Celebrate your gal pals Leslie Knope-style this Valentine’s Day with these Galentine’s Day Party Ideas!
Admittedly, Valentine’s Day isn’t high on my list of favorite holidays to celebrate. I spent last year’s Valentine’s Day working on the Carnival Elation, and my friends and I all wore black. Galentine’s Day, however, is definitely near the top of that list. As a female, I think it’s so important for women to surround themselves with other strong women who support each other and look for the best in one another. It’s so important to get out of that competitive mindset and show each other appreciation and love. The Leslie Knope in me obsessed with Galentine’s Day and everything it represents, so I couldn’t resist putting together a Galentine’s Day party for my #girlsquad using these fun Galentine’s Day party ideas.
Decorations
DIY “GALENTINE’S DAY” BANNER
This is a quick DIY that can make a huge impact on a mantel, table or wall. You could even use it as part of a backdrop for a photobooth.
Materials:
Colored cardstock (I used red, dark pink and light pink)
White cardstock
Mini clothesepins
Glitter (I used red, pink, purple, silver and white)
Tape or glue
Mod Podge
Paintbrush
Scissors
Yarn, string or ribbon
Directions:
1. Use the scissors to cut the colored cardstock into 14 equally-sized rectangles.
2. Cut a triangle at the bottom of each cardstock to make it into the banner shape shown in the photo.
3. On the white cardstock, freehand or trace the letters needed to say “Galentine’s Day!”
4. Using either tape or glue, attach one letter to each of the rectangles you cut out.
5. Take a mini clothespin and paint a little bit of Mod Podge onto one side of it.
6. Take the glitter of your choice and sprinkle it onto the Mod Podge on top of the clothespin.
7. Allow at least half an hour to dry.
8. Take your yarn (or string or ribbon) and cut it to the desired length.
9. Attach the letters using the glittered clothespins to the yarn.
10. Hang up in desired location and admire your pretty work.
DIY TABLECLOTH
This is an easy (and super cheap) way to liven up your table.
Materials:
White tablecloth
Black paint
Paintbrush
Directions:
1. Lay out the white table cloth.
2. Using the paintbrush, paint large, messy X’s and O’s all over it.
3. Let it dry for at least one hour.
FESTIVE TABLE DECOR
Take pink, red, white and sparkly pom poms and sprinkle them around the center of the table to give your tablescape some pop. Get colorful and sparkly cardstock and cut out X’s and O’s then place them in various spots toward the center of the table within and around the pom poms.
Food & Drinks
WINE
The drink of choice for the night was wine. We had several bottles of red and white wine, and all of our gal pals sipped the night away.
HEART-SHAPED QUESADILLAS
They didn’t turn out super beautiful, but these were simple to make and tasted pretty scrumptious, especially with some guacamole and salsa.
Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Shredded fiesta cheese
Oil
Materials:
Heart-shaped cookie cutter
Frying pan
Spatula
Directions:
1. Using the heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut an even number of flour tortilla hearts.
2. Place the desired amount of cheese on top of a tortilla heart then place another tortilla heart on top.
3. Put a small dollop of oil onto the frying pan.
4. Fry the quesadilla on the stove at medium-high heat for about 1 minute on each side.
COOKIE DECORATING STATION
We set up a “Decorate Your Own Cookie” station with different colored icing, Valentine’s Day sprinkles and other candies, and everyone had fun decorating and eating their tasty creations.
Materials:
Heart-shaped cookies (We baked our own and used cookie cutters!)
Various icing colors (We used pink, red, white and black.)
Sprinkles
Sweethearts
VARIOUS SWEETS AND TREATS
Our guests were the best and brought a ton of desserts, wine and treats for everyone at the party to enjoy. We had chips and salsa, guacamole, cookies, mini cupcakes, various chocolate candies, lots of wine, a sweet cocktail and lots of white chocolate-covered pretzels.
Activities
MASH PRINTABLE
I found the most adorable MASH printable from here.
EASY DIY PHOTOBOOTH BACKDROP
Photobooths are a must at every party I throw. It’s so easy to get caught up in party festivities and forget to take pictures. That’s why I love photobooths because it’s part of the party, and having props makes taking pictures even more fun.
Materials:
Red tablecloth (In hindsight, I definitely should have gotten two.)
“Be My Galentine” banner from Target
Tape
Valentine’s Day balloons
Pink, purple and white balloons
Various photobooth props
Directions:
1. Hang up the red tablecloth in desired location.
2. Use the tape to secure the “Be My Galentine” banner on the tablecloth.
3. Blow up balloons and place them on the floor near the backdrop.
4. Place the photobooth props hear the photobooth area.
5. Go crazy taking photos with your gals.
MUSIC
It’s not a party without music! I created a playlist especially for Galentine’s Day, full of old and new songs from some of the most talented female artists. You can listen to my Galentine’s Day playlist on Spotify:
Who are your best girlfriends and what are some of your favorite things about them?
