Sometimes you need an evening in to relax and recharge your batteries. Sometimes staying in the comfort of your own home and surrounding yourself with your nearest and dearest is much more appealing than getting all dressed up to go out!
Whether you need the excuse or not, we’ve made a list of our top 21 favorite girls’ night in ideas for the best ways to spend an evening with those you love. We’ve broken it down into five categories so you can find the right night in idea to suit you and your friends. Keep reading for our top tips on how to create a cozy scene for the ultimate girls’ night in.
We understand that many of you might be planning on staying in for a while, and it might not be the best time to host a night with your friends, so why not go virtual and take our girls’ night in ideas online instead? Host your own cook-along, quiz night or yoga session via a social media live stream or video chat.
To make things easier for you, we’ve listed all of our virtual-friendly ideas with a ‘V’ and have added a few tips to help you make your online night in a reality.
1. Food and Drink
Antipasti and Wine Night
Wine and dine in for a great alternative to eating out. Set up an antipasti board, or coordinate with your guests to bring something each, for a fancy evening spread that you can enjoy without the hassle of getting ready and going out. And wine. Don’t forget the wine.
Dinner Party
As the saying goes, food is the ingredient that brings people together. Or words to that effect! Let your inner maître d come out to play and host a delicious dinner party for your family and friends. Whether you choose to make a gourmet meal or simply order in for ease, your guests will enjoy the occasion regardless.
Fondue feast
If some of your guests aren’t too familiar with each other, what better way to form friendships than over a delicious melting pot of cheese or chocolate? If you already happen to have a fondue pot, great, but if not, there are plenty of affordable options out there. Opt for cheese, chocolate, or both, for a tasty night in treat.
Cook together - V
A meal always tastes better when it has been home cooked, so why not call on some friends for help? Enlist the culinary skills of your closest friends and scour Pinterest for an interesting recipe to try out. Extra hands in the kitchen to help, and you get to eat the food after. We’re sold.
Go virtual: cook together from the comfort of your own home by organizing a virtual cook-along. Setting up a video call where your family and friends can all follow along with a recipe makes for an exciting dinner-time experience. Don’t forget to set a date in everyone’s diary and send out the ingredients list beforehand so your participants can gather what they need.
Tasting party - V
If you want to enjoy the food without having to cook it, then a tasting party is what you’re looking for. Set up a potluck with your friends for a night of surprises. Or if you want to make things interesting, why not host a wine tasting evening? Ask each of your guests to bring their favorite bottle and swirl and sniff your way to a fun-filled night with your girl friends. If you have a sweet tooth, you can totally switch out the wine for scrumptious desserts instead.
Go virtual: you don’t have to be altogether to do your best Gordon Ramsay impersonation. Take your tasting party online by hosting a video call to judge your choice of treats. Curate a tasting list with your fellow attendees, or each participant can suggest an item of their choosing so that everyone has the chance to try something that might be out of their comfort zone. What better way to expand your palate and enjoy some good food?
Hire a professional chef
If your girls’ night in is also in celebration of a birthday or big occasion, why not go all out and hire a professional? Paying for a professional chef to prepare a quality meal in the comfort of your own home is an experience to be remembered. To take the pressure of footing the bill and playing hostess off of you, ask your guests (except for the guest of honor, of course) to help you split the cost.
2. Games
Board game marathon
Board games aren’t just for Christmas Day festivities, unleash your competitive side with a board game marathon. Let classics like Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit take you back to your childhood. You can also add into the mix party games like charades and pictionary too. Add an adult twist by mixing up some drinks to enjoy to make the guessing even more hilarious. If you didn’t already know who the sore losers of your group are, you will soon.
Poker night
Have you been perfecting your poker face? Put it to the test by throwing your own poker night in. If you already have a deck of cards, all you need is a set of poker chips to really raise the stakes. Best for gatherings of four to seven people, you can also try your hand at blackjack and baccarat if you’re feeling lucky. Bowtie and gloves optional.
Trivia night - V
For a pub quiz experience that you can enjoy without leaving the house, consider hosting your own trivia night. Invite your friends, choose your topics and questions and brush up on your best presenter voice for an evening of quick-fire questions and say-what-you-see picture rounds. And remember to supply a prize for the best team name!
Go virtual: virtual pub quizzes are a no-brainer for connecting with your loved ones who live long distance. With a plethora of video calling platforms that let you share your screen, it’s now even easier than ever to set up an online pub quiz and find out who of your family and friends has the best general knowledge. Hosting a quiz is a great way to get everyone involved and can be personalized to feature categories that your participants will enjoy the most. So brush up on your PowerPoint presentation skills and get creative with your questions for a night of quick thinking and entertainment for all!
3. Relaxation
Spa Night
Who says you have to spend an extortionate amount of money to reap the benefits of a spa day? Treat yourself and your loved ones to an evening of pampering, without having to leave the coziness of your living room. Creating your own at-home spa experience is the perfect way to spend an evening with your favorite people. Some cucumber slices, face masks and a well fragranced room is all you need to replicate the feeling of true rejuvenation. Try PartyLite GloLite Candles or 3 wick candles for uplifting fragrance and a calming ambience that says spa like no other.
Jacuzzi
If you, or one of your friends, is lucky enough to have a hot tub in their garden, don’t miss out on this opportunity to enjoy a relaxing evening in. If you don’t own a jacuzzi, you can all pitch in to hire one for the evening. Let the stream of bubbles chase away any stress as you spend time with your loved ones. Don’t forget the champagne too, to make it truly luxurious.
Yoga - V
The benefits of yoga are well-known, making it an excellent girls’ night in activity. Yoga can help to alleviate pain, increase flexibility and respiration, tone muscle and is also a great form of meditation, making it an ideal exercise for practicing relaxation. If you’re looking to try it out for the first time, ask your friends to join you so that you can all encourage each other and experience it together. Find a tutorial online or you can even hire a teacher to guide you through the poses from your living room.
Go virtual: the great thing about yoga is that you don’t have to do it in the same room as everyone else. Enjoy yoga remotely from your home by doing an online yoga session with your friends. Set up your video call so that you can all follow along at the same time and encourage each other through the exercises. You might even have a friend who wants to volunteer as the instructor to coach your group through the moves and lead the experience. This is the perfect way to enjoy exercise and be social without leaving your home!
4. Activities
Movie Night
Easy to prepare and even easier to host, the hardest thing you’ll have to do is agree on a film to watch. A movie night is the perfect way to bury your stresses from the past week, and share your opinion on the latest Academy Award winner or trashy rom-com classic. Change into your favorite pajamas, dim the lights and have some snacks (and perhaps tissues) at the ready. For movie nights, or marathons, that end up going on into the late evening, why not set up your spare room for your guests? Our Fresh Home Room Sprays are great to have on hand. A quick spritz to your soft furnishings can work wonders to eliminate any unwanted home odors or refresh a room that’s been unused for a while.
Book Club - V
From the old classics, to a bit of contemporary fiction, there’s a genre for everyone. While reading might not be to everyone’s fancy, a weekly, or perhaps monthly, book club evening can be a great way to bring people together. There’s not much you need to prepare or plan for this girls’ night idea, but having a Wax Melt Warmer on hand can be a great way to enliven the room. In case you get carried away discussing the fall of Jay Gatsby and the American Dream, you may want to diffuse the atmosphere and refresh the room with our Wax Melts - a no fuss and no flame way to spread luxurious home fragrance.
Go virtual: for some, book club is about deep discussions over a glass of wine, and who’s to say that you can’t enjoy those things virtually? Schedule a regular online book club call where you and your friends can gather to discuss the book on the agenda and enjoy some good company.
Makeovers
Throw things back to your teenage years when slumber parties and makeovers were all the rage. Gather your girl friends and request that they bring their makeup collection and beauty kit. If you’re feeling extra bold, you can even dye each other’s hair for the ultimate sleepover activity.
Clothes swap
One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure, so how about combing through your wardrobe to find all the items of clothing that you no longer wear or want, and doing a clothes swap? Switch up your wardrobe without having to pay a penny, and your old clothes will get to see a new lease of life. It doesn’t have to be a permanent swap either, you can borrow and loan items too.
Murder mystery party
If you fancy pulling out all the stops for your girls’ night in, organzing a murder mystery party will be sure to create some suspense and entertainment for your guests. Read up on your Poirot and dust off your drama school skills as your carefully curate the plot to your murder mystery party. After you’ve selected your theme, choose decorations and invites to match. Organization is key to a successful night of deceit and revelation, so make sure you have everything planned out beforehand. You’ll definitely get points for hostess with the mostest with this girls’ night in idea.
Watching party - V
Sometimes TV shows are best enjoyed with the company of your friends. If the latest episode of your favorite binge-worthy Netflix series is being released, or you’re rewatching a classic TV show and want someone to experience the laughs with you, call on your girls for a watching party. Find your coziest blankets and gather a selection of the most moreish snacks you can find. And don’t forget to pop a PartyLite Scent Stick in the room to keep your space smelling fabulous and refreshed all evening long.
Go virtual: thanks to a handy browser extension called Netflix Party, it’s now possible to enjoy movies and TV shows remotely with your friends. The extension synchronizes what you’re watching, so the video will play at the same time for everyone - making your watching party accessible and easy for all! It also features a handy messaging platform so you can discuss your favorite scenes. Currently, the extension is only available on Chrome browsers.
5. Outdoor
Outdoor cinema experience
Summer nights when it’s warm and the sun stays up late into the night are the best time for hosting your own outdoor cinema experience. Take the screen outdoors by setting up a projector in your garden. You can even DIY your own projector screen by hanging a white sheet against your back wall. Spread out some comfy outdoor seating and some soft blankets and cushions to add an extra element of cozy and keep the chill at bay. Treat your guests to a gentle flickering flame and enlivening outdoor fragrance with our Fragrance Frame, the easy way to replicate the fire pit experience.
Cocktail mixing class
If you fancy something more interactive, why not try your hand at cocktail mixing? A creative way to shake up some refreshing drinks, all you have to do is find your favorite cocktail recipes to recreate and assign an ingredient to each of your guests to bring with them. Set up a mixing station in your garden with some cocktail shakers and glasses and put on your favorite playlist for some background entertainment.
If you’ve hosted your own girls’ night in, we’d love to hear about it! Make sure you take a picture and show us on our social media. For more fragrance and décor ideas to dress your home and set the perfect night in ambiance, visit our online shop today. And for more great ways to make your house a home, take a read of our blog here.