Good relationships are like a vitamin boost for your health—they help keep you feeling strong and vibrant!

Spending time with my friends always leaves me feeling like I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. We usually end up talking for hours about work, family, and our plans for the future. We encourage and support each other and just listen without judgement. Extend those catch-ups from a dinner to a weekend away? I know it's a cliche, but for me, it's better than therapy.

Keeping fit isn't just about sweating it out at the gym - staying connected with your friends and family can be just as beneficial for your health! Living in the era of social media, I think we all know it takes more than just lots of 'friends'. It turns out that feeling is correct; the depth of our relationships is more important than how many friends we have! Believe it or not, research shows the quality of our friendships is a better predictor of our health than income or even exercise habits!

"It's not just the number of friends you have, and it's not whether or not you're in a committed relationship. It's the quality of your close relationships that matters." Robert Waldinger MD

(Watch the TED Talk by Robert Waldinger to learn more.)

So if you're looking for an excuse to get together with your girlfriends, consider this your green light. Not only will you get to enjoy much-needed quality time with your friends, but you'll also be doing your health a favour in the process. Win-win!

You may know that my Girls' Weekend collection was inspired by the fabulous women I am lucky to have in my life, click here to read more, but you may not know that a group of my beautiful friends have been planning birthday celebration mini-breaks for the last few years.

These girls' weekends give us a much-needed break from the business of work and family life, AND we get the health benefits of deeper social connections plus the fun of making the birthday girl feel like royalty. I always come home with my heart bubbling over with happiness.

If you're looking for an unforgettable birthday party celebration that's jam-packed with fun, just a bit of planning and creativity is all it takes. Get your besties together - it's time to start the birthday party planning!!

Wondering how to plan a birthday party? Get ready for the best girls' weekend with these seven tips:

1. Start the birthday party planning six months in advance.

2. Get a group chat happening to keep everyone in the loop with the party details.

3. Choose a fun location that everyone will enjoy.

4. Book a rental house with plenty of room to accommodate your group.

5. Stock up on party supplies and decorations.

6. Make sure to set aside time for fun and relaxation.

7. Don't forget the essentials - food, drinks, and candles!

Let's get planning!

It turns out that planning a girls' trip isn't all fun and games, so the wiser ladies among us recommend starting to make arrangements at least six months before you set off. Even if it can be tempting for those of us who are chronic procrastinators to 'wing it', there's really nothing worse than having stress follow you around on holiday!

So listen up friends: organisation is key here; don't let last-minute (unplanned) surprises ruin an otherwise perfect party adventure.

Planning ahead ensures you're all totally chill and content.

If you are anything like my friends and me, it is HARD to get our calendars to line up! Give everyone as much notice as possible, so they have plenty of time to arrange their work and family commitments. That way, no one will be stressed when it's go-time, and everyone will arrive relaxed and ready to celebrate.

PRO TIP: A girl's weekend doesn't have to be the entire weekend. One night away still counts, and it takes the pressure of trying to find a date.

Give yourselves time to plan some special surprises for the birthday girl

If you want to go above and beyond for the birthday girl, you need to start planning early! If you feel like you can make a surprise party work, I take my hat off to you. I think there are too many moving parts in a weekend away for it to be a surprise.

You can make it truly memorable with these ideas to surprise the birthday girl:

• Two of you could sneak over early and decorate the house with photos and decorations. It'll be hilarious when she arrives. Make sure to take lots of pictures!

• Get everyone to share their favourite photos of the birthday girl, then compile them into a photobook she'll treasure, full of laughs and memories from all your wild adventures!

• Party bags aren't just for kids' parties! Make one for all your friends with custom cookies and delicious treats. Plus, the ultimate hangover helpers - Panadol and Berocca! For some bonus glam points, add lip balm or hand cream and don't forget unique extras like coordinating PJs, facemasks, reusable cups or fun matching tees! Bonus points if you pick out scented candles to match their personalities perfectly!

• Book in to do a wine or gin tasting followed by a special restaurant for lunch.

• Prepare for an awesome sing-a-long with all your favourite cheesy pop tunes, and don't forget the music machine! Be sure you've got everyone's guilty pleasures compiled for an epic night of nostalgia on the dance floor.

• Get everyone a paint-by-numbers kit and have an at home paint and sip party.

Get a group chat happening to keep everyone in the loop

Start the party planning by setting up a group chat so you can keep everyone in the know and compile all their incredible ideas! It'll get everyone excited for the big weekend - plus make staying in touch during all of the excitement much easier.

Pick one communication platform.

Choose a communication platform that's accessible to everyone. Facebook Messenger is our fave, but Instagram group DMs or WhatsApp could work better for your group. If everyone uses iPhones, then iMessage could be a great choice.

You could even set up a Facebook group for your girls' weekend planning. This way, everyone can have input on the party planning, and you can keep track of all the important details in one place.

Pro tip: Have two chats going, one with the birthday girl and one without her. Make sure you name the chat without her really carefully to avoid accidentally sending a message to the wrong group!

Create a Pinterest board for long-term party planning.

Now that you've got the ball rolling, it's time to get creative and start brainstorming for your bestie's birthday party getaway. Make the celebration fabulous with decorations and fun activities!

We've never done this, but creating a shared Pinterest board could be fun where you can all pin ideas for activities, restaurants, etc.

Divide the jobs up evenly.

There does need to be one person who is the chief party planner; if that's you, make sure you share out tasks amongst everyone involved. Delegate jobs like booking accommodation and restaurants, organising transport, and decorating the house. And if someone offers to help with something, let them!

It'll be way funner for everyone, and you can all feel good knowing you contributed to making the birthday girl feel special.

Choose a fun location to create memories that will last a lifetime.

You'll need to decide on a location that's perfect for your bestie. Why not travel to a wine region and treat yourself to fabulous food and wine? Feeling more of an urban vibe? Then find yourself lost amidst city nightlights. Or, if you’re looking for some relaxing vibes, a beach house would be perfect. And if you want all three of those things, I can recommend my home town, Adelaide!

Do your homework, friends! That way, you can avoid any embarrassing missteps when the big day arrives. Don't let surprise disappointments ruin all of your hard work - make sure everyone knows what's up before they show up.

Book a rental house with plenty of room to accommodate your group

You've decided on the destination; it's time to plan all the details and choose your birthday party venue. Sure, this might take a while and require some serious thought, but it'll be worth it.

Now is not the time for tiny houses; find one that can accommodate everyone comfortably (no cramped quarters allowed!). Remember; book in advance if you want first pick of dates at that dream home away from home.

There are plenty of sites, such as Airbnb, available for discovering holiday homes, but check with your other contacts too. You never know who could have a holiday house available.

Stock up on party supplies and decorations

It's time to start putting your thinking caps on and brainstorm ways to make this birthday weekend unforgettable! Think statement decorations and activities that'll keep everyone laughing all night long.

If you're unsure where to start, look at some party stores or online retailers. While you are at the party shop, don't skip the costume section and grab some fun wigs. (I'll explain why later!)

Plan a mix of fun and relaxing activities

Everyone knows that a great birthday party requires the perfect mix of activities. From board games to scenic walks, choose a mix of different experiences!

Check out these awesome ideas for some fantastic birthday party inspiration: 

• If you're celebrating in a wine region, and let's face it, I live in South Australia, so I'm almost ALWAYS in a wine region, book in for a wine tasting followed by lunch. So many of our great wineries have amazing restaurants.

• After lunch is the perfect time for a walk to check out the neighbourhood and scenery.

• I'm a big fan of packing a little esky and some travel wine glasses, walking to the beach for a swim, and then enjoying a glass of wine while watching the sunset.

• Grap those paint-by-number sets, crack open the wine and get creative with an at home paint and sip party.

• For some adrenaline-pumping fun, you could visit a nearby theme park.

• Set up an outdoor movie night under the stars.

• Get ready for a hilarious battle of wits with games like Cards Against Humanity or What Do You Meme.

• It's time to show off those wigs you bought! Crank up that playlist full of everyone's favourite cheesy tunes and play dress-ups with the wigs, and dance like no one is watching.

Don't forget the essentials - food, drinks, and candles!

The perfect girls' weekend birthday party celebration is all about having fun with your friends. So stock up on food, drinks, and candles to keep the party going all night long!

Here are some essentials you'll need to make sure your party is a success:

• Birthday party food like chips, pretzels, popcorn, veggies and dip, fruit platters, cheese and crackers, etc.

• If you eat lunch out, then plan something easy to eat in for dinner. A lasagne, salad and garlic bread is always our favourite easy prep go-to.

• Drinks, you know what you and your friends like! We love French champagne as a treat, then wine or gin. Make sure you drink plenty of water. Putting out bottles of sparkling water can be an excellent way to ensure everyone stays hydrated.

• Birthday cake, either homemade or bought. Remember, easy is best!

• Check if your holiday house has a coffee machine with pods included. You'll thank me when you wake up the following day.

• Pack an easy breakfast like bagels, or plan to have breakfast at a local cafe.

• Sometimes holiday houses can have a musty smell. Bring along your favourite candle. Obviously, this would be from my Girls' Weekend Candle range ;) or you could choose a different one. But don't do that. Please choose mine.

Throwing the perfect birthday party getaway is easy with these seven tips.

Just a bit of planning and some TLC is all it takes. Start prepping early to ensure the ultimate girls' weekend birthday party. Once you've got everyone connected in a group chat, there'll be transparency around ideas, ensuring everyone can help and have fun. You'll have a fab location, insta-worthy decorations and yummy food and drinks ready to settle into your rental house complete with enough space for everyone. Add some scented candles for extra sparkle and coziness, then sit back and enjoy the health benefits of creating deeper connections with your besties

Let me know in the comments; are you ready to start planning your next girls' weekend?

Set the tone for your an epic girls’ getaway with my top candle picks for a fun weekend