I have three words for you…Girls Night In! But not just any girls night, here are 5 Steps For An Epic Girls Night In (plus, tips if you’re planning on a budget). I’m one of those people that loves time to myself, but I also spending time with my girls! There’s nothing quite like it. Some of my favorite moments over the years have been spent laughing, being silly and catching up with my friends.
I had an absolute blast have two different girls night in recently and wanted to share some tips with you. Let the fun begin!
Step 1: Send a fun invite
Pick a date and send a fun invite to your girls. It can be a simple text, e-invite, or you can go all out and print up invites. I love using Canva to make invites. It’s free, has lots of templates to help get you started and honestly it’s just fun to use. You really can make make the perfect invite for any occasion in just minutes.
Step 2: From Snacks to Toasts
Two of my favorite things to do are snacking and giving toasts. And just my luck, they go together perfectly. When I make snacks, I try to keep three things in mind – simplicity, the amount of time to make it, and flavor.
Here are a few of my go-to snack ideas:
- veggies and hummus
- homemade mini pizzas
- sliced fruit (plain or with non-dairy vanilla yogurt)
- mixed greens salad (quick, easy and healthy)
- air-popped popcorn (plus a dash of cinnamon or a drizzle of caramel)
- brownie bites
You can even have a “potluck” style night and have friends bring a dish or their favorite snack to share.
Ok, on to the toasts!
My go-to beverage nowadays is red wine. It’s easier on my body the next day and perfect for a talk and sip session. At one of my recent girls’ nights we popped a bottle of Cabernet by Natura Wines. It was definitely a win for everyone.
So, what do I love about this wine? It’s smooth, flavorful, an organic wine and honestly the price point is awesome (a bottle retails for about $10). Plus, Natura Wines produces natural wine. Essentially, the process they use to care for their vineyards and grapes aims to produced healthier beverages without the presence of chemical products.
For nondrinkers, there are tons of fun options. Here are a few you could make quickly:
- cocktails (with flavored bubbly soda water from Bai)
- fruit-infused water (I usually make it at home or pick up a few bottles of Core Peach Mango)
- spritzers with flavored soda water
Step 3: Make It Personal
Anytime I can spend time with friends, I love to show them how appreciated they are. And I’m not talking about buying gifts. My favorite things to add to girls’ night are handwritten notes, flowers, a few candles, and I love to add their names to glasses. The dollar section at Target is fully of lots of goodies or you can pick up chalkboard wine glasses (I picked up a set from Pier 1). For a cheaper, but still awesome option, you can chalkboard stickers from Michaels or Target and add them to wine glasses.
Step 4: Pick A Fun Activity
This is your chance to get a creative so have fun with it! I usually like to mix and match ideas when it comes to the activity. For example, maybe we’ll listen to music and catch up on what’s new in each other’s lives. Or we may hit the gym together and chat afterward. At my most rrecent girls night in, we watched Issa Rae’s new show, “Insecure”. Can I just say that I LOVE it! If you haven’t seen the preview – **go here** ASAP and check it out. It’s funny, honest, and real. This is just one of the many activities you can do.
Here are a few other ideas:
- Games (Taboo is always great)
- Yoga (there’s tons of free videos on YouTube)
- Listen to music and chat
Step 5: Truly Connect With Your Girls
If you’re anything like my friends and I, then you’re constantly connected to your phones, emails and …. Between work, kiddos, running businesses, and just being plain boss ladies, we have rare moments where we can just…be. That’s why this last step is so important. Repeat after me… put away your phones lol. I know it’s hard but here’s a good compromise. Snap a cute photo of you and your girls at the beginning of girls’ night and then at the end. Use this time to truly connect with each other. You’d be surprise what you might learn, even if you’ve know your friend “forever”.
