Galentine's Day

The holiday celebration of "Galentine's Day" was made popular a few years ago by the TV show "Parks and Recreation". I loved the idea of a day dedicated to sharing love and friendship with your best gal pals. I decided to design a styled photo shoot with some awesome ladies, sharing treats and an afternoon full of fun. The venue is really unique, The Cross-Eyed Moose Event Center, in Homeworth, Ohio. The venue was formerly a Methodist church, that had been remodeled into a wonderfully charming, rustic, event center. We used a mix of patterns in reds, pinks, and whites, to create a colorful and cozy setting for our celebration. The results were utterly adorable!

• What People Ate

  We had two cakes to grace our dessert table. The first is a chocolate heart shaped ice cream cake, decorated on the upper left side with a vanilla icing drizzle and hand molded chocolate pieces. The base of the cake was layered in chocolate shavings. It was so yummy! Our second cake definitely resonated with our theme of love and friendship. A darling two tier confection, the first tier was covered in pink fondant icing, white piping and dots. Small black chocolate tiles surrounded the base of the cake, each featuring a heart shape in the middle. The top tier of the cake was covered in white fondant icing, with pink piping and dots. Around this tier, there were pink chocolate tiles with black hearts and flourishes. The cake was topped with a handmade cookie, where on one side read "I Love You", and the other read "BFFs". It tasted as amazing as it looked!

• What People Drank

  We had two tables for our Galentine's Day celebration, one for dining, and one laden with all kinds of sweets. On our dessert table, we placed a black and red buffalo check cloth over a white linen. We created a fun centerpiece for the table with a container that read "Happy Heart Day", with pink and red tissue, a bouquet of wrapped chocolate roses, and a stuffed heart with sequins. Both of the delicious cakes were placed on the table, along with several varieties of candies. Rounding out our holiday brunch menu, we added glazed honey buns, chocolate brownie bites, blueberry and chocolate chip waffles, and individual bottles of sparkling beverages. To finish our design, we added a sign that featured waffles and "Galentine's Day", a couple of small white lanterns, and LOVE letters. Our guest table was set at one of the venue's unique custom made wooden tables, along with rustic high backed chairs. We used a white jacquard linen, and placed a custom made table runner that was covered with hearts in different patterns. We added gold charger plates, and delicate pink floral china plates. The napkins were a mix of pink hearts on a red background, and a playful pink plaid. In the center of each place setting we laid a conversation starter card, so the ladies could have a fun, lighthearted chat over dinner. In vintage champagne glasses, we poured a lovely and sweet adult beverage. We had a lovely centerpiece on our dining table, in a tall red glass vase. We used shades of pink in the dahlias, peonies, and garden roses. At the very top of the arrangement was a single deep red rose. We added a few sprigs of greenery to balance the overall design. A pair of rose colored taper candles in silver heart shaped candlestick holders completed our table, fit for our beautiful queens.

• Activities / Games

  We had a few cute handmade details featured in our styled shoot, including the tags tied with pink chevron straws on the mini bottles of sparkling beverages. The venue also features several intimate seating areas. We chose one of the handmade wooden benches and added colorful blankets and pillows to create a cozy setting for our lovely ladies to snuggle up, keep warm and sip hot cocoa.. Above the bench there was a large mirror, to which we added handmade paper pinwheels, a puffy tulle banner, and letters that read "BFFs, Gals, and Pals".

• The Cross-Eyed Moose Event Center

  Venue

  www.crosseyedmooseeventcenter.com

• Jenna McCarty Photography

  Photographer

  www.jennamccartyphotography.com

• EAT Cake 216

  Bakery

  www.facebook.com/eatcake216/

• Cold Stone Creamery

  Bakery

  https://www.facebook.com/ColdStoneCreamery1924NilesCortlandWarren/

• Old New & Something Blue

  Decorations, Florals, Resale

  www.oldnewsomethingblue.com

• Melissa Walker

  Paper Pinwheel Artist

  Melissa created the folded paper decorations above the mirror where the ladies are seated with their cozy blankets and mugs of hot chocolate.

• Sammy Kay Smith

  Model

• Beth Ann Starrett

  Model

• Olga Nagdaseva

  Model

• Love, Laughter & Elegance: Wedding & Event Planning

  Wedding & Event Planner

  We planned this styled shoot, and provided linens, tableware, desserts, and other decor.