Girls’ Night In: Fabulous Ideas for Fun & Relaxation

Hosting a girls’ night is a fun and budget-friendly way to catch up and keep in touch with the ladies in your life that matter most. Hosting at home gives you more time to hang out with your friends, fewer interruptions, and total control over your environment, guest list, and activities. 

From classic movie nights revisiting your childhood favorites to celebrating your friendships with fun and fresh 818 drinks, hosting the perfect girls’ night is ideal for relaxing, recharging, and reconnecting when life feels a little too stressful or overwhelming. 

The Invite List

As with any party or get-together, the invite list is almost as important as the event itself. As we get older, we tend to make friends across multiple friendship groups, which often causes us to think a little more carefully about how to invite people to events. 

Whether your guests know each other before the evening or not, choose friends you know will get along, help create a safe and supportive environment, are good conversationalists, and are open to joining any activity you plan. 

Pick a Theme

Picking a theme is not an absolute must for your next girls’ night, but it is a fantastic tool for bringing your ideas to life. It gives you a clear direction when planning activities, preparing food offerings, and deciding on music without having to overthink or over plan your night. It also gives your guests a fun reason to dress up. 

Ideally, you want the people you invite to fully embrace your chosen theme and the fun activities you plan alongside it, but don’t force anyone to participate should they choose not to. If you plan an activity that will cost money to join, like buying painting kits, ask ahead of time to get a count of who will definitely take part.

Build the Mood

Think carefully about your party planning to create an extra special and welcoming environment for your guests. Simple and inexpensive decorations, like small flower arrangements and theme-inspired table props and streamers, will go a long way in setting a party mood. It is more important to spend your money on the event experience than on the event decor. 

Build a fun playlist to play in the background to encourage conversation and mingling, which is especially important for guests meeting for the first time. Use color and existing decor to create an on-theme atmosphere, and ensure you have enough comfortable seating to accommodate everyone so nobody feels divided or left out by having to stand or sit away from the group. 

Food is a Must

Absolutely no party is complete without food. While movie nights can be accommodated with classic cinema snacks, food and drink are fairly essential components, so it's important to have a few easy recipes ready to go. Depending on the age of your guests and personal preferences, you can choose to serve alcohol. Regardless, you should offer options like soft drinks, non-alcohol mixers, water, and simple juices to give everyone a good selection.  

The easiest and most practical way to prepare and serve food to a group of friends is to provide a small selection of tasty finger foods and practically anything that can be served on a stick. This makes it easy to pick and choose throughout the evening without dedicating time to a sit-down meal. Include both savory and sweet dishes and accommodate any dietary needs that your guests may have. 

Fun Ideas

While the highlight of your evening should always be the fantastic company you surround yourself with, choosing a fun and stress-free activity that isn't too difficult or expensive to enjoy will create many memorable moments. 

Painting Night

Hosting a casual and fun painting night is a wonderful way to let everyone get creative regardless of their skill level. You can opt to use a step-by-step tutorial guide, which is incredibly beneficial for providing a theme and helpful instructions for those who don’t know anything about painting to join in the fun. 

Alternatively, your group can decide on a theme on the night and unleash their inner artists. Whatever activity you choose to do at your girls’ night should be relaxed and easy-going. Remind your guests that a fun and enjoyable evening is far more important than a perfect work of art. 

A Pamper Party

If life has been a little too stressful and busy lately, the perfect way to end a crazy week is to enjoy a pamper party with your besties. Give the entire group the night off by practicing essential self-care with a pampering and relaxing spa night. 

You can include essentials like face masks, soothing candles, calming mood music, and manicure must-haves, including a small range of colorful polishes. Spa night is the ideal opportunity to support a local small business, as handmade soaps, bath bombs, and candles are the ultimate party favors. 

Classic Movie Night

There are very things better in life than gathering your closest girlfriends and indulging in a chick flick movie night. Whether you choose to throw it back to the golden days of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, swoon over the romance of The Notebook, or wait for the rain to fall during A Cinderella Story, the magic of nostalgia and the opportunity to bond with your friends in a relaxed and comfortable environment makes for a winning combination. 

If you know your friend groups enjoy a good chat, opt for a film that everyone loves but has seen before. This way, nobody is at risk of missing important dialogue should a lively conversation break out. Encourage a ‘ no phones’ policy to keep everyone present and in the moment.