Tips for planning the ultimate girl’s night

I don’t know about you, but having a get-together with your girlfriends is a crucial occasion in my books. Spending an evening relaxing with your besties, watching movies, eating junk food and just having a fun time is necessary to surviving all the stresses of the real world. In fact, I think a girl’s night now and then should be compulsory. 

So I know that the world is still in lockdown/quarantine mode, and you might be wondering why I’m giving you tips for planning an event that isn’t exactly possible. Well, I wrote a blog post a while back to honour the girl’s night in my best friend, and I would have had if lockdown hadn’t started (if you haven’t read it, be sure to check it out here), and that got me thinking … As much fun as a girl’s night in can be, it does require a small bit of planning and sometimes planning, and organising can be stressful. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to share some tips for planning your ultimate girl’s night (complete with ways to prepare a quarantine/social-distancing friendly version) so that the entire experience can be fun, easy and stress-free from start to finish. Also, it’s a fun way to get excited for a great night with your girls once the pandemic has calmed down and you can even start planning ahead of time … now without further ado, here are some tips for planning your ultimate girl’s night. 

Set it up 

Okay, probably one of the most significant stresses that come with having a great girl’s night in is finding a date and time that suits everyone. All of us have got so much going on in our lives and have such different schedules that planning is pretty crucial to making sure you get your night into your calendar. So, before you start thinking of anything else, message your besties and find a night that suits everyone. Weekends tend to work best for most people, but if you all discover that you have a Thursday night open, then schedule it in! Once that’s done, be sure to set reminders/send everyone invites just in case the craziness of everything leads to forgetfulness. That way, everyone will know way ahead of time when your girl’s night is, and they can get excited about it.

Plan and prep 

The key to prepping for any event, particularly one like this, is to keep it simple and casual. At the end of the day, you and the girls are getting together to relax and de-stress, so making things overly complicated is not going to achieve that stress-free glow now is it? Simple and casual means you limit stress. 

Now is also the time to decide if you’re having a theme (by the way if you want me to do posts about themed girl’s nights – for example, a spa-themed night or a healthy girls night – please let me know in the comments!) so that you can prep your space accordingly. For instance, if you’re having a spa evening, you’ll need to get face masks/nail polishes ready. Or, if you don’t have a particular theme in mind, you can still add a few special touches like vases of flowers or colour-coordinated crockery to make the evening a bit more special. 

Once all that’s done, then you need to prep your space. Tidy up the area you’ll be using – even though they’re your besties, I don’t think you want them seeing your grubby laundry or dirty dishes. Make sure your space is nice and clean, then make it cosy with blankets, plushies and pillows. No girl’s night is complete without extreme levels of comfort, and that can only be achieved by obscene amounts of blankets, plushies and pillows. 

(P.S. be sure to have spare blankets ready in case people get chilly. The biggest mood killer is everyone being all comfy watching a movie together and then the evening chill sets in and you have to fight over the few blankets available.) 

Hydration 

The experts tell us that the key to health is proper hydration, and you guys will be having so much fun together that you’ll need some drinks handy. You don’t want to risk losing too many fluids and getting dehydrated right? The best way to sort out drinks is to make sure you have enough, and a nice mix to suit everyone. Whether it is wine, kombucha, tea or homemade cocktails, be sure that you’ve got enough to keep everyone hydrated. My best friend and I usually make a massive pot of chai tea, but we’ve also been threatening to try our hand at chocolate martinis so maybe next time we’ll actually make them. If you’re worried about quantity, you could always ask everyone to bring a bottle of something, or ingredients for their favourite cocktail – that way, you don’t have to stress about getting everything, and you get to bond over cocktail making (if that’s your thing – if it isn’t, bonding over chai tea is still amazing).

Nourishment 

Next to hydration, you also need sustenance to get through all the fun. You don’t want anyone dropping because of low blood sugar. Finger foods and snacks always go down well, and everyone loves a good nibble to keep the conversation going, so make sure you have a nice array of snacks that everyone enjoys. If you’re having a long night, you might need more than snacks so be sure to think about if you’re going to make food, have everyone bring something, or order in. The trick though is not to obsess about food so that you end up getting stuck in the kitchen during your party. Choose what’s easy – either easy for you to put together or something that you can pick up/order. 

Also, don’t forget the desserts. DESSERTS ARE CRUCIAL! A successful girl’s night in is not complete without large quantities of sugar in any shape or form. So whether it’s chocolate, actual desserts/pastries, ice cream sundaes or cookies that you all bake together, be sure to include lots and lots of sugar in your evening. It may be unhealthy, but it makes everything better – I promise. 

Entertainment 

Now Netflix is never a bad idea, and it’s a great form of entertainment for a girl’s night, but why not go retro? You could have everyone bring an old favourite, or you could choose a selection and nominate one that you can all enjoy together. You could even select some beforehand to suit the mood (you know your besties and whether you’re due for a chick flick marathon, some animations or a rerun of your favourite musical movies). 

Don’t forget special effects 

The small little extras can make such a big difference in having a good night and a great night. One thing I’d suggest is having a camera ready, maybe even a polaroid, so that you can capture all the fantastic memories you’ll make. Also, keep some other options, like board games, at hand so that you don’t have to rush about frantically to search for things. Lastly, include some little luxuries that are ready to go like face masks, mani/pedi equipment or a pair of fluffy socks for everyone. Those small touches will make your night even more special, and it will make the night stand out in your friend’s memory. 

Enjoy your night! 

Once your girlfriends arrive, all your hard work is done. Just relax and enjoy everything that you’ve prepared – you’ve put in all the hard work now it is time to toss the apron, kick off your shoes, peel off the skinny jeans and climb into something cosy so you can enjoy your night with your friends. If you want, you could even say no to phones so you can completely immerse yourself without any unnecessary distractions. It’s your one night with your friends – phone calls and emails can wait until tomorrow. Now all you need to do is sit back with your best friends and some snacks and have the best evening ever.

*Quarantine Prep

Okay, but what happens if you can’t quite wait until lockdown ends to enjoy your ultimate girl’s night? You shouldn’t have to miss out just because we all have to stay at home and practice social distancing. So, why not have a virtual girl’s night? You can watch movies while on the phone, or you could have a little spa evening via video call. The way to prep for this is first to arrange the night because you still have to make time for it. Next, make sure your device is charged, deliver anything required to your friends (for instance if you’re doing spa treatments you can drop off some facemasks and nail polish), have your snacks and whatever else you need ready then get comfy and make the call. 

And so there you have it! I know this post isn’t particularly helpful right now, but hopefully, it could be a source of inspiration for the future. You could start planning your ultimate girl’s night for when quarantine ends (if so I hope this post was helpful), use this to help sort out a virtual date with your friends or use it for ideas if you’re looking for something fun to do yourself (who doesn’t love snuggling up with a carton of ice cream to rewatch your favourite movies). I hope you all had fun reading today’s blog post – I really had fun writing it, and it’s got my mind buzzing for fun girl’s nights I can do in the future. If you enjoyed this post and are now looking for possible things to do on your ultimate girl’s night in, you can check out my post about that here. As always, thank you all so much for reading. Please don’t forget to hit that little like button and subscribe, so you don’t miss out on any future blog posts (and if you have any advice for an amateur blogger like myself, I’m always looking for help). Also, if you’re interested in doing a guest post, I’d love to have you so please pop me a message in the comments section or contact me! I hope you all have a fabulous day.

Lots of Love

Blondey on a Mission xxx