Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Show and Tell Tuesday - Grown-Up Parties

I'm going to be honest here and confess that when I picked this topic it was because "grownup parties" aren't something that I've done a lot of and I really wanted to see all of your ideas :)




With Dave's work schedule (he works Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights because that's when the restaurant is busy and typically when he's running weddings or other events) I rarely host couples parties because when we could host them typically isn't conducive to other's schedules and the few times I have hosted them they've been your basic dinner party type event.

That said, I've hosted my fair share of "Girls Nights" and thought I'd share a few tips for those!

- Exchange Something -
What gets everyone more excited than meeting up with friends for dinner?  Meeting up with friends for dinner and leaving with a fun gift!  Making your party an "exchange" of some sort gives the party some structure (arrival, eating, exchange, dessert, goodbyes) and provides for a lot of great conversation... especially if your group doesn't know each other super well.

Here are a few ideas of exchanges that I've hosted or attended...

1) Book Exchange 
Bring a new copy of your favorite (any genre!) and then bring your extra books that you're done with for friends to take home (and hopefully they bring their extras too and you can grab a few to add to your nightstand).

2) Scarf Exchange
This is something that our group has been doing for YEARS and it's our official kickoff to Fall.  We drink Fall drinks, think Fall thoughts and swap new scarves.

3) Beauty Product Exchange
We did this one last year and it was so much fun!  Everyone brought one of their tried and true beauty products and as packages were opened got to tell everyone why they loved it.  Items ranged from the Wet Brush to dry shampoo to favorite lipsticks, nail polishes and face masks.  So fun!  Everyone left with a great new product as well as a list of others to try.

4) Seasonal Exchange
A couple of years ago our Sunday School class girls did this in the Fall and everyone brought something "Fall" to share.  Candles, blankets, home decor items, chili/soup mixes, etc.  It was such a fun night and got us all in the mood for crisp evenings.   This would work for any season/holiday!

Tips for Exchanging

- Set a price limit and stick to it!  This makes everyone feel more comfortable both in shopping and exchanging.

- Make it a game!  When we do exchanges everyone puts their wrapped item in the middle and then people draw numbers.  The person with number one gets to pick a gift, unwrap it and they set it out in front of them.  The person with number two can either steal the gift that's already been opened or open another.  If they steal then the person they stole from can either steal from someone else or open a new gift.  Once a gift has been stolen twice it's frozen and can't be stolen again.  At the very end the person who's number one gets to go last.  It's just a fun twist and I've played where nothing is stolen and I've played where EVERYONE steals - there are always lots of laughs!

- Lighten Your Load -
Depending on the size of the group you're hosting cooking/catering for everyone might be too big of a job.  If that's the case you might consider asking everyone to bring their favorite appetizer or weeknight dinner or soup to share.  You provide the drinks, main dish, etc. and then the food can be what the event is centered around.  Afterward people can "reply all" to an email with their recipe or bring printouts of their recipe to share the night of.

- Keep It Simple -
If we're honest - most of the time the best part of whatever activity you're doing is the conversation that you get to have... and in our case any game, craft, activity typically devolves into some serious girl talk.  Don't feel like you have to have an "activity" to center your girls night on.  Hanging out and talking can be the night's agenda!

I hope that today's post inspired you to get a group of girlfriends together for some food and laughter :)  

I'm so excited to browse through everyone's posts and get some ideas for hosting this summer - if you have a great party tip or girl's night idea leave it in the comments!  Happy Tuesday, friends!!!

And last, but not least - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my parents!!!  My dad's birthday was yesterday and my mom's birthday is TODAY!  Happy Birthdays to the best Gibi and Haha ever! We love you so much!!!


(Random... but Mason and Griffin's due dates were actually on my dad and mom's birthdays and they each came totally on their own eight days early!  Weird, right???)

   
   

15 comments :

  1. You forgot to mention if you make that cracker dessert with chocolate then everyone leaves happy. :)

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  2. I can't wait to read everyone's posts!

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  3. I love the scarf idea! Thanks for sharing!
    XO
    www.greywoodmama.com

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  4. Happy Birthday to your parents! Your mom and I share the same birthday, which Miss Congeniality deemed "the perfect date"!

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  5. Great ideas!!! I can't wait to see what others post too!

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  6. Love the ideas ... have you ever written the backstory on how your parents got their cute "grandparent" names???

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  7. Thank you for all the specifics! Sounds like you have such fun gatherings!!

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  8. Great tips! And Happy Birthday to your parents!

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  9. So thankful for his post! I'm loving reading all of the tips and ideas! Great job, mama

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  10. Thanks for hosting! So fun! Love these ideas!!! I'm inspired! Also, it really IS birthday season for your family! Wow!!

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  11. I hosted an adult s'mores party for girlfriends. It was so fun, and made everyone feel like a kid again. I put out platters of "savory s'mores" fixings, like crackers, prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam, or crackers with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and pesto and also platters of "sweet s'mores" fixings, like marshmallows, gourmet chocolate, Nutella, lemon curd, strawberry jam, caramels, etc. It was so easy because I prepped everything in advance, and everyone loved cooking around the fire pit and trying different combinations. I suggest getting the s'mores baskets if you are going to do it; they are definitely necessary for the savory s'mores!

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  12. I hosted an adult s'mores party for girlfriends. It was so fun, and made everyone feel like a kid again. I put out platters of "savory s'mores" fixings, like crackers, prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam, or crackers with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and pesto and also platters of "sweet s'mores" fixings, like marshmallows, gourmet chocolate, Nutella, lemon curd, strawberry jam, caramels, etc. It was so easy because I prepped everything in advance, and everyone loved cooking around the fire pit and trying different combinations. I suggest getting the s'mores baskets if you are going to do it; they are definitely necessary for the savory s'mores!

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  13. I love the exchange idea! Great tips, lightening the load is always key to enjoying a get together!

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