How To Host a Fun Girls’ Night In [+ 6 Ladies’ Night Ideas]
Is it way past time you got the girls together? Hosting a girls night is a fun way to catch up, keep in touch, and have a blast. And when you host it at home rather than going out, you have more time to hang out with fewer interruptions and full control over the decor, food, and music.
Here are all the tips and tricks to create the best girls’ night in, plus six specific ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
Invite Your Best Girlfriends
The invite list is almost as important as the event plan itself. Choose friends who all get along, lift each other up without question, tell great stories, and are willing to jump into whatever activities you plan. Whether you go with cheesy, traditional, or experimental festivities, you need a squad who will throw themselves into your event and not try to sit on the sidelines.
As we all know, getting people together can be challenging when everyone has a busy schedule. So, choose your event date early to make sure your guests can make it. Work through any calendar conflicts the group has as soon as possible so your event gets the green light from all your invitees.
Choose a Theme and One Main Activity To Bring It Together
Themes really help make your girls’ night ideas come to life. Not only is it fun, but it’s a time-saver, helping you decide which foods to prepare, music to play, and a main activity to do without overthinking or overplanning. A theme also gives everyone a fun reason to dress up or keep it casual.
Examples of Great Girls’ Night Party Themes
The theme could be inspired by your activity of choice, or you could plan your activity to go with the theme. Here are some party ideas for a fun girls’ night:
- Taco Tuesday
- Holiday/Seasonal Celebration
- Color-based (Red and black, gold, etc.)
- Costume Party
- Pajama Jam
- World Traveler (Paris, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, etc)
- Masquerade
- Little Black Dress
- Carnival
- ‘50s Diner
- Girl Power
Recommended Reading: How to Have an Epic Bachelorette Paint Party (Supplies, Ideas, and More)
Avoid Stress by Keeping the Vibe Casual
Having a theme doesn’t mean you should be stressed or spend a small fortune. Not every girls’ night has to be super fancy or filled with costumes. Whichever theme you pick, the night could still include everyone’s comfiest pair of sweats, favorite music, and ready-to-eat snacks (hint: go for prepackaged).
A casual vibe helps create a relaxed mood and pleasant ambiance. You can minimize the decorating and clean-up, since the whole point is to spend quality time with your girlfriends.
Tips and Tricks To Create Mood and Ambiance at Your House
Be savvy with your party planning to create an extra special vibe that gets everyone into the spirit of the girls’ night. Simple decorations — like flower arrangements or affordable, theme-inspired table props — will go a long way in setting a mood. Spend money on your event experience and not your event decor, since the experience is what really matters. Here are a few tips and tricks to set the mood:
Choose the music: There are many playlists on YouTube and Spotify that are theme-based. For instance, you could search for a “Women of Rock” or “Roaring ‘20s” playlist to find the right tunes.
Break out existing decor: One reason holiday-themed parties are a hit is because you already own those decorations. You can totally do a Christmas in July theme — or go for something in line with the current time of year. Do you have leftovers from a past birthday party or bachelorette party? See what you can reuse for some thrifty planning.
Use color to create atmosphere: You don’t need to head to the party store and buy everything in a specific theme or pattern. For instance, a Paris-themed girls’ night could feature a couple of Eiffel Towers while largely relying on light pink decorations to continue the vibe. Buying solid colors is typically much cheaper (and easier) than theme-specific decor.
Use your activity to support the theme: If your theme is Christmas in July, you could paint fun holiday ornaments, play a Christmas movie trivia game, or do karaoke with popular holiday songs. Or if your theme is Max and Relax, break out the nail polish and face masks and have everyone wear their PJs. You know your friend group best!
(From Painting to Gogh's Ornament Painting Tutorial)
Provide Tasty Food and Drinks
Your foods can be based on a theme or based on practicality (choosing delicious foods that are easy to serve to groups). For many events, food and drink are a pretty central part of the night, so here are a few ways to handle it:
Have Plenty of Seating Options
Home parties are fun but not always practical without a little planning. Make sure you have an adequate amount of comfortable seating so guests can sit and chat with each other. You can always ask friends to bring folding chairs or rearrange your dining room chairs throughout the space for additional seats.
Encourage People To Participate in Activities (But Don’t Force It)
Ideally, the girls you invited over are the ones that are always game to join in on the fun or try new things, but don’t force anyone to participate. Plan what you’ll do if someone chooses to opt-out. For example, maybe someone’s too embarrassed to do karaoke. Instead, maybe you could have them DJ, record video, or be a background dancer. If you plan an activity that costs money to join in on, ask ahead to get a count of the people that will definitely participate.
Make Your Greetings and Goodbyes Upbeat and Personal
A warm, upbeat welcome gets guests chatting and talking about what they’ve been up to. This helps set the mood right from the start. Likewise, make goodbyes personal — give each guest a moment of your undivided attention and thank them for coming. You could even prep themed goodie bags.
6 Girls’ Night Ideas: Make Your Event Memorable
The highlight of the night should be the activity you plan. Activities don’t have to be hard or expensive to create an unforgettable night together. Choosing a fun way to pass the time will give everyone a central thing to talk about and acts almost like a team-building exercise. Here are some fun ideas for your next girls’ night.
1. Host a Girls’ Night Painting Party
Painting together with a tutorial lets everyone get creative, no matter what their skill level. Many people love to explore their inner artist and try their hand at a guided painting event. In addition, the step-by-step process means they won’t have to come up with their own theme or know anything about painting to join in. This makes it easy to relax and create something incredible to take home in commemoration of the night.
Painting to Gogh offers all-in-one packages with paint supplies and easy, artist-led tutorials to get you started with an at-home paint night for your next ladies’ event. Continue reading our How to Host a Painting Party Guide to get more ideas for your next get-together.
2. Try a Group Cooking Class
Cooking is a life skill that can be used again and again. Getting the girls together to learn a new dish takes care of two things — the event activity and the event food!
CocuSocial is an example of a company that offers reasonably-priced cooking tutorials your group could follow for a cooking experience. If you’re planning a virtual girls’ night, a company like Cozymeal will offer live virtual group cooking classes.
3. Invite Everyone to a Virtual Wine or Whiskey Tasting
Raise a toast to the girls with an alcohol tasting party. Beer and cheese pairings, wine tastings, beverage-making classes — there are tons of options. One company, City Brew Tours, offers experiences that center around beverages. Custom tasting boxes or home brewing kits can be sent to each person before the event so you won’t have to buy any supplies.
4. Have a Game Night
Party games are a great way to get laughing and engage everyone at your ladies night. Choose games that can be played casually and aren’t too complicated or time-consuming. Too much concentration or exertion could make it hard for everyone to enjoy the night. You want contests or board games that are perfect for a good laugh and light-hearted competition. Try these out:
- Asking for a Friend
- Apples to Apples
- Cards Against Humanity
- For the Girls
- Beer pong
- Two truths and a lie
- Jenga
- Taboo
5. Relax With a Spa Night for the Girls
You work hard every day. Life is busy. Give all the girls a night off with a spa night (and we’re not talking about a sample party) for pampering and relaxation. Face masks, facial steaming, incredible candles — there are so many ways to create a relaxing environment.
There are tons of spa night boxes listed on Etsy, like a luxury pedicure kit. This is a great opportunity to support a small shop or maker so you don’t have to source your own kits. Handmade soaps, bath bombs, or candles can also make the perfect party favors.
6. Enjoy a Timeless Movie Night
Choose a classic chick flick, like Breakfast at Tiffany’s or The Notebook, to rally around for your next girls’ night. Or send out a quick poll to choose the genre and movie selection. You can even rent a huge outdoor screen projector for a backyard bash. Ask everyone to BYOB&B (bring your own beverage and blanket) with a PJs dress code. The only event food you will need is popcorn and movie candy.
