Photo by Ava Kitzi

Whether you’re in a long-term relationship or flying solo this Valentine’s Day, carving out time for your best girlfriends is a great way to have a fool (and tear)-proof celebration of love day. Because organizing and putting together a get-together of any size can be stressful, we’ve compiled a list of ways to make it the best Galentine’s Day celebration yet, with expert opinions and tips from local businesses.

Movies

For the main focus of your Galentine’s get-together, nothing is more tried and true than a movie marathon. For some friendship-focused films, Emily Edwards from Ragtag Cinema and True/False Film Festival has three suggestions.

“Bottoms” (2023)
Directed by Emma Seligman
A raunchy, hilarious comedy, Bottoms follows two best friends who start a fight club at their high school in the name of ulterior motives. The group eventually comes together and becomes friends in a feel-good, girl-squad movie.

“Frances Ha” (2012)
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Starring Greta Gerwig as an up-and-coming dancer in New York City, this 2012 film follows a group of friends as they grow and fall apart. It explores themes of friendship, growing up and defining success.

“Support the Curves” (2018)
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
An ensemble cast of waitresses and staff at a highway-side sports bar support each other through the throes of the workday, where solidarity and joy trump the hardships of their daily jobs.

Chocolate

Nothing screams Valentine’s Day like chocolate. You could whip up some chocolate-covered strawberries for your girlfriends or swing by TheCandy Factory in downtown Columbia for an easy sweet treat solution.

Drinks

Whether you’re going for a shooter or something sweet to sip on, here are three festive(and sufficiently pink) cocktail options and recipes.

Strawberry Milk Shots
strawberry milk to vodka. Add white chocolate liqueur to taste. To pull together the Valentine’s Day effect, dip the rim of your shot glass in melted milk chocolate.

Pink Daiquiris
Mix together rum, lime juice, and frozen strawberries with crushed ice. Mocktail option: swap out your alcohol spirit for Sprite or club soda!

Petal Pink Rosé
To supply a large crowd, add sliced fruit and rose petals to a pitcher of rosé to share!

Flowers

Everyone has a favorite flower, and while roses may be the essential romance option, Stephanie Wightman from Blooms and Wishes flower truck has suggestions for colorful and fun flowers that symbolize friendship

Hydrangeas
Elegant and iconic, hydrangeas give you the option to go bold with blue or more delicate with white. They are a classic “girly” option to add frills and florals to your get-together.

Gerbera Daisy
Another classic, a nice quality Gerbera will be a show-stopping centerpiece to pull your bouquet together, whether it’s a party or a “thinking of you” present for a friend.

Sunflowers
For your free-spirit friend that’s full of whimsy, there’s nothing that compares to a sunflower. Add other wildflower touches to a sunflower bouquet to complete the perfect look for your nature- lover friend. While Wightman can recommend the right flower for any person or occasion, she says it’s always the thought that counts.“Anything you find beautiful is going to be the perfect friendship flower,” she says.“The idea that you thought about your friend enough to find something you thought they would like, and then gifted it to them? That’s going to supersede any specific flower anyone would want.