How To Host A Galentine’s Favorite Things Party

There’s something so fun about gathering your girlfriends, indulging in good food and drinks, and celebrating each other. This year, I hosted a Galentine’s Favorite Things Party, and I’m sharing all the details on how you can throw one too!

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays and if you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I love to host a favorite things party. It’s been awhile since I’ve hosted one so I decided a little Galentine’s get together was a perfect excuse to celebrate.

Let’s dive into hosting a Galentine’s Party

I’ve always said the invite sets the stage for the party. I love a paper invite but since this was a last minute and super small gathering, I went with a simple digital invite I made in Canva. There are so many options and many of them are free!

Whenever I plan a get together I try to be pretty intentional about the guest list. I’ve always found that it can be more fun when everyone knows at least one other person there. It makes guests feel more comfortable. This time I went completely opposite of what I’ve preached in the past and invited a group of gals who really didn’t know each other. I had a feeling everyone shared similar interests and would get along. I was right, it was a great group. It was really nice to keep the group small, not only so guests could relax and enjoy themselves, but also more intimate conversations and cozy vibes.

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Food

Once the invites are sent, I start with the details. Food is a big one. My first stop? Almost always Trader Joes.

When it comes to hosting just about any party or gathering, a charcuterie board is always at the top of my list. From experience, snack-sized options are way more popular than a big sit-down meal, and a charcuterie board lets everyone graze while they chat. Trader Joe’s is my go-to for all the essentials like cheese, crackers, fruit, and all those fun little extras that make the board pop.

I made a super small “board” since the group was small but added little heart details to make it fun. I cut brie and strawberries into hearts, and folded & rolled salami into roses.

For the actual food, I ordered some salads, sandwiches and pizzas from my local favorite Deru. Ordering out makes hosting so much easier, it’s one less thing you have to prepare on top of all the other hostess tasks. I cut full size sandwiches into quarter size and added a little heart food picks that matched the theme.

To elevate the look of serving pizza, I pulled from my cake plate collection. Layering them on a cake plate added a bit of height to the food display vs serving from the cardboard box. I’ve always loved mixing up dishes and playing with different heights to create a more pulled together and visually interesting look.

I have been collecting cake plates and trays for years but if you are just getting started, here are some versatile and neutral pieces that would could easily transition from casual to formal entertaining :

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Drinks

Instead of pulling out an entire bar, I always choose a signature drink to serve. Nothing says throwback fun like a Dirty Shirley. It’s basically a grown-up Shirley Temple (sprite, grenadine, vodka, and a maraschino cherry on top). These are great because they also double as a throwback “mocktail” for those who are skipping the alcohol. Super easy to make and the color was on theme! I usually also have a bottle of red/white/rosé wine offering as well, but this time, the Dirty Shirley was the group favorite.

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My Decor

My favorite part of planning a party is when I get to set it all up. There’s nothing I love more than coming up with a theme and then executing it.

One of my go-to decorations for any party is always fresh flowers. They’re simple but make such a big impact. My go-to for fresh flowers is a local flower farm, though not many flower farmers have flowers year round, so I’ve gotten creative with grocery store flowers. I’ve found that you can make a great statement even when the selection is sparse. My favorite store to get flowers is Trader Joe’s (you can’t beat their prices) and sometimes you can find unique varieties like ranunculus and peonies if you’re lucky! This time I grabbed red and white tulips, pink carnations and ranunculus, and they turned out pretty great.

When it comes to vases, I like to get a little creative. I’ve used everything from vintage trophies and metal tins to buckets and glass pitchers. It’s a fun way to add personality and make the decor feel unique! I pulled from my vintage collection and used not only vases but also some small cups to add little floral details around the party.

Other simple ways to “decorate” include always having a candle (or candles) lit to create not only a good aroma but also a cozy ambiance. Balloons are fun and add a little nostalgia. For galentines, I loaded up on heart balloons from the Dollar Tree. Guess what? They deliver with Instacart! I think I ended up paying more than $1, but it was worth it not to have to stuff them all into my car.

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How does a favorite things party work?

A favorite things party is guaranteed fun for everyone! I always get great feedback every time I host one.

In the past I’ve always asked people to think of 3 of their favorite things and bring 3 of each (so 9 total items).  The value of the items can be whatever you want, you know your crowd best!  I’ve done $5 items and up to $40 items.  It really just depends on what your friends want to invest in the party.  At the end of the night, everyone goes home with as many items as they came with. For Galentines, I asked the gals to think of ONE thing they loved and bring (3).

Your favorite things can be anything! Your favorite candle, beauty product, cozy socks, or even a favorite snack. I live for a bath at night, and there’s nothing more luxurious than a bath with Lush bath bomb, so my “favorite thing” was a box of Lush bath bombs.

I like to do “rounds” of the gift exchange with other activities to do in between. For example, after guests arrive, give everyone time to grab a drink and a snack, then start round 1. Then offer an activity and afterwards, round 2. Offer dessert and end with round 3. There is no rule on how to operate a favorite things party. Do what works best for your group!

Check out some of my past favorite things parties:

Here is what everyone brought:

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Activities

One of my top party tips is to plan an activity. It gives everyone something to do, helps break the ice, and adds a fun, interactive element to the party.

For this Galentine’s celebration, I mixed things up between rounds of the favorite things gift exchange with a little creative fun. I thought watercoloring Valentine’s cards would be on theme and super fun. My daughter Ally & I love to watercolor with Emily Lex’s books and supplies, and she happened to have Valentine greeting cards that were perfect for this party.

Spoiler alert, we all need a little more practice.

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Dessert

You know I can’t resist a good dessert table, and this Galentine’s Day favorite things party was no different. I went all out with the cutest vintage-inspired heart cake from a local baker, heart-shaped macarons (thanks, Trader Joe’s!), my favorite Almond Buttercream Smash cookies, heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies, and plenty of candy and chocolates. There was something sweet for everyone to enjoy!

After 20 years of hosting parties, I’ve learned the dessert usually doesn’t get eaten because guests are full from the food, or, let’s be honest, it’s way more fun to enjoy dessert at home on your couch! I always offer a take home container for guests to pack some goodies home with them. The girls loved packing treats to eat later or the next morning with their coffee.

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Party Favors!

Acts of Service is my love language but I think Gifts may be a close runner up. I LOVE to send guests home with a special take home gift. It’s such a fun way to spoil your guests and share a little keepsake to remember the party by.

For this Galentine’s favorite things party, I treated my friends to my favorite PJs, salted caramels, and a valentine themed Lush bath bomb. I thought it made the perfect little bundle for some self-care after all the fun!

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I’m so glad I pulled this party together because it ended up being a super fun night. We laughed, enjoyed some amazing food, and left with a few new favorite things. If you’ve been looking for a sign to plan a girls’ night, consider this it!

I’ve linked all my entertaining essentials below, along with a full list of everything you’ll need to host your own party. If you follow me on IG, you probably caught my GRWM reel. Here’s a link all the products I used to get ready.

Has this got you thinking about what you’d bring to a Favorite Things party? I want to hear! Leave it in the comments below. Happy Galentine’s Day!

*disclaimer* this post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I truly love and think you will too.