmhouse activity — Group cooking, flower arranging, games around the harvest table
- Manna lunch — Seasonal spread, served at the harvest table or on the deck
- Afternoon in the garden — Gifts, conversation, sprawl
- Fire pit close — If the timing works, an evening fire is one of the better ways to end a day together
Logistics
We accommodate up to 25 guests for daytime events. The property is available as a half-day (4 hours) or full day, and the price is for exclusive use — the whole property, not just a room. No other events are booked on your date.
Fernwood Hills is at 9533 Oxbow Drive, Komoka, Ontario. That's 10 minutes from London via Highway 402, with parking for 10–15 vehicles on the property. Most guests drive from London; some come from Strathroy or St. Thomas.
If the bride and a few close guests want to extend the celebration, overnight accommodation is available in the Adler Cabin and the Bracken Cabin, each sleeping 2. It turns a bridal shower into a proper weekend send-off.
How to Book
Bridal showers at Fernwood are booked through inquiry — we'll confirm your date, headcount, and what you'd like included. Most groups book 4–8 weeks in advance. Spring and summer dates fill faster.