Simple Tips for Planning a Movie Night

Listen to Chrystina discuss what information to put on invitations in Episode 41 of the Party Ideas & Logistics with Chrystina Noel podcast, above.

This party was sponsored by Uncommon Goods. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Over a month ago I emailed a few friends to see if anybody wanted to come over for a movie night of chick flicks and hot beverages. There’s a few reasons I chose hot beverages instead of wine: (1) the day I was available to have this party was a Sunday, and who wants to start their week already feeling behind, (2) I’ve been trying to be a little bit healthier recently and to avoid unnecessary extra calories, and (3) it gave me a chance to use my fancy new cuddle mugs given to me by Uncommon Goods.

My favorite parts about Uncommon Goods are that you’re getting something unique, supporting artists and designers (and handmade goodness), supporting upcycling and recycling, and giving back to non-profits. Uncommon Goods also gives back to charities around the world with their Better to Give program. In the past 12 years they have donated over $1 million to charities including RAINN (anti sexual violence), American Forests, Women for Women International (support for women survivors of war), and City Harvest (ending hunger in NYC). And did I mention these cuddle mugs made by Steven R. Nezda are just beautiful? (If you’re feeling really ambitious and want to start shopping for Mother’s Day gifts early, props to you.)

As for why I chose chick flicks, I don’t think that needs any explanation.

My favorite part about planning a low-key girls’ movie night in is that it’s a simple way to see your friends and relax. All you need is a date on the calendar, an assortment of beverages, an array of snacks, a good selection of movies, and a television. There’s definitely a way to do a not low-key movie night, but that goes against the post I wrote about why I will never have a party blog.

Here are my tips and tricks for planning a movie night with chick flicks and cozy hot beverages:

Get the date on the calendar

This might be the hardest part of this whole process, getting the date on the calendar. I started planning this part in February and the first date available for me was in April. Doesn’t matter how far out it is; email your friends and get the date on the calendar. Then as it gets closer you’ll have something to look forward to that’s relaxing already built-in to your to-do list. Also, I totally gave people an “out” on the invitation that said “if chick flicks aren’t your jam, don’t worry about coming, there will absolutely be other parties.” Because contrary to popular belief, not all girls like chick flicks.

Only buy what you need to buy, only make what you need to make

I was really proud of myself, guys. I spent $16 on this party by just taking a good look in my pantry before going shopping. And no, it’s not cheap, it’s resourceful. I realized I had all the ingredients for rice krispie treats already in the pantry – not only that, but rice krispie treats are also scalable so you don’t need to end up with a million extras. I also had Easter basket goodies available, which there’s pretty much no way I can eat through alone, so that was a good chance to put out some Hershey kisses and open a box of Girl Scout cookies. (Let’s be honest, I could have eaten through all of that, but I’m trying this new “healthy” thing.) I also always already keep popcorn on hand, so I just supplemented what I already had with guacamole, hummus dip, carrots, and a small bouquet of flowers (for ambiance).

Choose all your favorite things

This is one of the best parts about hosting a party – sharing all your favorite things with your guests – your favorite teas, your favorite movies, your favorite mugs, etc. Have fun with it and choose to share things that your guests might love as much as you do. I pulled out my favorite teas (although everyone ended up wanting hot chocolate) and my favorite movies and even just physically pulling all of those things out relaxed me and made me very happy. (Aside: Did anybody else know Aveda sells tea? It’s flipping amazing.)

Check the technology ahead of time

There had to be something that went wrong, right? I pulled out (and guests brought) their favorite DVDs and then I found out that my DVD player didn’t work. You’ve Got Mail got stuck in the DVD player and it took me 10 minutes to get out. Then When Harry Met Sally Got Stuck in the DVD player. So then we hooked my computer up to the television to try to choose a Netflix movie, but I couldn’t get the sound to come out of the television speakers. So then I ran upstairs to get my speakers to hook up. This all took far longer than it should have, but everyone was a good sport about it. We ended up watching Notting Hill, which I’d somehow never seen and all we loved it.

Set the mood to cozy

There are three things we did to set the mood:

1. We deemed it a no-real-pants-necessary zone. Stretchy pants and sweat pants are more than acceptable. I was wearing slippers. That’s how we roll. Next time I would definitely put “no real pants needed” on the invitation.

2. We pulled out blankets and turned up the heat a bit to make everything feel cozier.

3. We used cuddle mugs from Uncommon Goods. I had been looking for mugs like this for a long time, the ones that have indents for you to wrap your fingers all the way around and feel like you’re part of the mug (the prime cozy position). While I was fixing my technology setup the other girls started pulling out their phone and looking through other items on Uncommon Goods, which was a lot of fun as well. (You can get lost in that site for hours, man. This cutting board is pretty much ideal for any newly weds – and I can’t wait to check out their host & hostess gift section.) So we each made our hot chocolate and tea and cuddled up with our mugs on the couch to get started with the feature presentation.

Thanks again to Uncommon Goods for sharing these mugs with us, it definitely added to the experience and provided just the right level of cozy on an overwhelmingly cold Sunday evening in Philadelphia.

I hope I’ve made a party like this sound easy enough that you could throw one together. Remember, the hardest part is getting a date on the calendar. Once you do that it’s all a breeze.