Anyone that knows me knows I love themed parties, and I love even more to throw them! I get the hosting gene from my Mom, who always made every party so aesthetically pleasing and well thought through. Galentine’s Day has been, in my opinion, an underrated holiday to celebrate. This year I wanted to create a fun girls night to celebrate Galentine’s with my friends. There, of course, was a theme (Pajama Chic), food, and lots & lots of wine. Planning took about a month – this way I was able to slowly check off my list on things I needed to do and get. Below I have outlined what was included in the Galentine’s Day party and what elements will help your gathering stand apart from the rest!
Pick a Theme
Picking a theme is what will help shape the decorations, attire, etc. Since the party was going to occur at night, rather than during brunch time, I went with a pajama chic theme. Pink, red, and neutral colors were highly encouraged with the promise of lots of photo ops! I found really cute heart pajama set from Forever 21 for less than $30.
Decorate, Decorate, Decorate
Searching for decorations towards a theme is one of my favorite things to do. Like, ever. There are so many fun decorations to choose from on the Internet alone, especially on Etsy. My decorations were majority from Etsy and Amazon. I’ve linked my table decoration check list and the items used below!
Set the Table
It’s the little things that make a difference. For a dinner party, setting the table with style is so important! I felt like this was one of the main pieces to hosting a Galentine’s girls night. Find the items I used below!
- Disposable Tablecloth
- Sequin Table Runner
- Rose Gold Plastic Plate and Silverware Set
- Tissue Paper Tassel Party Garland
- XL Valentine Wine Glasses
- Happy Galentine’s Day Napkins
- Flowers for Dreams Centerpiece
Add Something Special
One decoration item that I was really excited to include at the Galentine’s Girls Night was a flower bouquet centerpiece from local Chicago business, Flowers for Dreams. Every bouquet sold from Flowers for Dreams benefits a local charity! The charities vary depending on month and bouquet. 25% of all of this year’s Valentine’s bouquets, including the Rose bouquet I used, went towards funding for those affected by domestic violence.
Create a Photo Booth Backdrop
Every good event in my book, big or small, has an awesome photo booth backdrop for taking event pictures. This really makes or breaks it for me! Setting up a cute, themed photo area was easier (and cheaper) than I thought it would be. For my set up I used my tripod and remote for easy group photo taking, a mix of Valentine’s Day balloons, two metallic tinsel foil curtains put together, and a conversation heart banner. Find the exact items linked below!
- Red Heart Confetti Balloons
- Heart Balloons
- Valentine’s Day Banner
- 2 Pc. Silver Metallic Tinsel Foil Curtains
- Standard Helium Balloon Kit
- 55″ Camera Tripod
- Universal Smartphone Tripod Adapter
- Bluetooth Wireless Camera Remote
Do it Potluck-Style
While it might seem impressive to create a whole spread by yourself, the host is only one person. My recommendation is to have your event potluck-style. I created a shared Google Doc where my friends could sign up for either an appetizer or dessert. The shared doc let everyone see what other people were bringing so there was no overlap. As the host, I procured the main meal: pizza from Giordano’s. This was a super easy – and yummy – option to satisfy both the vegetarians and meat lovers.
Themed Galentine’s Day Treats
My sweet tooth wouldn’t let an event occur without a Galentine’s Day themed treat! I have worked with ECBG Cake Studio here in Chicago before and LOVE their creations. Everything – whether a custom cake or cookie – is always so aesthetically pleasing and tasty. For this event, ECBG Cake Studio created some boss babe cookies for our Galentine’s girls night. Sayings included messages such as Thank U Next, Netflix is Bae, and Be My Galentine. These were a big hit and sooo Instagrammable!
Pick A Main Activity
Eating pizza and yummy brownie cheesecake while drinking wine is fun, but every good event needs a main activity. Since we had a small group of seven, I chose to do Galentine’s White Elephant. The bag I chose had a choker necklace and bath bomb, which I love!
“Favorite Things” White Elephant Rules
- Each guest was asked to bring a gift, between $10-$20, that included something that is their favorite.
- We then went in order of birthday months (starting with those with a birthday in January) to choose from the pile.
- After the first person goes, the following can either choose a gift or steal.
- Gifts can only be stolen once.
- When someone chooses your gift, you then explain why those items are your “favorites”. For example, my bag had Chips Ahoy cookies because I have a big sweet tooth, a face sheet mask because it’s one of my favorite ways to relax, and two bath bombs because I love to take baths.
By bringing your “Favorite Things”, it is easier to find a thoughtful gift to bring because it is something someone else can use and enjoy! After doing the Galentine’s White Elephant portion, we played a fun get-to-you drinking game using these fun cards from Amazon.
Galentine’s Day Goodie Bag
Everyone likes a little goodie bag swag. While you don’t have to literally give your guests a “bag” to take home, adding a few items for them to keep is always a special takeaway. For this event I found reasonably priced ‘Wine is My Valentine’ XL wine glasses & really cute ‘Be My Galentine’ socks from Target for my guests. These were appropriate for the theme and for a dinner event, however there are many different types of goodie bag items you can find for your own event. I recommend checking out Etsy and Pinterest for inspiration!
Throwing a Galentine’s Day party was a blast. Defiantly one of the more fun events I’ve hosted! I loved having a smaller, intimate group as I felt it allowed everyone to hang out with the whole group at the same time. I hoped my recap helps you plan your next Galentine’s Day event 🙂 Pin the images below to save this for later viewing!
