A Galentine’s Brunch Idea

I love an excuse to eat great food and get a group of friends together at my home. And this time, the brunch game was stepped up a notch with my friend Ashley‘s baked goods. The two of us hosted a galentine’s brunch at my place a few weeks back to celebrate friendship and decorate cupcakes.

Prepping the Party

Ashley brought over valentine’s day decorations, cupcakes, homemade cookies and snacks–and I made the spicy egg casserole and supplied the beverages–a true team effort. And it didn’t feel like a heavy lift at all since we split up the party responsibilities. I just had to clean my house, cook one meal and have drinks prepared and Ashley had to do the baking and decor.

Ashley and I are both introverts so we prefer more intimate gatherings so I invited four friends and Ashley invited one and it was the perfect size party to catch up with everyone. The invitation part of the party was informal and just a quick group text chat and we set the brunch date/time.

Galentine’s Day Essentials

I’m not much for whimsy, but a few decorations go a long way and really get the party into the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Ashley picked up a few themed decorations from Target and I hung them in my dining room entryway.

And I always love some sort of food bar, whether it’s a waffle bar with toppings, mimosas with juice options or for this party cupcake decorating. Ashley baked two flavors including lemon and chocolate chip in heart shapes and standard cupcake form, both equally delicious with a choice of vanilla or chocolate frosting and lots of pretty sprinkles to choose from.

Mix up the shapes like Ashley did with the cupcakes! Hearts are an obvious choice for galentine’s and I loved how the cupcakes turned out. A silicone mold is easy to use for cupcakes or you could bake heart shaped cookies or heart shaped cakes.

Ashley thought ahead and found mini to-go boxes to pack away a cupcake to take home and it was such a thoughtful way to end the brunch–I highly recommend incorporating some cute party favor. The little pink and red boxes could house a cupcake and a couple of Ashley’s homemade chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with ease.

Photography by me and Ashley Walterhouse