How To Throw A Galentine's Day Party Your BFFs Will Love

If you’re like me, you don’t know where you’d be without your girlfriends, your tribe, your ride or dies. I’m so lucky to have a crew that loves me unconditionally, picks me up when I fall, and calls me out on my shit. We are big believers in dance parties, concert-going, and Netflix bingeing. We love wine and cheese and each other with all of our hearts, and for that I am forever grateful. 

I get to surround myself with strong, funny, passionate, loyal, and smart AF women every day. As such, I am a firm believer in celebrating Galentine’s Day, a rather recent addition to the holiday calendar! Any chance I have to celebrate and shower my BFFs with love and attention is one I am going to take.

This is what the perfect Galentine’s Day celebration looks like to me (and hopefully my girls!). 

Food + Drink

No Galentine’s Day party would be complete without these candy bar staples: conversation hearts, hersey’s kisses, cinnamon hearts, and hot lips. Put these in bowls around the room for everyone to nibble on throughout the party.

A cheese and charcuterie platter (veggies optional…it is a holiday!) is a no brainer. A couple pizzas are always well received, and having a few items with a little spice would make many of my girls pretty happy. For dessert, I would definitely splurge on chocolate covered strawberries! 

You may want to keep all the bevvies being offered in the pink and red family - think a dry pink bubbly, a full bodied cab sauv, and signature cocktail or two that look damn pretty (pretty pink inspiration available here!). 

Decor + Atmosphere

Your colour scheme for this one is easy - red, pink and maybe a nice metallic to add some shine. A heart garland and love themed confetti (DIY or store bought) will keep you on theme. Fresh flowers never go unnoticed and a themed-balloon installation of sorts (hello pinterest!) for all the instagramming is what I would use to make my space and my girls feel special on our holiday.

The party atmosphere is going to be different for everyone. This will depend on the type of evening you are planning and, of course, what your friends will enjoy. My gals are big on killer playlists so I would make sure mine is stacked...likely with some girl power jams and artists - think Kelly Clarkson, J-Lo, Spice Girls, Queen Bey, and Britney Spears, to name a handful. This playlist will ultimately be setting us up for the perfect kitchen dance party a few drinks in, with the jams cranked loud and the energy high. 

I would also take the opportunity to have my fave “girly” movies playing on mute, because y’all know how long it takes to make that perfectly curated playlist. My go-tos would be Bridesmaids, Now & Then, and Mean Girls. I find movies like this always encourage some nostalgia and some pretty great storytelling and sharing among friends.

Themes + Ideas

The party ideas above are pretty universal, but if you and your crew prefer more structure than here are a few fun themes you could run with for the perfect girls night in.

PJ Party: everyone shows up in their cozies! Maybe the movies are the main attraction for this theme, and you will certainly need to add popcorn to your menu (...don’t forget the M&Ms and kernel’s flavour powders too!). Ensure you have lots of seating room and cozy blankets too!

Taco Thursday: because this year the 13th isn’t on a Tuesday. But like who are we kidding...is anyone really going to say no to tacos and margs any day of the week? You can try a couple different margarita recipes for variety. Don’t forget the churros for dessert (again, homemade or picked up from your fave taco spot on the way home, totally up to you).

Spa Night:  face masks, cucumber water, and manis - you can do these yourselves, on each other, or if your girl gang is  feeling a little bougie you can hire an esthetician to help achieve the perfect Galentine’s day nail art.

Game Night: the world is your oyster with this one, there are so many fun games you can choose to include in your night. You could go old school with Truth of Dare, you can get creative with Cranium, you can get politically incorrect with Cards Against Humanity, or see how well you can give each other clues for the point with Catchphrase. All of these games will get more fun and more intense as the cocktails flow and  night progresses. PS- If it were the 90s i would totally be suggesting Dream Phone, and Dream Phone only. 

Clothing Swap: everyone gets sick of the clothing in their own closet so why not turn your girls night into a shopping party - but one where no one has to spend a dime. Guests attending the party bring the same number of clothing items/bags/accessories/shoes (whatever you decide as a group, really)  and the host has a place to display them all. Once everyone arrives, catches up, has a glass or two of bubbly, let the shopping spree begin. Everyone has ditched items they no longer wear and leaves with new pieces to spice up next week’s wardrobe. Win win.

Sweet words + Treats

On a day as special as today, I wouldn’t want my besties leaving empty handed. If nothing else, I would ensure they all leave with a card - one that is personalized and expresses how I feel about them, our friendship, and why I love them to the moon and back. Galentine’s Day is about showering your girls with love, and in my opinion, there is no better way to do that than with your words that you have chosen specifically for them. You can get crafty and make the cards yourself, you can pop into a number of cute boutique shops in Ottawa that carry a plethora of amazing pop culture referencing cards celebrating female friendship, or if you are in a pinch you  can hit up the drugstore and grab a box of super hero themed valentine’s day cards - you know, the ones we gave out to the whole class in elementary school- and get creative with how express your love for your closest gals on one of those things.

Another great idea I would consider as a Galentine’s party take away are some baked goods. You could make heart shaped cookies, brownies with edible heart confetti on top, chocolate and/or yogurt covered pretzels, red velvet cupcake, or valentine’s themed mini-donuts. Package them up in cute heart shaped boxes or valentine’s themed treat bags and make sure everyone gets one of their way out. Pro tip: if you are running out of time or don’t have the Betty Crocker gene - stop by Simply Biscotti on Preston Street and pick up a few of their heart cookies to give to your best gals. All proceeds go to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Bonus - this campaign runs the whole month of February so you two more weeks to get your hands on the cookies and give back to your community!  How could anyone leave the Galentine’s party not feeling all of the love with something so sweet in hand?! 

And remember, if your plate is too full, if you need help getting the creative juices flowing, if you just want to show up and attend your own party (any party!) without the stress of planning, executing and remembering all the details, that’s what i’m here for! I provide a la carte event packages and services to each client - everything can be customized to ensure you get the experience you want and need for your next celebration.

Send me an email at amanda@amandajuliaevents.com or slide into my DMs on instagram or Facebook and let’s get started on bringing your vision to life!