Galentine’s Day Party

You know Valentine’s Day is coming up on the 14th, but are you prepped for Galentine’s Day? The holiday, created by Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation, is a celebration of your girlfriends held on February 13th. I thought I’d show my friends some love Leslie Knope-style, by hosting a Waffle Brunch!

The waffle bar included waffles (I used this recipe here, but you can use any you’d like!), butter, Nutella, peanut butter, strawberries, mini chocolate chips, bananas, two types of syrup, whipped cream, and festive sprinkles. Leslie Knope once said that Galentine’s Day was like “Lilith Fair, minus the angst plus frittatas” so I also made a frittata based on this recipe (not pictured). We all washed the waffles down with mimosas!

The Galentine’s Day Brunch gave me a chance to be extra girly with my decorations. I went with a red, pink, and Valentine’s Day theme with a hint of Parks and Rec quotes throughout. Most of the items shown were found at The House of Bachelorette and Party at Display and Costume. You can get individual banner letters from party stores, so you too can make a “TreatYoSelf” banner. I have a feeling I’ll  be reusing mine many times! A couple more fun tidbits about the tablescape:

• I made the conversation heart vase by putting flowers in a small vase and then putting that into a larger vase. Then you just fill the additional space in the larger vase with candy!
• The roses were from Whole Foods–you can get 20 roses for $20 (when you’re lucky to find a dozen for $60 at other places) and the roses are “Whole Trade,” meaning the money goes back to help the farm workers and their communities through scholarships and funding of community centers and homes.
• Sprinkles make a fun substitute for confetti on a table, especially for a waffle party.
• Use a bracelet, hair elastic, or some other inexpensive but fun gift for the napkin “ring.” Your guests can then take it home with them at the end of the party!

It’s not Galentine’s Day without gifts! I assigned my friends “Secret Galentines” in advance, so each person could surprise another with a fantastic gift. The ladies didn’t disappoint! Each gift was absolutely perfect for the recipient, and we had a fantastic time going around and sharing them.

I also left a Galentine’s Day gift on each girl’s chair. I thought I’d mix fandoms a bit and go for a Wonder Woman theme (I’m sure Leslie Knope would approve). Each girl received one of my X-Ray Totes with a matching lip gloss and some cute earrings. I made the earrings a bit cuter and more “on-theme” by finding an image of a Wonder Woman comic online and printing it on cardstock. Then I just pierced the earrings through each card! You can do the same thing with images of vintage valentines or anything else that piques your interest.

When we weren’t opening gifts or chowing down on waffles, we were going through Table Topics and just catching up on girl talk. It was fantastic, but don’t worry–I had a plan in place for those who wouldn’t want to participate.

I mean, we’ve all had moments where we just need some bacon, whiskey, and a heavy set of headphones to drown out talking, right?

After we all adequately hydrated ourselves with mimosas, it was time to try out the photo wall.

A photo wall’s a great way to make sure pics will be taken at your party. You can set up a camera on a tripod, or you can let everyone Instagram themselves silly. I made mine with two 8 foot sheets of pink butcher paper, and a custom “Happy Galentine’s Day” banner. I then grabbed my trusty box of costumes and props and set it near the wall. The setup was simple, inexpensive, and worked out well!

So, Happy early-Galentine’s Day from my friends to yours. Do you have any Galentine’s Day plans?