This year I was able to host two different Girls’ Weekends at Hunkërdown. Our annual Family Girls Weekend tradition continued this year when Aunts, Sisters, Cousins, Daughters, and Nieces from my mom’s side of the family all gathered a few weekends ago. The following weekend I hosted a weekend with my college roommates, the first weekend of what I hope becomes an annual tradition.

Every minute of our time together was packed full of laughs, eating, and activities. The unforgettable memories with the people you love are what it is all about. So, I thought I would share some of the highlights here that made our weekend memorable to help any of you who may be planning a similar event. For the purposes of this post, I will be writing a guide for a Friday through Sunday gathering.

Meal Planning

The key to success here is to make life as easy as possible for yourself. Limit yourself to preparing two meals from scratch if you must. I recommend bringing premade meals (Costco is the best for this) and delegating meals to those who are looking to contribute. It never fails that you will get a few texts prior to the big weekend asking how individuals can help out. Don’t shy away from these offers, you are doing a lot, let others help if they want to. Also, don’t forget to go out for a meal or two if possible. This can be a great opportunity for you to explore some of the local hotspots.

Breakfast:

  • Waffle Bar
  • Bagle Bar
  • Egg Bake
  • Bloody Mary Bar
  • Mimosa Bar

Lunch:

Snacks:

  • Veggie Tray, Hummus, Guacamole
  • Charcuterie Tray
  • Fruit Salad
  • Dollar Store Candy
  • S’mores
  • Cookies

Sides:

Dinner:

Beverages:

Favors

I love the break from reality, some quality girl time is always fun! I’ve always been big on gifts, I tend to show my love through gifts or acts of kindness, so putting together gift baskets for my guests made perfect sense. I rounded up all of the essentials for a weekend with my favorite ladies at a cabin in the woods I packaged them all up to be ready for my guest’s arrival. Check out my post where I talk about how I made last year’s tote bags.

Some items I’ve included in past gift bags:

  • Chapstick
  • Sunscreen
  • Shower Poof
  • Face Mask
  • Bug Spray
  • Scrunchies
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Hand Towel
  • Champagne
  • Fireball
  • Coozie
  • Custom T-shirt
  • Painkiller
  • Mints/Gum
  • Personalized Water Bottle
  • Last years photo-framed

Activities

On these weekends there are no official plans. I like to make a list of options for these visits, I lay them out for everyone to choose from, no one is forced to participate if people want to do different things I encourage them to do so. This weekend is a special time for everyone, we see where the day takes us and it’s just the way I like it. Whatever floats your boat, you can’t disagree that life on the water is the best. For my college friend group, our friendships were really solidified on the lake, it’s always great to get together out on the water and reminisce.

At my cabin we have all the options, here is a list of activities we have done in the past:

  • Float downriver in individual tubes to the local riverbank bars
  • Kayak
  • Canoe
  • Party Island anchored out in the middle of the river-we call our 16 foot Pegacorn, Gladys
  • Walk-great for after meals
  • Hike
  • Bike
  • Volleyball
  • Fishing
  • Trivia
  • Games/Cards
  • Movie Night
  • Bonfire
  • Brewery/Winery

Special Touches

Let’s start with the most important: TAKE A GROUP PICTURE. Don’t let the weekend go by without an official photoshoot to commemorate the weekend. Be sure to snap a picture… or in our case, around 85 group pictures. These group pictures are treasured and make the perfect addition to next year’s welcome basket.

Set the mood for the weekend with a fun playlist. Before the weekend, asks everyone for their recommendations and then put a playlist together. Better yet, create a collaborative playlist on Spotify and let everyone add their picks directly. Pro-tip, make sure to download your playlist to your phones before the weekend, you may get spotty reception, it would be a shame to let poor service ruin the vibe.

Don’t Set an Alarm Clock, going to bed without an alarm clock is the ultimate way one can relax, and alarm clocks have no place in cabins. Encourage everyone to go to bed when they are tired and wake up when they feel like rolling out of bed, heck need a nap-take one! No one needs to adhere to schedules or feel obligated to lose out on sleep.

Celebrate! What’s been happening in the lives of your guests? Birthdays, babies, graduations, promotions, engagements? Make time to celebrate one another, hang some balloons get a big cake and if you can make it a surprise. Everyone likes to feel special, take the opportunity to make a fuss over your friends.

Time well spent with girlfriends has proven to be a great way to push the reset button on life. We all have busy lives and it is important to remember that this opportunity to get together should be fun and relaxing for everyone on their terms. I try to let everyone know in advance that we were all there to have fun and that no one should do anything they don’t want to do or feel bad about going home early or skipping an activity. I hope this helps when planning your next Girls Weekend! Or maybe it has inspired you to plan one! It takes some planning and work, but it is always so worth it to get everyone together!