27th July 2016

A grown-up slumber party

If you’re like me you remember those nights of endless chatter, the ones when before you knew it you found yourself somewhere in the wee hours of the mornings. The nights when bellies were full of junk food and hearts were full of laughter. They were the nights that created lasting memories without even trying.

That’s why one of the items on my ‘30 before 30‘ list was to host a grown-up slumber party. It’s so easy with busy schedules, babies and husbands that we forget how important girls nights can be. It gives us an opportunity to unwind, to share beauty tips, share struggles, a time to wash off the makeup and get real. This past weekend was spent doing just that and it was beautiful. My husband so concerning asked, “what are you girls going to do all night, what’s the plan?” Little did he know that when you get eight girls in a room together and throw in prosecco, some pampering and a gorgeous spread of food, you need little else.

However, since we think every group of girlfriends need this kind of night every once in a while, here are some tips to create the perfect grown-up slumber party yourself.

slumber party 3

Choose your style | I knew that the girls who were attending were a mixture of working women, full time moms and some balancing a bit of both – all which were in need of some R&R. Therefore the attire was pajamas, the atmosphere was super chilled and for entertainment I knew we could all use a little pampering. Decide what you want the style to be and go from there. For entertainment I hired in a pampering service to offer treatments to each of the guests. This definitely set the mood for a laid back and relaxing evening.

slumber party 1

Pick your place | Once the guest list was established, and every guest accepted, I now needed to decide where everyone was actually going to sleep. I still remember when my mom used to move the coffee table out of the way and lay comfy blankets all over the floor for everyone to crash on. Those memories were sweet and that allowed for conversations to linger until our eyes got too heavy and we dosed off. The only way I could think to do this comfortably, and allow us all to be in one room, was to recreate the blanket mountain in some way. That’s when my loving husband decided to build us each a personal tent. (Let me know if you want a step by step how to on the blog)

Design your menu | Food is essential, especially on cheat nights like this. Given the pampering and the amount of people, I opted for a spread of delicious treats and savoury items that we could pick at all night long. The spread included a mezze platter, our always loyal friend – pizza, chicken wings, chicken salad on crossiants, fruits and vegs with various dips and an array of sweet things. Nothing short of way too much food, just the way it should be.

slumber party food

Decide on your people | I’m so thankful for a long list of beautiful people in my life that I’m blessed enough to call friends. This was the trickiest part for me, deciding on who to include since 8 tents was pushing it enough. I simply started with who could use the ‘me time’, who would be available, who knew each other in some way. Although we might not have hung out separately it was a good mix. 

Added touches | Although you need little in the way of agendas, it’s always good to have some kind of plan. I arranged a Jenga game truth or dare. Each time someone picked a Jenga piece that had to do whatever it said. Some examples were: tell us your biggest secret? Spill a secret? Tell us your celebrity crush? Do an impression of someone until we guess who it is? Belt out your favourite tune? It made for good fun and lots of laughs.

If in doubt, just remember the three ‘P’s’ that are essentials ingredients to a great girls night in – pampering, pajamas and prosecco. Throw in eight girls and you’ll have not only a successful girls night, but also a night of endless chatter and memories. 

Shop and click through some of our grown-up slumber party essentials below: