How to Plan the Perfect Paint and Sip Party - Our Top Ten Tips!

Planning a paint and sip party is one of the best ways to create a fun, memorable, and unique event for you and your guests. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, organising a hen party, planning a baby shower, or simply wanting an excuse to get friends together, a paint and sip offers the perfect combination of creativity, laughter, and quality time.

If you’re thinking about hosting your own paint and sip party but aren’t sure where to start, here are our top tips for planning the perfect event.

1. Book Your Date

The first step to planning any successful event is securing your date early. Popular weekends and evenings can book up quickly, especially during busy periods like spring, summer, and the lead-up to Christmas, so it’s always best to plan ahead where possible (p.s it's never too early to book!) Having your date locked in first makes the rest of the planning process much easier, as everything else can then be organised around it. It also gives your guests plenty of notice to keep the day free.

2. Sort Your Venue

One of the best things about a mobile paint and sip is that it can be hosted almost anywhere. Whether you’re planning to celebrate at home, in your garden, at a hired venue, local hall, office, or restaurant, the flexibility means you can choose whatever works best for your group. When choosing your venue, make sure there’s enough space for everyone to comfortably sit, paint, and move around without feeling cramped. Good lighting is always helpful too so guests can clearly see their artwork.

3. Send Invites Early

Once your date and venue are sorted, get your invitations out as early as possible. Giving guests plenty of notice means you’re more likely to secure better attendance, especially if your party falls on a weekend or during busy seasons. Whether you choose printed invites, digital invitations, or simply a group chat message, make sure guests know the date, time, location, and what to expect.

4. Choose Your Theme

The painting is the main part of the experience, so choosing the right theme is one of the most exciting steps. For hen parties, themed sessions are always a huge hit and can make the day feel even more personalised. We’ve hosted some hen party sessions (for example) with themes such as Last Rodeo, Last Spritz (inspired by the bride’s love of Aperol Spritz), and our popular Toast to Love session where guests paint wine glasses instead of canvases.

For birthdays and private parties, choosing something the guest of honour loves is always a great idea—especially for kids. Whether they love animals, flowers, certain colours, favourite TV shows, or hobbies, choosing a design that reflects their interests makes the event feel extra special.

The beauty of a Craft and Canvas session is that we can tailor your design to almost any theme. We’ve even created completely custom concepts for corporate and team-building events, including sessions based around workplace training themes like child safety awareness. If you can think of it, chances are we can create it! (We love a good challenge.)

5. Plan Your Snacks and Sips

No paint and sip party is complete without some delicious food and drinks to enjoy while getting creative. Simple grazing boards, finger foods, sweet treats, or even themed cocktails and mocktails can really elevate the experience and make the event feel even more special. We’ve even had both adult and kids’ parties feature matching cocktails and mocktails tailored to the party theme, which is always such a fun touch and helps bring the whole event together beautifully. And I have to admit—I always love it when I get offered one myself too, it’s such a lovely little surprise! (keep them coming!) Keeping the food easy to grab and eat is always best so guests can snack comfortably while painting.

 A selection of food boxes and drinks at our sessions

6. Plan a Music Playlist

Music can completely transform the atmosphere of your event and help guests relax into the experience. Think about the vibe you want to create—whether that’s upbeat party songs for a hen party, chilled acoustic music for a baby shower, or crowd favourites for a birthday celebration. Having a playlist prepared beforehand helps keep the energy flowing and avoids any awkward silences.

You can either match the music to your theme or simply choose songs you know everyone will love—but you’d be surprised how much aligning your playlist with your theme can elevate the whole experience. It really helps set the mood, brings everything together, and gets guests even more into the session, making the experience feel even more immersive and enjoyable.

7. Decorate Your Space

Decorations are what help set the scene and are often one of the first things guests notice when they arrive, so they really do help set the tone for your event, decorating your space adds to the atmosphere and makes everything feel more exciting and intentional from the very start.

What works - Smaller decorative touches or larger florals work beautifully, along with things like table runners, themed tablecloths, and décor placed on walls, around the room, or surrounding seating areas rather than just the table itself.

What to avoid - We do advise avoiding real candles due to fire safety risks (LED candles are fine), as well as anything that takes up too much table space, as this can impact the painting setup and overall experience.

But don’t worry—our setup also plays a big part in creating the atmosphere, and we always design the space to feel creative and inviting. We’ve even had clients create name cards on canvases to help guide seating arrangements, which is a lovely personalised touch.

We also offer add-ons such as personalised keyrings and tumblers with FREE name personalisation, which not only make great keepsakes but also add to the overall decorative feel of the event.

Take a look at some examples of how our previous sessions have been set up.

8. Dress for the Occasion

While aprons are provided during the session, dressing to match your theme can be a fun extra touch and helps make the occasion feel even more immersive.

For example, matching outfits for hen parties, themes for birthdays, coloured outfits to match the baby's gender (or gender guess) for baby showers, or simply encouraging guests to dress in something fun can all add to the excitement and make the event feel more put together.

But remember there is always a chance you may get a little paint on you, so we always recommend wearing something you don’t mind getting slightly more colourful by the end of the session.

9. Keep It Relaxed

One of the biggest mistakes people make when planning events is overthinking every tiny detail. Paint and sip parties are meant to be relaxed, enjoyable, and fun—not formal or stressful. The best sessions are always the ones where guests feel comfortable, laugh together, and simply enjoy the experience without pressure. Remember, it’s not about creating a perfect masterpiece—it’s about making memories and having fun!

Look through some of our fantastic completed artworks from our sessions

10. Let Us Handle the Rest

The easiest way to ensure your paint and sip party runs smoothly is by letting a professional host take care of everything else.

At Craft and Canvas, we provide everything needed for your creative session, including all painting supplies, full setup of our materials, step-by-step guidance throughout the experience, and complete pack down afterwards. We take care of all the behind-the-scenes elements of the art experience so you can simply relax, enjoy your guests, and focus on having fun.

Whether you’re planning a hen party, birthday, baby shower, fundraiser, corporate event, or private celebration, we make the creative process completely stress-free from start to finish, guiding your group every step of the way and ensuring everyone feels confident and included. If you ever want any advice or help with ideas for your event, we’re always happy to chat through options and help you bring your vision to life.

Ready to Plan Your Perfect Paint and Sip Party?

If you’re looking to host a fun, creative, and unforgettable paint and sip party in Perth, Craft and Canvas would love to help.

We offer fully mobile paint and sip and creative event experiences across Perth, bringing everything needed directly to your venue.

Get in touch today to start planning your perfect paint and sip party!

Thanks for being here Behind the Brush! This is where I share the journey honestly—the moments that inspire, the moments that challenge, and all the colourful little bits that make it worthwhile. Until next time, keep creating!

 – Amy