Calling all ladies!
This post is for the gals: whether you’re single, married, engaged, in a relationship, or even if “it’s complicated,” Galentine’s Day is for you and it’s one of my favorite ways to celebrate in February.
Galentine’s Day is traditionally held on February 13th (although you can certainly celebrate it any day of the month!), and it’s all about ladies celebrating ladies. If this concept sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard it referenced on Parks and Recreation, which is where this unofficial holiday originated. Once a year, Leslie Knope and her gal pals meet for frittatas, compliments, and girl time.
What’s Galentine’s Day? Only the best day of the year! Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies.
Leslie Knope
For the past couple of years, my church’s young adult group has hosted a Galentine’s Day celebration, and it’s been one of my favorite events of all time. We did things a little differently each year, switching up the venue, date, dress code, and time of day, but it was a lot of fun each time!
If you want to throw a Galentine’s Day party of your own, first things first: you’ll need to decide a time of day that works best for you and your guests. Brunch is the classic way to celebrate, but you can do things your way! I think brunch tends to work best for a group of ladies with varied relationship statuses – both the singles and non-singles can usually work a morning event into their schedules, especially if it’s on a Saturday. A dinner or dessert party in the evening can work well for singles and people who don’t have kids to get off to bed.
Once you’ve chosen your time of day, pick a date on the calendar. You can do the traditional February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day, or you can choose another day altogether.
Secondly, you’ll need to decide on a dress code. Personally, girly and glam is my favorite theme. Like the average three-year-old, I love dressing in as much pink, red, glitter and tulle as I can cram into one look, and while I may get some weird looks dressing like that at the grocery store, nobody questions it at a Galentine’s party! 😊
Another option is a pajama party. This is another really fun – yet relaxed – theme that can make your guests feel more comfortable…literally. You can treat it like a sleepover and have popcorn, movies, face masks, cereal…the whole works. You could even have everyone bring their sleeping bags and host an actual sleepover!
My advice? If you’re planning to take a lot of pictures and you know people will have their phones out, suggest a more formal dress code, because very few women want to see pictures of themselves in their PJs and face masks on social media. If you’re hosting an unplugged party, PJs work great and everyone feels like they can relax.
One year, our group even tried to do both – guests could choose whether they wanted to glam up or come in their coziest pajamas – but that method wasn’t ideal, as half of the guests ended up feeling overdressed and the other half felt underdressed. I’d recommend sticking to one or the other.
Leslie Knope and her friends always met at a local café, and you can do the same at your favorite local hangout.
I prefer having Galentine’s Day at my or someone else’s house so I can decorate and transport the entire Target dollar aisle into my living room. 😊
Next, if you’re not meeting at a restaurant, pick a menu or a few recipes that go along with your theme. Here are some ideas:
Since I’ve always hosted Galentine’s parties for large groups of people who may or may not RSVP or stick to those RSVPs, I’ve typically provided a few key items and then asked everyone to bring a dessert, appetizer, or breakfast food to share (depending on the theme). We’ve always ended up with a huge variety and more than enough food!
And by far the best decision we’ve ever made is setting up a chocolate fountain. You will not regret adding one of these to your buffet if you have access to one! Fondue works, too.
As I mentioned before, the Target dollar aisle is your best friend here. It’s usually right by the entrance and it’s GOLD! You can find anything you’d ever dream of and much, much more – like, around $75-100 more, not that I would know from experience. 😬 Between the Dollar Spot and the Valentine candy aisle, you can grab everything you need. (P.S. This is not sponsored; all that overspending went straight to my own bank statement!)
Here are some ideas for decor:
You can also find decorations and party supplies at Shop Sweet Lulu, Home Goods, Amazon, Walmart, and almost anywhere in early February.
You don’t really have to plan any activities – most groups of women will have no problem chatting it up until, before you know it, the party’s over. But there are a few activities that can make your party extra-special…or just extra:
Galentine’s Day is pretty much the best of every holiday: good food, best friends, cute outfits, sparkly décor, and lots of laughs. Get creative with your own celebration – more is more! 😉 If you need further inspiration, check out my pinboard here.
Happy Galentine’s Day to you and your gal pals, and Happy Valentine’s Day to all! 💕
Comments are closed.
Hey! I'm Brianna and I'm a millennial. I'm also a reader, writer, God-lover, introvert, and recovering perfectionist. ☺️ I want to inspire millennials to retain their morality, hope, and faith as they transition into adulthood and full-fledged "adult."
[…] laugh, eat chocolate, and celebrate friendship. I wrote about everything you need to know to throw your own Galentine’s Day celebration here, and today I’m sharing the perfect Galentine’s […]