Just about 2 years ago, I moved back to the Washington, DC area to start my post-college life. I had a GREAT job at an incredible company working with some pretty incredible people on some pretty incredible things, a GREAT place to live with my Papa and dog Rosie, and a GREAT city to live in. The months leading up to my move, I was SO excited to move back to the big city filled with so much excitement yet reside in the suburbs where it’s peaceful and I can hear the peace of birds chirping in the morning. However, my move to the Washington, DC area was anything like what I thought it’d be when I first moved. I was starting all over in a brand-new place. And, well, ALL I wanted to do was host a gathering with others.
Flash forward to Winter 2023 aka now and I have plenty of great friends to invite for a gathering based in the Washington, DC area. Though this wasn’t my very first social gathering inside my apartment, as I had a few high school friends whom I invited over during Summer 2021 for a Housewarming Party after I moved in and am lucky to still have to this day. Nowadays, I feel beyond lucky. The best part?! I got to host my first-ever social gathering in my apartment since 2021 (which is constantly being redecorated with what I have LOL!): my Galentine’s Party!!!
In the meantime, read more about my Housewarming Party back in Summer 2021 here: https://pinkchickadee.com/2021/07/20/my-housewarming-party/#/
Now, onto the fun stuff …. the details of my Galentine’s Party!!
I sent out my invitations through my favorite site for YEARS to invite others: Evite. Via Evite, I can get a free account, and I use the option to enter in my guest’s phone numbers, so they get a little text to brighten their day with something to look forward to. Your guests do not have to have an Evite account themselves, either in order to receive your invite. Since adulthood requires lots of advanced planning, I usually send out my invitations through Evite at least 4-6 weeks in advance. At the same time, I always ask a few of my friends that I plan to invite whether or not certain dates I have in mind work for them. It helps to have a few sets of eyes looking over my proposed gathering dates when it comes to date selection. My calendar always fills up fast at least 2-4 months in advance, so it is nice to have something sent out to give others a heads up, too.
For my party, I decided to invite ALL of my best gals in the Washington, DC area. I asked that everyone bring a dish (or two!) if they wanted to for a potluck and a friend. At the same time, I provided some La Marca prosecco, lemonade (which goes AMAZINGLY with prosecco!), popcorn, Crumbl Cookies *of course*, and frosted animal crackers. My Kate Spade green and blue tumbler sets of 2 (got 3 of them!) from FabFitFun were PERFECT for my guests to enjoy a drink of their choosing. My Rae Dunn “Heart” plate and antique stainless steel tray both served as the perfect platters for my gathering. I also used my pink flamingo pitcher to serve some delicious butter popcorn (courtesy of Wegman’s!) for my guests. And, as for my plates, napkins, and cups, they all came from *none other than* …. Target! Last but not least, my balloons came from Target and were purchased and saved in previous years. Everything that came together, whether it be the decorations on my end or the time together or the food from everyone including myself, was all done so so so perfectly.
The BEST part of my Galentine’s Party?! Getting to hang out with each of my friends and watch them interact and become acquainted with one another!! It is such a blessing to be able to have each of these incredible women as friends and some of my many Galentine’s this year in my life. I LOVED watching my friends connect with one another. I have a few other gatherings that I plan to host this Spring and I’m excited that many of my friends are looking forward to hanging out with others again (including those who weren’t able to come over the weekend to my Galentine’s gathering) soon, too. It is nothing short of a blessing!
Here’s to many more gatherings in 2023 and beyond!
XOXO – Katie <3