Galentine's Day Ideas & Favorite Things Party - This Vivacious Life (2024)

Our Galentine’s Day ideas will help you throw an awesome favorite things party! It is the perfect celebration for you and your girlfriends on February 13th.

Galentine's Day Ideas & Favorite Things Party - This Vivacious Life (1)

I’m sure by now you’ve heard all the rage of Galentines Day, but we put together these Galentine’s Day ideas to throw a favorite things party before it was a thing. We are so excited to show you more!

My husband and I loved Parks and Recreation so when the hilarious Leslie Knope (or Amy Poehler) introduced Galentine’s Day, I welcomed it with open arms!

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Galentine’s Day ideas can range from food to activities like we did here. They don’t have to be too hard to put together either.

For our Galentine’s Day party, we decided to do a simple cocoa bar on a bright red tablecloth. I sprinkled heart confetti on top to give it a festive look.

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We then filled jars with marshmallows and little conversation hearts. I found some really pretty floral paper cups that looked so sweet.

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On the table, I also included our ooey, gooey red velvet cookies, Valentines rice krispies and chocolate truffles. I just recommend little plastic scoops so it is easy for everyone to dish up themselves.

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I also couldn’t resist doing a fries before guys bar as french fries are my FAVE food! Well and gluten-free pizza and sugar cookies and tacos and…oh wait, we were talking about french fries.

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So yeah, I thought it would be a fun time to practice the calligraphy I have been working on for the sign. Not perfect but perfectly imperfect if you know what I mean. It is always fun to try new things and develop new talents.

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Galentine's Day Ideas & Favorite Things Party - This Vivacious Life (9)

I was SO inspired by Jenny Cookies (one of my very fave party stylists) and her annual favorite things holiday party. My favorite holiday happens to be Valentines Day so I thought it would be fun to tie in the favorite things party with Galentine’s Day!

Our Galentine’s Day ideas also include doing a favorite things gift exchange with your gal pals. Each girl brings a few of their favorite things and everybody goes home with the same amount they brought. So fun!

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To do this, simply ask each girl to please bring 3 of TWO of their favorite things valued at $5. So for example, I did three holiday lotions and three little notebooks with suckers tied on top.

Have everyone draw numbers and then have 3 groups of about 4 girls who take turns going up to pick something. Repeat this six times and everyone goes home with a little bag filled with a variety of the girls favorite things.

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You can also do a kiss card making station like we did with my fave, Red Apple Lipstick products. You just write up something sweet for your cutie then add a kiss. The real lipstick print adds a romantic touch.

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While most of our Galentine’s Day ideas include fun and food, I also want to share this fun way to give back to others. Nothing like sharing the love so close to Valentines!

Be a philanthropist and gather your gals pals together to make blessing bags for your local homeless shelter. Get all the details and photos for these epic DIY Galentine’s Day ideas over on Hostess with the Mostess HERE.

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In order to encourage the girls to bring items for our blessing bags, I told them each item was a ticket to enter the party prize of my favorite things: 1 Six Pack Fitness Renee Tote ($169.99 value) perfect for meal prep/travel and an everyday purse or diaper bag, an assortment of lipsticks, glosses, mascara & eyeliners from Red Apple Lipstick ($200+ value) and LIVE Soda Kombucha coupons ($25 value).

The girls loved it!! So much in fact that competition got a bit crazy. We had one girl bring over 500 items!

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We were able to make 30 blessing bags for the homeless shelter as well as a few extra. They were perfect for the girls to keep in their car in case they passed someone in need while out driving.

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Be sure to go get the recipe forourooey, gooey red velvet cookies too. They were so delicious that we ate the whole batch that day!

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Will you be throwing a Galentines Day party this year? We would love to hear your ideas as well as memories from any girls party and/or favorite things parties.

We may just go pin them to our Valentines or Galentines Day Pinterest board for more inspiration. So be sure to leave a link below too!

LIVE Soda Kombucha is one of my very favorite things so I knew I had to serve it as the beverage of the day to our guests. The cola flavor is my favorite but they have other great flavorslike rootbeer, dreamy orange, living lemon and more.

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If you need more gluten-free Valentines recipes, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite ones from the best bloggers across the web.

If you need some healthier options, I love these 4 Valentines kids snacks from my friend Erin at Meaningful Eats.

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This Galentines Day Favorite Things Party I styled was featured on one of my favorite party blogs ever…Hostess with the Mostess! Be sure to head over there for more photos from the party.

Party photography by Paige Hurst Photography

If you like this party, you will love these as well…

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Chocolate Lovers Valentines Party

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Vintage Valentines Tea Party and Savory Crab Cheesecakes

Galentines Day Favorite Things Party #2

*This post contains affiliate links. This simply means that I receive a portion of any purchases made using my links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but it does help me pay for site maintenance costs. All opinions in this post are mine and mine alone.

This post was originally published in 2016.

Galentine's Day Ideas & Favorite Things Party - This Vivacious Life (2024)

FAQs

How do you throw the best Galentines party? ›

35 Galentine's Day Party Ideas Your Girls Will Absolutely Obsess Over
  1. Get excited about a theme. ...
  2. Arrange your own flowers.
  3. Make fondue.
  4. Plan a "my favorite things" product swap. ...
  5. Pick a signature co*cktail.
  6. Invest in (themed, duh) balloons.
  7. Make personalized goodie bags.
  8. Host an at-home mani-pedi night.
Feb 9, 2024

What is a Galentine's day party? ›

Sure, it might not be an official holiday the way Valentine's Day is, but it's a chance to celebrate the wonderful friendships you have with the women in your life, no matter how happily single, coupled or in-between relationships they may be.

What do you write in a Galentines day letter? ›

10 Ideas For What To Write In A Galentine's Day Card
  1. You're the best friend I could ever ask for. ...
  2. Thank you for being my biggest cheerleader. ...
  3. You're always there for me when I need someone to talk to. ...
  4. I love the fact that I don't feel judged when I talk to you. ...
  5. You are so much more than just a friend.
Jan 3, 2024

What is a my favorite things party? ›

First off what exactly is a “My Favorite Things Party”? It's when you ask each guest to pick one of their favorite things and then bring a couple of that item (wrapped separately) to the party! You set a budget per item ranging from $10 to $50 – whatever is appropriate for your guests!

What can I bring to a Galentines party? ›

You may even consider bringing a picnic umbrella for extra protection. Remind your galentines to bring sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. Pack a bottle of champagne or wine, bring some games and a portable speaker and blast your favorite songs all day long.

What is a fun fact about Galentines day? ›

Fun Fact: Galentine's Day was created by Leslie Knope, the Parks and Recreation fictional main character. She invented the holiday as a tribute to her close girlfriends.

What is the purpose of Galentines? ›

Galentine's Day is a global holiday that celebrates women's friendship. Galentine's Day is typically marked as February 13, but can be observed any day. Galentine's Day events are typically all-female occasions of mutual "empowerment...a reminder for women to support and uplift one another."

Why do people say Happy galentine? ›

What is Galentine's Day? Observed on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day celebrates platonic friendships, usually among women. It originated on the show Parks and Recreation.

What is a Galentines dinner? ›

Galentine's Day is a celebration of female friendship on the 13 February. Invite friends, family and loved ones to a sophisticated dinner party. These handpicked recipes are achievable yet impressive, with just the right amount of pizzazz for the occasion. Discover our starter, main and dessert ideas.

What to bring to a Galentines party food? ›

These delicious and decadent Galentine food ideas are sure to impress all your friends.
  • Pecan-crusted French toast. ...
  • Tomato and feta mini frittatas. ...
  • Juicy baked ham. ...
  • Asparagus with hollandaise sauce. ...
  • Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp with arugula salad. ...
  • Fruit with creamy dip. ...
  • Pear, goat cheese, and hazelnut crostini.

What is the guy version of Galentine's day? ›

Malentine's day is a day for men to meet up and celebrate their amazing friendship.

How to host a Galentines day Party? ›

Start Shopping for Fun Decorations

Red, white, pink, and gold are 4 must-have colors in your decoration pallette. Balloons, streamers, and banners can add tons of cheer to your party space. Since balloons come in all kinds of shapes and sizes now, you can get heart-shaped balloons or spell out “Galentine's” or “#GALS.”

Is Galentines day for friends? ›

Galentine's Day is a play on Valentine's Day dedicated to celebrating a different kind of love - friendship. The unofficial holiday falls on Feb. 13, the day before Valentine's, and specifically encourages women to get together with their female friends and honor the power of female friendship.

Who started Galentines day? ›

History of Galentine's Day

Galentine's Day was the creation of the beloved fictional deputy director of Parks and Recreation in Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie Knope. The show's writers centered the 16th episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation around Leslie's favorite February tradition, Galentine's Day.

What do you put in a Galentines box? ›

You can thank us later!
  • Stanley Tumbler.
  • Hydro Flask 40-Ounce Wide Mouth Cap Bottle.
  • Vitamasques Lip Sheet Mask.
  • Essie Nail Polish Valentine's Day Collection.
  • Herbivore Pink Cloud Rosewater Jelly Cleanser.
  • Rare Beauty Positive Light Luminizer.
  • Galentine's Day Gift Box.
  • I Dew Care Let's Get Sheet Faced Sheet Mask Set.
Feb 13, 2024

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