June is the official marker for summer celebrations and fun to begin!! It’s that time of year when events run one after another and calendars are full. There are Graduations to attend, Father’s To celebrate and of course birthday’s to sing about!! With cheers to give, good times to share and memories to make why not add a Girl’s Night In to the list of celebrations?
One of the great things about planning a Girl’s Night In is the convenience of it all taking place at your home, according to your personal plans and preferences. This is usually a casual, let’s get together and enjoy good company kind-of-event with close friends or family members. There may be a reason for gathering or maybe not……but in the lines to follow I will show you how to make it awesome!!!
So where should you start? First things first, select a date. Once you figure out what date and time works best for you and your anticipated guests send out an evite, text message or invitation. It all depends on how formal you want this to be. It’s important to be knowledgeable regarding community, sporting or other special events that may affect your guest list. Remember, this day happens because of your availability, but is successful when your guest can join you. Be sure you’re not competing with another’s friends annual gathering, an upcoming wedding or a sporting event that you’re not planning on viewing. You want your invitees to be able to attend.
Secondly, make a guest list. Be sure to confirm all email and mailing addresses for accuracy and request a RSVP or Regrets only so you will have an approximate guest count. This will help you to plan accordingly while shopping. This also helps everyone to be able to receive the appropriate communication if there are any updates or plan changes before the gathering.
Next plan the menu! This is where the fun begins!! This can be a themed event where you choose a certain type of food like Mexican or Pasta or Appetizers or you can make your famous one dish meal. It’s totally up to you. Just don’t forget the dessert! Be cautious of those that may have food allergies, be vegetarians or require specific diet restrictions. Don’t forget the music. This is good time to work on a play list. It’s nice to have good music playing in the background.
Choose a room or area in your house (Den, Living room, Family room or Patio). Be sure that you select a space that can hold all of your guests comfortably. If you’re going to be outside set out bug repellent candles and have covers for your food. If this is an evening event have blankets available for guests, rent a heater or light the fire pit! Don’t forget the log or propane.
Start grocery shopping three to four days before your event. If you’re ordering dessert you will need to pick it up on the day of the event. Be as detailed as possible in your planning to eliminate any over sites. Make sure you’re preparing or ordering enough food for your anticipated guest count. It’s nice to have a special beverage so take some time to look up a special recipe with ingredients that are tasty and seasonal. This will be a pleasant surprise and treat for your guests.
Don’t forget the decor! You don’t have to go all out if you don’t want to, but matching patterns, colors or usage of those special glasses and dishware will make the evening extra special and add to the environment and ambiance.
If you pick up around the house all week and clean up the day before you will make your day of prep and planning run much smoother. Also, be sure to meal prep the day before. What ever you can slice, dice or season/marinade get that out of the way! Wash your platters, glasses and any new dishware you purchased for this occasion a day or two before.
Below I’ve added an info graphic to help you remember the steps to take when planning your next girls night in. I hope this visual helps.
Bonus, don’t forget to begin looking for your outfit as soon as you mark your calendar with a date. This can take a minute so get right on it!
I will follow up with pics of my own Girl’s Night In in a few days!
Until the next event……
Eventfully your’s,
Jennifer
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