Galentine’s 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Celebration of Friendship

As Dolly Alderton famously says, “Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.”

Like it or not, Feb. 14 is imminent. But celebrating platonic love in our lives is just as important as honoring (or longing for) romantic love.

I love filling my home with laughter and candles and conversation over drinks, and “Galentine’s” is one of my favorite occasions to host.

Whether you’re a love-day party professional or inviting some girls over for the first time, I’ve compiled a list of activities, DIY elements, activities, refreshments and more that will make Galentine’s 2025 at your place an unforgettable memory.

The Invite

The invitation sets the tone of your event. From a casual PJ night to a fancy brunch or even a multi-course luxury dinner, Canva has millions of templates you can customize to send out a digital or printed invitation. Other great websites for invitations include Evite, Paperless Post, or even Etsy!

For a more personal touch, you can handwrite invitations on blank cards. Even watercoloring a unique design on each one could ensure each guest knows they were individually considered. Before handing the invites off, a wax seal or cute sticker adds the perfect finishing touch. You can get the supplies for either sealant method at a craft or art supplies store like Hobby Lobby. Another great way to add personal, easy details to handwritten invitations is to add stamps or doodles.

The Attire

Every good party has a dress code. Your invitation should specify what guests should wear or come prepared with. Suggest cute PJ sets for a sleepover and remind your guests to bring what they need to stay the night. For brunch, asking girls to wear their favorite pink-colored or patterned dress would ensure that your pictures are Pinterest-worthy and your friends attend feeling their best selves! Some other standard Galentine’s outfit guides could be all black, all red, jeans and bows, matching PJs or romantic sweaters and skirts.

The Decor

Wherever your Galentine’s will be held, the decor is an important detail that can set the mood for bonding, laughter, and lasting memories. Plus, it looks super cute in photos. Here are some ways to bring your Galentine’s Pinterest board to real life!

Paper doily hearts are a budget-friendly, simple way to spice up place settings or wall space. You could tape them directly onto a wall to create an adorable photo backdrop, string them together with twine or white yarn for a DIY garland and even use them as place mats or table scatter.

Kraft paper is another cost-effective, easy way to incorporate unique decor in your Galentine’s event. Many people paint on Kraft paper to make cute banners or posters for parties, which you can easily customize to your event and taste. Another way Kraft paper is used at parties is as the table cover or runner. You could pre-paint or draw a design or even set out paints, markers and other mediums to let your guests add to the table as the event continues. Kraft paper is the perfect way to incorporate creative custom decoration and activities while bringing a handmade, intentional and personal touch to any party, especially Galentine’s!

If you’ve somehow managed to miss the bow craze of the past several months, this is your sign to join in on the trend. For many, Galentine’s celebrates women, sacred friendships and the best parts of unapologetic femininity, including lace, ribbon, bows and pearls. Bows are an easy way to perfect the vibe of your celebration. Large bows on the backs of chairs, smaller ones on the stems of glasses and bottoms of candlesticks, bows linked together as garland or even bows strewn about the table or any other surface are sure to bring whimsy and girliness to your Galentine’s decor. 

“Lipstick” writing on mirrors is a fun and personal way to enhance any mirror selfie or restroom break for your guests. Whether you use cheap red lipstick or simply red washable paint is up to you, but adding a message, doodle, kiss or frame can be a small but thoughtful detail your guests will obsess over.

The Refreshments

The best part about any holiday or party is eating and drinking. For Galentine’s, think pink and red, sparkly, heart-shaped or just something with sugar and spice!

If you’re looking for drink ideas, Dirty Shirleys, Cosmopolitans, Palomas, Vodka Crans, and Strawberry Margaritas are all delicious pink drinks just as tasty as mocktails. My favorite finishing touch for drinks is using edible glitter to make them sparkle. Your friends will adore these sweet pink and red drinks! And, as always, it’s hard to go wrong with wine. For a wine that tastes great and doesn’t break the bank, I recommend California Roots, sold exclusively at Target. Their pink Moscato will definitely be on the table at my Galentine’s event.

An easy way to eat on theme is to make any food heart-shaped. Serve up heart-shaped pasta with a vodka sauce or a heart-shaped cake with pink icing decoration. Including your friends in the preparation, baking, and decorating of heart-shaped cookies, making heart-shaped personal pizzas, or even making chocolate-covered strawberries could be wonderful activities to add to your party’s itinerary! And charcuterie boards will never miss the mark.

The Activities

If your friend group has difficulty sitting still, you’ll want to decide on some activities for your party. Games to promote deeper conversation, like We’re Not Really Strangers, or even fun ways to get to know one another better, like For The Girls, are excellent activities for a Galentine’s get-together. Any board or video game, like Uno, Roblox, Monopoly, Mario Kart or Clue, invites friendly competition and hours of fun for any group. 

If the games get boring or your friends prefer other activities, gather craft supplies, construction paper and markers to make Valentine’s cards! Some other crafts you could include are water coloring, gem art, bracelet making, painting pottery or glassware, making princess crowns or even candle painting. Just don’t forget the glitter!

One of my favorite activities with my friends is to head to a grocery store for dozens of stems to make bouquets with! You only need the flowers, Kraft paper, decorative ribbon and floral scissors. This is another excellent way to get creative and occupy your guests with fun and portable party favors after your get-together ends.

Lastly, a spa night is a classic sleepover activity. Just because we’re adults doesn’t mean that putting on face masks or doing one another’s makeup is any less fun now than in middle school!

The Bottom Line

Valentine’s is a holiday that brings up mixed emotions for many people, especially when navigating college and life after graduation. But no matter what your love life looks like, it’s important to remember to celebrate and thank your friends for the love and support they offer. I’m excited to celebrate each of my friends this next week, and I implore you to do the same, whether or not you take any of my party advice. 

Something as simple as a note, flower or even a text could still convey how grateful you are for the love your friends have shown you. Regardless of whether a Galentine’s party is on your calendar, it is essential to acknowledge the platonic love and relationships in your life.

After all, as Carrie Bradshaw so wisely says, “nothing lasts forever. Dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style.”