Hell Yeah We’re Celebrating Galentine’s Day
”Do something nice for our ladies and tell them they are awesome, they are badasses, and that they are loved”
Practically every woman, regardless of her romantic status, has at least one ride-or-die female friend who has seen her through it all. And taking a moment to celebrate those relationship is important. “Galentine’s Day” might have started as a fictional celebration on a sitcom, but the sentiment is just too good to ignore—and, besides, aren’t all holidays kind of made-up when you think about it?
Los Angeles event planner and creative consultant Emilee Sutherland, who has been organizing picture-perfect Galentine’s celebrations since 2014, has watched the trend grow in recent years. “I’ve always been a champion of loving on your girls. I think it started for me because I was the only one married and I hated how much my friends hated Valentine’s Day, so I wanted to show them they could take it back and make it about love of everyone,” she says. “And now more than ever, we need to take a moment on February 13, 14, 15—or every freaking spare moment in our lives—to do something nice for our ladies and tell them they are awesome, they are badasses, and that they are loved.”
As long as your favorite women are by your side, you can pretty much celebrate Galentine’s however you want, but it typically comes down to entertaining at home or going out on the town. As Sutherland notes, “Taking a special day to gather your babes to shower them a little extra is something you can never do enough.”
Planning a Galentine’s Party
After you’ve group-texted the guests of honor, it’s time to figure out how to turn your house into a girl-powered party zone. Sutherland suggests keeping it simple, but intentional. “It’s all about the details! If you just put on a brunch with no details, then it’s just a brunch,” she says. Her tips? Pick a consistent color scheme (red and pink would be classic, but feel free to switch it up), and provide something personal that will make your guests feel special. She sources her decorations from Target, Michaels, and Etsy, and picks up budget-friendly food and flowers from Trader Joe’s.
Once you’ve got decorations squared away, the next step is getting some Galent-wine. Coly Den Haan, owner of female-winemaker-focused Vinovore in Silver Lake, shared some of her favorite bottles. She suggests Feminist Party GSM, a red blend made in Santa Barbara, L’Avoiron Rosé of Gamay (which she stocks in a magnum bottle because, as she wisely states, “Let’s face it, one bottle of scrumptious dry rosé shared by two friends might just not be enough”), and the Pares Balta Cava, an affordable bubbly made, fittingly, by a pair of female friends who have recently taken over a family winery with almost 230 years of history.
Other on-theme provisions made by local, women-run businesses that we would add to our Galentine’s fête include: Rose water tonic by Santa Monica’s Simples, literally any flavor of chef Nancy Silverton’s Nancy’s Fancy gelato, and heart-shaped sweets from Valerie Confections.
Galentine Gifting
Treat your friends to a little something that shows you care—and maybe happens to be made by a local girlboss, too. Adorable nail salon Olive & June offers custom-designed pedicure-friendly sandals that she can sport for your next mani-pedi outing. Sweet ceramics from Uno+Ichi cheer up any desk or shelf. Pick up fun cards, paper goods, and gifts from the designer-entrepreneurs of The Social Type.
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