Valentine’s Day Celebration Ideas
I live for a Valentine’s Day celebration, because unlike Thanksgiving or Christmas, there are no set expectations, no generally-accepted cultural norms of what you’ll serve or how you’ll mark the occcasion. Valentine’s Day is truly the most “you do you” of holidays, so have fun with it! Here are some of Priss & Vinegar’s favorite ideas for creating a Valentine’s Day celebration as unique as your most beloved people:
Be extra! Pink & red are not low-key, discreet colors, so go for it with balloons, confetti on the table & bold pattern mixing on your tablescape. I love gingham napkins mixed with floral tablecloths, and layering with playful paper chargers from Hester & Cook.
Involve your children! My kids’ favorite Valentine’s Day was the one where we decorated our breakfast nook with construction paper hearts & chains we made over a couple of days leading up to the holiday. It was silly & playful & they LOVED it. My Fun Mom street cred was v. high that year.
Whatever your people’s love language is, shout it! We’re Italian so ours is food (obvs), so Valentine’s Day in our home usually involves cooking a special meal together from scratch, like heart-shaped pizzas or my husband’s favorite meal, moules frites with homemade french fries.
Future You begs you: Be a planner! Order your kids’ classroom Valentines, whatever small trinket or candy they’re gifting, and coordinating ribbon (I use this one) IN ADVANCE so you’re not running to Walgreens at the last minute. (We’re fans of the classroom valentines from Dogwood Hill.) Future You will appreciate Current You doing her this solid.
Be realistic! Much as we love to cook, on our first Valentine’s Day as a family of five I was completely wiped. We set a pretty table, ordered our favorite Thai takeout & it was perfect!
Consider Dinner & Movie. Because I LIVE for a theme, one year we watched “Lady & the Tramp” and then served spaghetti & meatballs for dinner.
Be a big ole’ softy! Sneak a little note into your children’s backpacks, or write an acrostic poem for each guest to place beside their table setting.
Think about special memories & recreate them! I basically ripped this idea from the twins in “The Parent Trap.” The year after our trip to Italy, we served prosciutto-wrapped melon and bucatini pasta that reminded us of Rome. It was a blast.
Below are some snaps from real-deal Valentine’s Days (not photoshoots!) at my home over the years that will hopefully inform & inspire your own celebrations. Then visit my Valentines Celebration Edit for everything you need to set a beautiful & FUN holiday table. Happy Heart Day, friends xoxo
