How To Host A Swap Party for Ladies Night

The idea of Swap ’til you Drop came from the idea that my friends have great taste, and I would love to shop their closets or homes. The basic premise for this gathering is that everyone brings 5-7 things that are in great shape but they don’t love anymore, and they swap items with their friends.

I love this ladies night theme after the holidays because it’s low-cost for the host, no-cost for the guests, and typically people are in cleaning mode or declutter mode in January and February.

Follow my tips, whip up some girls night appetizers, and pour some wine for a fun get-together with your besties!

_{*Post contains affiliate links. I earn commission from Amazon purchases.}

How It Works

Here’s how we did it, and if there’s a popular item you have a couple of options.

1. First, everyone gets clips or clothespins labeled with their name. You get 1 clip for every item you bring, so it acts as the currency.
2. You place your clip on the item you want to take home. That way you can continue to shop with your hands free.
3. If two people have their name on the same item, you can make it first come first serve, or put the names in a bag and have a drawing.

As the host you would supply the clothespins (the currency) and have a sharpie pen for guests to write their name on them. You may also want to provide tags for the items they bring so they can add a description or selling point.

An alternative is to keep it more loose and just let people take as much as they like. You still might have two or more people wanting the same item so the first come first serve or name drawing rule still applies.

Invitation 

Send a text, an email, or digital invitation and use the poem below for wording. It would also be cute printed and rolled up like a scroll, tied with ribbon and hand delivered. That takes it to the next level so only do that if you want to go the extra mile.

Themes

The “Swap-Meet” theme can be dressed up with decor or kept simple. For instance, a vintage style may be nice for Spring and call it, “Everything OLD is NEW again”. You could also take on a more “green” theme with the slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.

I think this would work well as a fall party theme too, and have everyone bring holiday items; call it a “Jingle-Bell Swap”. There are lots of options for this fun concept. Here are some ideas to get you started. Focus on one or combine them for a wider range of options.

Fashion Swap

This works well for a group that loves fashion. Have several categories as follows:

Clothes – If you can, set up a garment rack to display shirts, jackets, and dresses. Have a place where guests can try on things if needed. It can be a powder room or a nearby bedroom. Have a fashion show once everyone has chosen their goods!

Accessories – The adage, “one girls junk is another girls treasure” may never be truer than when it comes to fashion accessories. Things like jewelry, scarves, and purses are excellent for a swap party because there’s no need for sizes and fittings.

New-to-you accessories can breath new life into your wardrobe. Handbags, totes, and purses make a girl feel fresh. Make sure they’re in good condition for swapping.

Belts – Since belts usually have a size range they can be a good inclusion, especially if they’re more decorative than utilitarian.

Shoes – These can be a bit more tricky since size matters. It’s still a fun addition to the “shopping” though.

Home Focused

Rather than fashion, or in addition to it, set up a Home Goods themed swap in honor of our favorite store. It can include all kinds of decor and functional items.

Home decor – Refresh your home with gently used throw pillows, tabletop decorations, vases, throws, new candles, and more.

Wall decor – Include art prints or paintings, mirrors, frames, pushpin boards, chalkboards, wall sconces, or other hanging objects.

Hobbies or Interests

You can pinpoint specific hobbies and interests for a specific crowd.

Books or Cookbooks – For your book club, have a book exchange featuring novels, biographies, fiction or non-fiction themes. If you have a group who loves to cook, make it a cookbook swap instead.

Games – Boards games, card games and puzzles is another fun idea, however this may be better as an add-on to the other themes unless you have a group who really loves games.

Workout gear – Enjoy a swap with your fitness friends including yoga mats, weights, ropes, etc.

Food & Drink Swap

Many of us love to cook and bake for others. If this sounds like your friend group host a swap party with food or drinks as the focus. If you go this route it requires more participation and effort from each guest, but can be so satisfying.

Casseroles & recipes – Let everyone make their favorite casserole and print the recipe to bring and swap. Each guest goes home with a new casserole and recipe to have for dinner. Make sure guests use disposable baking pans for convenience in sharing.

Wine or liquor – My girlfriends definitely love this theme. Each person brings a wine she loves and everyone swaps. You can set them all out on a table so guests can look them over and choose.

Homemade food items – Prepare sweet or savory snack mixes, candies, seasoned nuts, breads, or any other tasty food that’s easy to swap.

Cakes and pies – Set up a sweets table filled with cakes and/or pies. A mix might be better since some people like cake while others like pie (I’m a pie girl). This is another theme where adding the recipe card is a must.

Soup – The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to host a soup swap. This can be done in a couple of ways. Either swap a whole batch of soup to take home, or provide lots of pint-size plastic containers with lids and fill each one with a different soup.

Displays and Decor 

Start by using what you have available. Use the dining table for a display area, pull out folding tables for more surface space, and grab a rolling rack to hang clothes on.

Use anything around the house that might act as a display for other goods. If you have anything similar to retail shops, that would be perfect. For example, wooden boxes, gift boxes, hat boxes, risers, even cake stands can be used.

Any tall stand can be used to hold hats, but a hat stand or foam wig stand looks more interesting.

Shoe boxes or open shelves work well for displaying shoes.

Jewelry holders and mini dress forms can be used for necklaces and bracelets, while baskets and trays can be used to corral smaller items like rings and earrings.

You can keep the look neutral so it doesn’t interfere with the swap items, or pick a color to carry through in tablecloth, flowers, or punch. Fill apothecary jars with colorful gumballs, taffy and M&M’s, or with corks, decorative trinkets, collected matchbooks, etc.

What To Serve 

For a low effort, affordable gathering keep it simple and serve club sandwiches, a veggie tray with hummus, dressed up kettle chips, and store-bought cookies for dessert.

Or, make it a dessert party that features Nutella puff pastry bites, easy baklava cups, and lemon tartlets. That gives you something chocolatey, something nutty, and something fruity.

For drinks, again the motto is to keep it simple. Serve wine or non-alcohol peach pomegranate punch. For a more festive night, pick a ladies night cocktail to sip.

Favors 

Party favors certainly aren’t necessary since guests get to take things home already, however you can add a thoughtful touch by providing each guest with a reusable shopping bag. They typically run only a couple of dollars each so it won’t break the budget.

To personalize them you can tie hang tags onto the straps and write each guest’s name.

Helpful Tips

1. One nice thing about this party theme is that size can be as big or small as your space allows. I do think 10-15 people makes it more interesting with lots to choose from. You could adjust the number of people OR the number of items they bring.
2. I recommend that you reiterate that the swap should include items that are in very good condition, clean, safe, and in working order. In other words, bring treasures not trash!
3. Encourage them to be creative or thoughtful with what they bring. Include home decor, books, seasonal items, purses and accessories, even some homemade salsa with a bag of chips! They can package them in snazzy ways as well.

A swap party is such a fun girls night theme to laughed, eat, drink, and shop! A good time can be had WITHOUT spending any money.