If you're like me your girlfriends are extremely important to you! My girlfriends keep me sane, make me laugh, lift me up, listen intently and just get me. I have the best girlfriends in the world and I wanted to take the holiday of love to appreciate and celebrate our friendships. Valentine's Day doesn't have to be just for a significant other. I think it's nice to celebrate all relationships so I hosted a Galentine's party just for my girlfriends. This was the first time throwing a Galentine's party so I enlisted the help of some professionals. Here are some tips so you can create your own perfect party.
1. Pick a theme
2. Decide on a guest list and date
3. Plan menu
4. Decide on decor
5. Plan timeline
6. Create a day of master checklist
7. Set up
8. Have fun and enjoy your own party
I think once you have the grand idea, everything falls into place pretty easily. For this party I wanted an elegant, classic, feminine and intimate feeling to celebrate my best girlfriends. Since I wanted an intimate party I knew I wanted to host a dinner party and not a large gathering with appetizers and drinks. I sent out an invitation to my gal pals after picking a date and started to craft the menu and decor. I wanted to create a menu that was delicious yet simple because I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen for most of my party. I served Poppysead Salad, Grilled Mushrooms and Asparagus, Garlic Bread and Lasagna. For drinks everyone was served a Valentine's Shooter, red wine and dessert was Strawberry ice cream topped with Pink Moscato. Dessert was a Pinterest fail because the Pink Moscato and ice cream were just plain gross but it looked pretty, lol.
In the decor department I wanted a very elegant table so I knew that I needed to rent items because I didn't have what I wanted on hand. It's also my greatest tip in throwing a party because the clean up is a breeze. Imagine you put everything in a crate and send it back for someone else to wash, clean and put away! You also have a wide array of items to choose from when you rent. My go-to for all rentals is Expo Party Rentals because their staff is phenomenal and they have so much to choose from. I've used other companies in the past I truly feel that none compare to the quality of Expo Party Rentals. Even more the staff is helpful, kind and genuine which is something I haven't found in other companies. I went with a rose gold sequin tablecloth, black chargers, gold rimmed dinner plates, gold patterned salad plates, gold flatware, crystal stemware, and mercury glass votives.
I think flowers take everything to an elevated level and I wanted to really make a statement with them. Again I needed to enlist the help of a florist because for the amount of flowers I wanted I knew I couldn't purchase and arrange them myself. It also saved me a ton of time and stress to have a professional handle everything. I worked with Blooming Beauty Fresno and couldn't be more IMPRESSED! The table was decorated with a large centerpiece and then several small vases filled with flowers lined the rest of the table down the center. It was stunning and gorgeous!
To make the night of much easier make sure you have a timeline and a checklist of everything you will need. When I set up I look at my checklist to make sure I have everything. I also write out a timeline so that I don't have to think about what needs to be done throughout the party. The timeline is not rigid but gives me a guide so I know what foods needs to be put in the oven or what comes next. Also ahead of time I plan games or activities to keep the party moving and everyone engaged.
One of the games for my Galentine's Party was "Slip It In." Under every charger I put a slip of paper with a phrase on it. Each guest had to look at their phrase and try to slip it into a conversation without anyone "calling them out." If five minutes passed without anyone noticing the person could say, "I slipped it in!" and then tell us what their phrase was. Here are the phrases I came up with:
I went skydiving last summer.
I’ve always wanted to take a
pottery class.
I recently read a life-changing
book called “Make Your Own Rainbow”.
I love Flamingos.
My favorite food is snake meat.
I think the world is still flat.
How many letters are in the
alphabet?
Dominoes aren’t meant to be left
in the sun!
My mouth feels like wet Velcro.
You look like a confused
dinosaur.
It was so funny to hear everyone try to work these in; quite a few were successful.
My greatest tip when throwing any party is to relax and enjoy the party. I'm getting better at this but it's the worst to put in so much effort into an event and then stress out during the whole thing. The more you plan the more you can relax and remember it doesn't have to be perfect. It's more important for you and your guests to have fun than everything be perfect.
Everyone went home with a small token of my appreciation for their love and friendship. I selected a variety of red and pink Bauble Bar earrings because they are one of my favorite items right now.
Thank you to my girlfriends for coming to celebrate with me; I cherish our friendships and love all of you!
Expo Party Rentals
(559) 495-3300
Blooming Beauty Fresno
(559) 270-4941
This is a sponsored post; as always all opinions are honest and my own.
