Happy love month! Whether you’re in a relationship or not, it’s always important to celebrate your girlfriends too. That’s why I love the fact that Galentine’s Day has become a thing and gives us a special day to show our friends how much they mean to us while doing something fun together! The options are endless when it comes down to ways to spend this day, so I’ve compiled this list to help you determine how you want to celebrate your ladies this Galentine’s Day:
1. Prepare a Festive Brunch
Have your girlfriends over for the afternoon and serve a brunch made with love. You can take on the hosting position yourself or turn it into a potluck! Have each friend bring their favorite breakfast dish, drink, or treat and have a yummy meal together!
Image Credit: Marah Frank | A Gypsy in the City Blog
If this idea got your attention, check out my friend Marah’s blog! She hosted a brunch for us a few weeks back and shares all of her tips in this blog post: https://marahfrank.com/how-to-host-a-galentines-day-brunch-and-pajama-party/
2. Have a Photoshoot
Gather your besties and go out for a day of hyping each other up behind the camera! We all love photos, and what’s better than capturing your beautiful friends? You can all take turns with the camera and get some insta-worthy pics. As a bonus activity to this, you can get the photos developed with a 1-hour photo service and spend the evening creating a scrapbook or collage of your new photos!
Photo Credit: Ashley Krause
3. Host a ‘Secret Admirer’ Gift Exchange
Let’s be real, as much as we want to spoil each one of our friends, money is tight in college! We’re all in that same boat for now, so a great way to spread the love on a budget is to have a gift exchange where each person randomly chooses a friend’s name and only buys for one person rather than everyone. Set a limit somewhere that everyone feels comfortable, maybe $10-15 and keep it a secret until you all exchange!
4. Indulge with a Self-Care Night
Galentine’s Day celebrations don’t have to be flashy. If you and your BFFs prefer relaxing indoors to dressing up for a night out, a self-care night would be perfect for you. Each of you could bring your favorite beauty products and compile a variety of ways to pamper yourselves. Things like face/hair masks, nail painting, foot baths, essential oils, etc. are all good options and will give you an in-home spa experience. Put on your favorite movie in the background and make a night out of it!
5. DIY Activities
Get together and create! There are infinite DIYs on Pinterest you could attempt and have fun making together. A cool project is creating a vision board which would give you and your gal pals a chance to bring your goals to life with a cool and inspiring visual. You could even DIY some of the products used for your self-care night! Find a DIY that interests you all and let your creativity flow.
6. Clothing Swap
This is something I’ve always wanted to do and definitely will suggest to my friends! We all have a lot of clothes and admire those of our friends, too. So, what better way to recycle some of the pieces you don’t wear often than by swapping with your friends for a fresh wardrobe? You could organize a clothing swap party and have each girl bring some clothing/jewelry/accessories she’d be willing to trade. Kind of like a gift exchange, but you’re not spending any money and everyone can have the chance to leave with something new and exciting to style!
7. Plan a Staycation
If you and your friends are all free for a weekend in February, a staycation is the way to go! Airbnb has made this so simple and cost-friendly to plan and enjoy a weekend away. Being at college can cause us to feel cooped up and make us want to escape for a little. A staycation is the perfect opportunity to get out of town with your best friends and create new memories in a new place! These getaways can be as close or as far as you’re comfortable driving. Even staying the night in Pittsburgh at a pretty Airbnb is a nice escape and gives you a breath of fresh air.
Suggestion: I recently visited Lancaster, PA which was only a 4 hour drive from here and it was truly the perfect weekend getaway! There are gorgeous things to see, plus amazing markets and dining options.
I hope these options gave you some inspiration for planning this year’s Galentine’s celebration! In addition, you can always go for an old-fashioned sleepover, dinner at your favorite restaurant, or simply spending quality time together. Any effort will mean the world to your girls and will get a tradition started or keep any that you have in motion. Happy Galentine’s Day!
HCXO,
Ashley