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"As the weather gets warmer, it&amp;#x27;s the ideal time to start mixing up some girly cocktails and having backyard dance parties with your best friends. And once in a while, you really feel like going all out with it. In order to have your best girls&amp;#x27; night ever, party planner Brian Worley shared his tips for quick and affordable ways to set a festive tone. Here&amp;#x27;s his plan for a perfect night with your best friends: Step One: Spread the Word Sure, you could just send a mass text, but even with the addition of the party-hat emoticon, that&amp;#x27;s just not that fun. Brian suggests starting with an email invitation through Paperless Post or Cocodot that exemplifies the theme for the night. &amp;quot;The invitation always sets the mood and is the first item that suggests what your guests should expect out of your party!&amp;quot; he says. Step Two: Deck Your Halls According to Brian, the best place to start planning your party is at home. Buying decorations for a small celebration might seem like a waste of money, but you can work with what you already have to create a festive atmosphere while saving your dollars. &amp;amp;#8220;People are always surprised at what you may find hidden in the back of a closet or in the garage that can be repurposed for your event, &amp;quot;says Brian. His suggested decorating gems you might already own? Look for candles, feather boas from an old Halloween costume, vases that were left over from a floral delivery years ago, or platters that can be used for displays. Celebrate spring by using as much color as possible! &amp;quot;Pull colors that are vibrant and celebrate your zest for life, like tangerine and turquoise, yellow and lime green, or even spearmint and emerald (Pantone&amp;#x27;s color of the year!),&amp;quot; says Brian. &amp;quot;Whatever your preferred palette is, choose colors that make you happy.&amp;quot; And an easy way to show your colors is with table linens. There&amp;#x27;s no need to have a stock of fancy tablecloths, though. Brian says to head to the pick them up on the cheap, hunting through the 99 cent store or your local Target, or even hitting up a fabric store like JoAnn&amp;#x27;s to snag a few yards to use as a table runner over a basic white tablecloth. And go ahead and splurge on a fresh decoration you can enjoy after the party is over too: flowers! &amp;quot;There&amp;#x27;s just something about being surrounded by flowers that can&amp;#x27;t help but brighten the mood,&amp;quot; Brian advises. Stop by your local farmers market or floral shop and choose a few bouquets that complement your chosen colors. And a great professional tip I never would have thought of myself: &amp;quot;If you have leftover fabric from your linens, wrap the fabric around clear jars to create flower vases that complement your decor.&amp;quot; Step Three: Nom Nom Nom Brian says that another fun way to establish your color scheme is through your food choices on the table, and a genius-because-it&amp;#x27;s-so-easy way to do it is to use your favorite fancy glassware to display different food items and create levels on your table. Martini glasses, wineglasses, and snifters are all great options, according to Brian. (And I concur&amp;amp;mdash;fancy barware filled with seasonal M&amp;amp;M&amp;#x27;s is a go-to delicious decorating move of mine!) Step Four: Cheers! &amp;quot;Celebrating with your friends these days call for the creation of some fun beverages,&amp;quot; Brian sensibly states. What&amp;#x27;s girls&amp;#x27; night without a special drink? Brian says to go ahead and think pink where specialty drinks are concerned. For those of you watching the Kentucky Derby with friends, here&amp;#x27;s a good one to match to your outfits: Basil Hayden&amp;#x27;s Triple Crown Julep (Created by Joy Perrine, Louisville, Ky.) Ingredients: 4 parts Basil Hayden&amp;#x27;s bourbon 4 chopped strawberries 10 Kentucky colonel mint or spearmint leaves 4 lemon wedges 1 part water 2 tbsp. brown sugar Preparation: 1. Muddle brown sugar and water in pint glass until sugar dissolves. 2. Add chopped strawberries, lemon wedges and mint leaves and muddle well. 3. Add Basil Hayden&amp;#x27;s and shake. 4. Add ice and shake once again. 5. Strain cocktail over crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and strawberry. For those who aren&amp;#x27;t into the effort of mixing up a special drink, Brian&amp;#x27;s got an alternative that will make the workload a little easier and cut costs: &amp;quot;Ask all your girlfriends to bring a bottle or two of their favorite wine, to do your own in-home wine-tasting party. Let each guest educate the rest of the group on their choice, and at the end of the evening you may have found a new favorite wine and left the party with knowledge of wine that you never thought you would have known before.&amp;quot; Oh, if you really want to combine whatever you&amp;#x27;re drinking with an activity (you know, a safe one), Brian&amp;#x27;s got an idea: &amp;quot;Start the night by making personalized martini/wine glasses. Puff paint, bedazzle &amp;amp; glitter, oh my! This is a fun activity to do while you&amp;amp;#8217;re &amp;amp;#8220;wine tasting&amp;amp;#8221; and also makes for a great party favor. Try IKEA or Target for budget-friendly glassware.&amp;quot; Step 5: Work It, Cover Girls Following the classic Clueless rule that a makeover is a girl&amp;#x27;s best bonding time, Brian says, &amp;quot;Girls&amp;#x27; night in is the perfect place to try out the beauty trend you&amp;amp;#8217;ve been dying to rock but need your girls&amp;#x27; opinion on. Take the pressure off of yourself by telling each girl to bring her favorite new beauty product or trend they&amp;amp;#8217;re too afraid to try on their own. Maybe one friend brings fake lashes and demos for everyone how to apply; another brings socks for everyone to test out the ever-popular sock bun. Whatever your current beauty obsession is, share it with your gal pals and perfect the style.&amp;quot; Believe me, I never miss an opportunity to perfect my fake-lash application skills. Sign me up! For party wisdom more from Brian, check out his blog. Anyone having a party this weekend? Do you like to go all out with girls&amp;#x27; nights once in a while? Which of this tips would you use? Our own versions of ladies&amp;#x27; nights: *5 Fun Ways to Mix Up Your Next Girls&amp;#x27; Night *Girls&amp;amp;#8217; Night In: What We Ate. What We Did. And Whether I Was Bold Enough to Show a Bootleg Movie *Ladies&amp;#x27; night (plus one gent)!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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