For my senior year, I have tried to make a point to make the most of every moment, and do all of the things my friends and I have wanted to do these past few years. So I knew that we had to have a galentine’s day event, and i thought a dinner party would be perfect. We had such a wholesome night and I will definitely remember it when I look back to my last semester here at Holy Cross. If you’re looking to do something fun with your friends (because trust me, soon it will be all almost over), here is some inspo for your next friend’s event! Ours was, of course, galentine’s day themed, but this inspiration is applicable to any cocktail/dinner party you can host at your home/dorm!
1. CREATE A CANVA INVITATION
I created this invite a few weeks before, and wanted to keep the aesthetic simple and sophisticated, but still keep the Galentine’s Day vibe. You can do this with Canva (for free!) or any other creative program you want! You can also do these by hand, but I find that most people like to have a digital copy to look back to! I also added a dress code to give people an idea of the outfit vibe and also make for cute photos!
2. Plan your menu & delegate tasks to willing friends/roommates.
I wanted the food to be appetizers so that there would be variety and I could make sure to make something everybody would be excited about. Myself and my roommate Mary discussed which appetizers we thought would be easy to make in advance and crowd pleasers!
3. make a handmade menu
I’ve seen a lot of people do this on TikTok & I thought it was a creative way to add a personal touch to the event! With Mary and I’s items, I created a menu with cardstock and some fake flowers I found at Michaels to match the vibe, and wrote the items as courses so it would appear slightly more sophisticated. Here is how the menu turned out!
4. Buy a bunch of flowers & decor to make your space look nice!
I was able to find $5 tulip bouquets from Market Basket, which ended up being perfect for the space. I highly recommend using flowers as well as candles to create a more moody setting! I also got some hanging hearts from Party City, as well as some red dishware from the dollar tree! You could also always go to your local thrift store to find dishware and other items to make your table look elevated with a bit of character!
5. make a personalized cake
Buy a $5 cake and some icing to create a personalized cake suited to your theme and make it personal to your friends! This was super easy to do and a quick way to provide your guests with a dessert.
6. Make a fun playlist to match the vibes of the evening!
One task I gave my roommate was to create a playlist for the night that was feminine and fun! Here it is below:
7. make a specialty cocktail or mocktail
I knew I wanted to make a fun cocktail that went with the theme of the night, so I created a cocktail with a fun name and a feminine look. My cocktail was called “Love Potion” and was made of aperol, gin, fresh lemon juice, elderflower liqueur, and honey! I also ordered some fun garnishes and edible glitter to add to the cocktail to make it feel fancy and fun. My roommate Annie also made some fun-shaped ice to put in them which added to the look of the cocktail! Here’s how they came out, we were obsessed!
8. TAKE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS TO REMEMBER THE MOMENT <3
Take photos with an old digital camera or just with your phone to capture some content with the girls! I also got some aesthetic photos of the space to share on Pinterest! Here’s a few below!
9. put your phones down, sing some tunes, and enjoy a night with the girls!
Though the planning is often exciting, the thing we will all remember most is singing in the kitchen together and enjoying all of the lasts that we have in this place. Don’t take for granted your college experience, you only get one!