Sweating Champagne

Chicago Lifestyle and Mental Health Awareness Blog

valentine's day

Luft Balloon Valentine’s Day Pop-Up

Chicago Valentine’s Day Pop-Up

Whether you’re in a relationship or single, you can still get some fun pictures in at Luft Balloon’s Valentine’s Day pop-up! The Hearts & Kisses Experience is open now through February 14 at Luft Balloon’s new Wicker Park location. The one room holds over 3,000+ balloons set up in a few festive displays – a balloon wall, pink velvet sitting couch, and a “You are my person” wall. The pop-up is $25 for a group ticket (up to four people) for a 2-3 hour time slot. Most sessions only take 20-30 minutes to snap some photos. Mention my Instagram handle (@sweatingchampagne_) while attending for a free 11″ latex balloon!

Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Preview Night

I had the pleasure of attending a preview night for Luft Balloon’s Hearts & Kisses experience and loved how my content turned out. The photo ops were perfect for using during the month of February and I loved the elaborate balloon displays. In addition to being able to check out the room full of 3,000+ balloons, the preview night included drinks from Crafthouse Cocktails, delicious cookies from Beatrix, and beautiful bouquets from Flowers for Dreams. What a fun night!

Related Posts

Looking for inspiration on how to throw a cute Galentine’s Day party? Check out this post. Staying home and want to create a love spell jar? View my post here. Happy Valentine’s Day!

My Valentine’s Day Outfit

My entire outfit, makeup products, and skin care routine is linked in my LiketoKnow.it profile! Individual items are listed below. Commission made from my links go towards making Sweating Champagne possible and are greatly appreciated!

Outfit

Makeup

Skin Care

How To Make A Love Spell Jar

My new found interest in divination and spirituality has brought me to spell jars, specifically love spell jars for February! What I like best is that unlike Valentine’s Day, the focus of these love spell jars is not solely on romantic relationships. They can seek self-love and platonic connections with others as well. Read below for a list of recommended ingredients and links for where to get them!

Love Spell Jar Ingredients

Love Spell Jar Instructions

  1. Charge your crushed rose quartz crystals (clean with water while focusing on an affirmation, leave them out in the moonlight the night before, etc.)
  2. Cleanse your glass bottle with a smudge stick (I like these white sage smudge sticks and this cast iron stand)
  3. Add the Pink Himalayan Salt and sugar as a bottom base
  4. Add the crushed rose quartz crystals and flower petals

BONUS: write down a love affirmation and/or desire to roll up and place inside the jar as you’re building the layers

Disclaimer: the links in this post are through RewardStyle and will provide me with a small commission if the item is bought. I appreciate everything that makes Sweating Champagne possible!

Each Ingredient’s Purpose

  • Pink Himalayan Salt: removes negative blockages, protects relationships, and promotes love
  • Sugar: used to attract others, bring in happiness
  • Rose Quartz: the stone of love, emotional healing, and trust. Used to reawaken the heart chakra.
  • Red Rose Petals: represents passion, physical attraction, and strength

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Her

Looking for inspiration on what to get your sweetie for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day)? I’m a natural fan of pink and hearts, so this holiday brings out some great gifts in my opinion.

Here is a roundup of a fun, girly Valentine’s Day gift guide for her! Click on the items below to be taken to their website. My personal favorite is the Diptyque Paris en Fleur candle and the Saint Laurent monogram credit card case in marble pink!

In Chicago and looking for inspiration on where to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Check out this seasonal post HERE! Wanting to celebrate Galentine’s Day? Read my guide to throwing a Galentine’s Day party!

Happy Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day! <3

Where to Spend Valentine’s Day in Chicago

Brunch at Barrio in Chicago

Our New Years resolutions have been set, Chicago’s winter has set in, and now it’s time to cuddle up and feel the love of February 14th. There are so many great places to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Chicago! From a champagne fest to an interactive supper club, the options are endless. Read below!

If you’re not looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day and want to share your love for your girlfriends instead, or as well, Galentine’s Day – the day before Valentine’s Day on February 13th – is a great option! Check out the Galentine’s Day party I threw last year in this post here. This year I’ll be celebrating Galentine’s Day with an Italian dinner at Quartino’s (one of my favorite spots to eat!).

Pre Fixe Menu Dinner

We’ll start with the obvious. Going out to dinner at a special location is a great Valentine’s Day tradition. Many restaurants even create special menus and menu items for the occasion. I’ve rounded up my top three recommended below. Make sure to make reservations before they fill up!

Champagne & Sparkling Wine Fest

If you love champagne and sparkling wine just as much as I do, I suggest checking out The IO Godfrey Rooftop Lounge’s Champagne & Sparkling Wine Fest! The event will occur on Valentine’s Day itself, from 7-11pm. Enjoy four hours of tastings, passed appetizers, a sweets table, and more.

AIRE Ancient Baths

If you haven’t been to AIRE Ancient Baths yet, special occasion or not, you’re missing out on such a relaxing experience! I checked it out with a close girlfriend, read about it HERE, and loved it. It’s a great place for a date or for a fun day with girlfriends. Take a dip in multiple different pools together or book a massage this Valentine’s Day for a super romantic, unique date!

Brunch It

Valentine’s Day is on a Friday this year, however there is no rule that says you can’t celebrate on Saturday or Sunday! The weekend is the weekend, am I right? Brunch is a great day-time option for celebration. Some of my favorite brunch spots in Chicago include:

Interactive Supper Club

If you want to try something different while still enjoying some delicious food, an interactive supper club is a great choice. Get in the Kitchen! is offering a Valentine’s Day event that is part cooking class part dining. The evening will include a signature cocktail (besides that it is BYOB) and a three-course meal. Tickets are $79 each.

Netflix & Homemade Za’

Netflix is life. So is pizza. Mix the two together for a cozy night in! Even better, make your own homemade pizza side by side before plopping down to watch The Office, A Cinderella Story, The Witcher, or whatever floats your fancy. I personally think pizza and a Seth Rogan movie sounds like a great time!

How to Throw a Galentine’s Day Party

how to throw a galentine's day party pajama themed

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

galentine's girls night party

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

galentine's day dinner party

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!

Add Something Special

valentine's day flowers for dreams chicago

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

Valentine Galentine 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!

Do it Potluck-Style

Galentine's Day Potluck

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

galentine's day cookies chicago

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

galentine's white elephant

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

  1. Each guest was asked to bring a gift, between $10-$20, that included something that is their favorite.
  2. We then went in order of birthday months (starting with those with a birthday in January) to choose from the pile.
  3. After the first person goes, the following can either choose a gift or steal.
  4. Gifts can only be stolen once.
  5. 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

galentine's dinner party

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!

galentine's party girls night

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!

Pink Hot Chocolate Valentine’s Day Recipe

pink hot chocolate valentine's day recipe

Just in time for the month of love, this Valentine’s Day pink hot chocolate recipe is the perfect festive addition to your party planning. Super easy to make, and even easier to want cute pictures of, this recipe takes a girly spin on a classic drink. Find the recipe detailed below!

pink hot chocolate valentine's day recipe

Valentine’s Day Pink Hot Chocolate

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients
  

Pink Hot Chocolate

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tsp red food coloring

Toppings

  • Cool Whip
  • Fancy Sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Add milk and white chocolate chips to a medium pan. Cook over low heat and stir until chocolate chips are smoothly melted. 
  • Stir in your vanilla and red food coloring.
  • Pour your pink hot chocolate into clear plastic (or glass) mugs.
  • Top with whip cream and decorative sprinkles. 
Keyword hot chocolate, pink hot chocolate, valentine’s day
pink hot chocolate valentine's day recipe

Besides the creamy, white chocolate flavor, what really sets this drink apart are the details. Clear mugs are crucial to be able to snap a pic of the gorgeous pink coloring! The pink coloring is, after all, the main component of this pink hot chocolate recipe. I used these 8 oz clear coffee mugs from Amazon.

pink hot chocolate valentine's day recipe

Another thing to consider is having festive sprinkles to top off the drink on top of your whip cream. I ordered the Friends with Benefits sprinkle jar from Fancy Sprinkles. All of their sprinkle jar combos are to DIE FOR and not badly priced either. Highly recommend for any fancy sprinkle orders!

pink hot chocolate valentine's day recipe

Planning a festive party or get together during the month of February? Make sure to try out this pink hot chocolate recipe for a festive flare!
I love how this is a unique recipe to have at your upcoming celebration <3 Pin the images below to save for easy viewing later. Happy Valentine’s & Galentine’s Day!

What to Wear for Valentine’s Day

Calling all love birds & galentines! Vday is upon us <3 Whether you need a casual Valentine’s Day outfit, Galentine’s party outfit, or a fancy dress for a Valentine’s Day date night – these three outfits are sure to make you stand out. All are pink themed – my signature color – and use very cute, possibly staple closet items. View my Valentine’s Day outfits roundup below!

Casual Valentine’s Day Outfit

what to wear for valentine's day
what to wear for valentine's day

Goodnight Macaroon Sweater // Kate Spade Handbag // Goodnight Macaroon OTK boots

I wore this mauve pink sweater from Goodnight Macaroon for the first time a few months ago and it was a huge hit. It’s the perfect amount of fuzzy – doesn’t shed on you and is still super soft. It does rise a little bit higher than the normal top, so I recommend it with high-waisted pants. This dusty peony Kate Spade handbag is a lifetime keeper. Unique and very cute! This outfit is perfect for a casual day out or casual work attire. Pair it with these ‘Ellis’ Black Classic Over the Knee Suede Leather Boots from Goodnight Macaroon to spice it up!

Galentine’s Party Outfit

what to wear for valentine's day galentine's day
what to wear for valentine's day galentine's day

J.Crew Factory Faux-Fur Vest // YSL Sunset Medium Bag // Sam Edelman Hal Studded Bootie

Who has some Galentine’s Day celebrations coming up?? This outfit can be a safe choice for a girls night out or night in. The faux-fur vest from J.Crew Factory is literally the softest item of clothing I have ever felt. Not even joking. The mauve pink is perfect for a fun, Galentine’s celebration! Pair any outfit with these studded Sam Edelman booties for a city edge look and YSL Sunset Medium bag for chic inspiration.

Valentine’s Day Date Night Outfit

what to wear for valentine's day date
what to wear for valentine's day date

Badgley Mischka Faille Dress

If I didn’t already love the color pink, my excitement was heightened with this BEAUTIFUL magenta Faille dress from Badgley Mischka. With a loose, almost off-the-shoulder top, this midi is perfect for a romantic date night. Also another closet staple in my book! This Marc by Marc Jacobs silver sequin clutch is no longer for sale, however any silver (preferably sequined) clutch would do to complete the look!

Items Used in More Than One Post

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings // Spanx Faux Leather Leggings (Petite)