Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, that means Galentine’s Day is too! It’s our favorite time of year—introduced to us by our favorite citizen of Pawnee—for celebrating sisterhood with our girls and treating ourselves to a classy brunch, spa night or girls’ night in. Make sure to keep February 13th clear because you’re going to host the greatest Galentine’s Day get-together there ever was!
Whatever you call your Galentine’s Day plans, they’ll need to include trendy decorations, the best goodies and Instagram-worthy dishes! Not to worry, collegiettes—we’ve got your back! Below is your complete guide to throwing a Galentine’s Day bash that none of your girls will forget.
The Invitations
Before you start planning your Galentine’s Day festivities, think about how you’ll let your friends know about the magical day you’ve got planned! If you’re feeling extra crafty, you can use Poppytalk’s tutorial to transform plain white stationary into a dip-dyed invite.
However, if you aren’t the best with paints and dyes, you can print out illustrated Galentine’s Day-themed cards from Aviate Press to get your besties in the spirit!
Your invitations should let your girlfriends know where and when the party is and what to wear (hint: lots of pink). You can add even more excitement to the invitation by sprinkling some glitter, sequins or confetti (or, let’s be honest—all three!) into the envelopes before sealing them and sending them off.
The Decorations
The decor can make or break a party, and we can’t think of a party more fun to decorate for than Galentine’s Day! A definite must is balloons, and we found a tutorial from Studio DIY to recreate your favorite heart-shaped candies.
Honestly Yum can show you how to make a centerpiece that will brighten up the whole room. (This will also make it look like you have a green thumb without suffering through the struggle that comes with one, which is always nice!)
Underneath your lively centerpiece, you can dress up a plain tablecloth to make your place Galentine’s Day ready! Walk In Love shows us how easy the transformation can be.
The Menu
Every party needs snacks just as much as it needs a main course, so Gimme Some Oven’s idea for Galentine’s-themed munchies is perfect! It combines sweet and salty (and hearts).
Cookies are a must-have snack, too! You can either make these adorable heart-shaped treats from Completely Delicious ahead of time, or wait until the party starts and have fun baking and frosting with your gal pals.
As for the actual meal, we think it’s only appropriate for Galentine’s Day waffles to be served. Whether it’s brunch time or before heading out on the town, this is a Leslie Knope-approved necessity! Hello Wonderful has a sweet recipe for the cutest waffles that’ll make all of your friends ask for seconds (and thirds!).
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Killer Party
We’ve got food covered, so drinks are next on the list. Thankfully, The Cookie Rookie has our first choice all set. This Raspberry Italian Cream Soda can be served by itself or with a kick, if all of your girls are 21 or older. Either way, it’s a tasty drink to sip with friends.
If raspberry’s not your thing, you can serve fruity Shirley Temples from This Lil Piglet. The mason jar is optional but definitely encouraged.
Don’t forget to liven up all of the drinks at your party with floral drink stirrers from Paper & Stitch. You can even find flowers in all different colors and have each match the color of the drink it’s in!
Activities
As fun as it is catching up with each other, your Galentine’s Day celebration deserves more excitement! Surprisingly, the setup for activities is a lot easier than it may seem. For starters, you can put together a girl power playlist to serve as background music or for dancing if the time’s right. Here’s one of our favorite Galentine’s playlists. Use as inspiration or play these tunes at your own party.
Another great activity to put up in any corner of your place? A photo booth! You can use Francois et Moi’s simple heart decor for a cute pop of color in all of your photos.
Either set up a digital camera with a timer, or have someone use an instant camera to take the photos. That way, people have keepsakes at the end of the night to remember how much fun they had.
Since it’s Galentine’s Day, all of your girls should show each other some love. Paper & Stitch suggests having a station set up so each guest can write down some kind words about the rest of the girls. Then, you can read them aloud to everyone before the night’s over.
Gifts
Unfortunately, the celebration does have to end at some point. When that time comes, be sure to have some treats ready for each girl to take home with her. You can follow in The Crafted Sparrow’s footsteps and add some humor to your gifts by attaching a pun to a bottle of nail polish for each guest.
You could even take an idea from the creative minds here at Her Campus and give each of your girls a DIY watercolor mug after your Galentine’s Day get-together!
Well, collegiettes, that’s really all there is to it! Take these ideas and run with them, and you’ll be sure to throw the unforgettable Galentine’s Day party that your friends deserve.