Planning the perfect girls’ night in

food

Photo by Kim Daniels on Unsplash

Lots of laughter, camaraderie and commiseration, and great gossip: is there anything more uplifting than a girls’ night in with your closest female friends? Make your next get-together one to remember by following these simple yet effective planning tips.

1. Create a cosy atmosphere

Make your guests feel relaxed from the moment they cross the threshold by ensuring a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Use lamps and dimmable fixtures rather than bright overhead lights for a pleasant glow and set the mood with music you all love such as nostalgic songs from your younger years. Complement this with cosy throws and cushions on your seating so everyone can lounge comfortably.

2. Cook delicious treats

Keep everyone’s energy levels up with some delicious homemade treats, served at stages throughout the night. Create a buffet with simple snack food that’s a hit at parties or make a big one-pot dish with all the trimmings and let people help themselves. Ensure you have plenty of food so there’s no danger of the girls going hungry: you’ll enjoy using up any leftovers!

Pair your food with some fancy drinks like mocktails. Going the whole hog with ice and mini umbrellas will really impress!

3. Provide fun entertainment

While it’s likely you’ll spend the first few hours chatting – and maybe the whole night – be prepared with entertainment that will keep the fun flowing. Board games are usually crowd-pleasers, or you can utilise the internet to join online bingo games via your smartphones or play multiplayer video games.

If the mood is to sit and chill in silence, suggest watching a chic flick that will have everyone giggling and swooning over their favourite star.

4. Pamper yourselves

Why not use your girls’ night in as an opportunity to pamper yourselves with some DIY spa treatments? Get the same silky skin and healthy glow as you would in a professional establishment at a fraction of the cost!

Set up separate pedicure stations which can be as minimal as a bowl of warm water alongside an exfoliator, pumice, toe separators and colourful nail polish. Invest in some sheet masks and cut up a cucumber and give your face some TLC. You could also look up a simple guide to hand massages and create a chain, finishing the treatment with some deeply nourishing hand cream.

5. Celebrate your creativity

Looking for something a bit different? Celebrate your creativity with some simple arts and crafts activities that you can do while nattering. You don’t need serious skills to make something beautiful!

Ideas that everyone can do include making friendship bracelets, decorating photo frames or experimenting with new DIY techniques for the home. This is a great way to bond on a deeper level and create keepsakes for a memorable night.