Penny Warner - Ladies Night: 75 Excuses to Party with Your Girlfriends

LADIES'
NIGHT

75 Excuses to Party
with Your Girlfriends

Penny Warner

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2008 by Penny Warner.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any
form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are
made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by
Polka Dot Press, an imprint of Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-578-6
ISBN 10: 1-59869-578-9
eISBN : 978-1-44051-518-7

Printed in the United States of America.

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Dedication

To my husband, Tom, who carries out all my wildest party plans.

To my kids, who never know what to expect.

Well-behaved women rarely make history. ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

a cknowledgments

Thanks to all the party chicks, divas, and hens who shared their party themes and tips for the book: Jamie Beers, Jennifer Belair, Rhys Bowen, CJ Box, Deb Burgess, Taffy Cannon, Stephanie Carmichael, Colleen Casey, Melissa Cerletti, Amber Collins, Debra Costa, Karen Dyer, Cheryl Edgren, Gina Hernandez, Vanessa Hodge, Mary Keenan, Sienna Kidd, Rena Leith, Maria Lima, Betty McBroom, Tracy McBroom, Joanne McCarthy, Pauline Meilsoe, Ann Parker, Annie Pearson, Courtney Rapa, Jody Repstad, Vicki Rose, Susie Sloan, Sue Stephenson, Barbara Swec, Pam Thomson, Diana Todd, Kelly Vasquez, Elaine Viets, Suzanne Vann, Susan Warner, Jenny Wong, and Sue Yura. Party on, girls!

A special thanks to my agents, Lilly Ghahremani and Stefanie Von Borstel, and my editor, Andrea Norville, for accepting the invitation!

Contents

Introduction

You just reminded me of whats really important in life, friends, best friends.

~ Fried Green Tomatoes

We women love to gather with our friends. In fact, well use just about any excuse to get together and have a party. When we party without the men, we can let our hair down, gorge on chocolate, snort when we laugh, and generally be ourselves. But when it comes to hosting a party, we want it to be fresh, original, creative, and personal. Yet with our busy lifestyles, we dont have a lot of timeor moneyto spend on celebrating the special events in our friends lives.

So what do you do when another friend is pregnantand youve already been to several showers this year. (In fact, if you never play the Steal the Clothespin game again it will be too soon.) So how do you plan a baby shower that your girlfriends will actually enjoy? Or a milestone birthday party that hasnt been done to death? Or any other occasion that calls for a party with flair?

Ladies Night is here to help. Whether you have an upcoming book club meeting, a bachelorette party, a bride-to-be in need of a girls night out, or a PMS-ing pal who just needs a good time, its all heremore than seventy-five parties to choose from, all planned and ready to go! In Ladies Night, youll not only find popular parties such as wedding and baby showers, but youll also discover cutting edge themeseverything from Red Hat to Redneck parties, Poker Night to Pity/Pamper parties. Plus, theres a bonus section filled with suggestions for offbeat holidays to celebrate throughout the year, such as Chocolate Day, Wear Something Gaudy Day, Swap Ideas Day, and Have a Bad Day Day.

Each party helps you combine your personal style while celebrating the guest of honors individuality. Its a Do-It-Yourself-meets-Sexand-the-City guide to girl time, complete with intriguing invitations, dazzling decorations, creative costumes, cool games and activities, fun food, and festive favors. At the end of each party, youll find a Party Plus with bonus tips and alternatives, when you want your party to go the extra mile. If youre like me, youll want to host a party thats different, creative, and full of your own personal toucheslike a mysterious night with Nancy Drew wannabes, a Wacky Wake to celebrate the death of singlehood, a Men-Are-Pigs party to get over a breakup, or a Crop Til You Drop scrapbooking gala.

Ladies Night will show you how to bring your own flair to the parties you throw, no matter what the occasion. Youll find hundreds of ideas you can use interchangeably between parties to make each one unique and memorable. All you have to do is bring the spiritLadies Night will do the rest.

So get your game on, girl. Its party time!

CHAPTER 1
Party Plans to Prep for Success

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

~ Oprah Winfrey

All successful parties are based on good planning. You dont need to start the preparations months in advance, but the more time you have to pull together the party elements, the better. And even if youre short on time or want to throw together an impromptu gathering, take a few minutes to look over the following suggestions for planning the perfect party. That way you wont forget any of the important details that make a party so memorable and unique!

Whos Who Guest List

The first step in planning a good party is creating a compatible guest list. Opposites dont always attract, so dont include feuding friends or guests with agendas, aggressive personalities, or bad attitudes or you may find your party divided, or worse, under siege. And rememberyou dont have to invite everyone. Keep the numbers manageable for the type of party youre hosting, so it remains comfortable and companionable.

Consider hosting separate parties if you have very different friends. You may want to have a sexy shower for your down-home girls to celebrate the upcoming nuptials, and a more sedate soiree for the guest of honors relatives. That way everyone will have fun and be comfortable, and youll be undisputed queen of wedding showers.

When planning your list, take into account your space. A crowded room doesnt lend itself to a comfortable event, so think about your space as you prepare your guest list. Likewise, a room thats too large makes a party feel less successful, even if it isnt. Its a fine balance between too many guests and too few, as well as too large a room and too small.

Finally, consider inviting a special guestsomeone the guest of honor may not be expectingfor an extra surprise. That might be a distant relative, someone who has moved away, a favorite teacher or mentor, or other unexpected friend.

The Subject Is Themes

Bring the party into focus with a creative theme personalized to the guest of honor, event, or occasion. You can turn even the most common gathering, such as a baby or wedding shower, into a unique celebration, by using a little imagination when choosing a theme. Consider making your baby shower a Big Mama party where everyone wears padded tummies and maternity clothes, making your bridal shower a Wacky Wedding prenup party with guests dressed in old bridesmaid gowns, or making an over-the-hill birthday a Wild Wake, and ask guests to wear black and veils to honor the death of another yearand the beginning of a new one. A theme gives your party a foundation for the invitations, decorations, games, and refreshments, and makes the details come together easily. Let your imagination go wild as you plan your party theme.