Ladies’ Night In – A Galentine’s Tablescape (2024)

It’s almost that time of year when all the retail decor turns pink and red in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, and I’m ALL about it. January is such a grey month in Nashville, so the addition of bright, warm colors is most welcome. For my first tablescape of 2024, I pulled out my Ginori china in the Virmiglio colorway (the perfect colors for the upcoming holiday), and used it as the starting point for the rest of the table. The glassware used is vintage from my grandmother, but you can find affordable, similar options here and here! While I own quite the collection of table linens, I’ve been on the hunt for new placemats and napkins to compliment this china pattern. Flying Sheep Country has been one of my go-to sources for tabletop linens, and I jumped at the opportunity to use these beautiful Ava Wine Embroidered Placemats and Napkins. The “Peony Garden Tablecloth” is from from Mrs. Alice, and I layered my new placemats on the tablecloth to break up all the patterns. They complement the china beautifully and will be on frequent rotation when setting my table.

See Also

Simple Galentine’s Day TablescapeFrom Brunch to Bubbly: Galentine's Day Ideas for the Dining TableSimple Galentines TablescapeMy Tips for Hosting the Ultimate Galentine's Brunch - Andee Layne

I really want to “up my table game” this year and stick with my mantra that “more is more” when it comes to tabletop. I love sourcing fun pieces from vendors I’ve used in the past and from new vendors as well. When I found these “Chocolate Martini Olive Almonds” from Chefanie, I knew they provided the perfect pop of color to add to the very pink table. I filled small bowls with the almonds and placed them around the table so guests could enjoy a fun snack while waiting for dinner service. They also tied in perfectly with the martini bar set-up on my buffet (all the details on my self-service martini station can be found here). I added more pops of chartreuse to table with these Silk Table Lampshades from Houses & Parties. I’ve owned three of the silver Table Lamp Bases for years now, and I love changing out the lampshades for additional decor and ambient lighting. Table lamps are having their moment right now, and I see them being used everywhere from small restaurants to large wedding receptions. There are so many options available, but the fact that these have interchangeable shades, makes them a hero for me. As a former wedding planner, I still enjoy providing favors for my dinner guests, but I believe those favors should almost always be edible. So for another pop of green, I added individual 2-Piece Tins of Louis Sherry chocolates to each place setting. They serve double-duty, acting as decor and a favor, which is an added bonus.

This table required extra-boujee place cards, and I had so much fun assigning each of my guests to one of the various “Girls Night Placecards” from Dear Annabelle. There are so many fun place card options available on her website, and they served as great conversation starters . Of course no table of mine is complete without flowers, and Ostara Gardens did a beautiful job creating two show-stopping arrangements for the tablescape. Their arrangements are so romantic, and they tied in perfectly with the rest of the table decor. I find myself enjoying more organic-looking arrangements, and Ostara Gardens does a wonderful job creating pieces that look like they were sourced from and English garden.

Since Valentine’s Day is all about flowers, I had to bring in Blooming Kupcakes for my party as well. I cannot say enough about these cupcakes that taste delicious, but are actually so pretty, you don’t want to eat them. Katherine is such a talented baker, and she NEVER disappoints me with her designs. I love that they double as decor, and so I styled the table with them featured on each dinner plate as well. If you live in Nashville or the surrounding areas, Katherine’s cupcakes make for an amazing hostess gift, dessert or party favor.

Since one dessert is never enough, I also reached out to Southern Squares Petite Fours in Nashville to whip up some of her DELICIOUS petit fours for the party. We had more than enough floral decor on the table, so we decided that pink lips would be a fun and cheeky addition to the table. I love how they look like they’ve had a bit of filler added to them… A few of the guests at my party had similar-looking lips- ha! I use Southern Squares Petite Fours for just about every baby shower, bridal shower or birthday party I host, and I truly cannot speak highly enough of these tasty mini cakes.

Last but not least, I’d recently seen an image of a chandelier similar to the one in my dining room, that had been draped in colorful ribbon. I wasn’t sure if I could re-create the look, but two rolls of double-faced satin ribbon from amazon later, and VOILA! I don’t plan on decking out my chandelier for every dinner party, but I think this was the perfect occasion to try it out, and I love the end result. I hope you all enjoy the table details here as much as I do, and I wish you all a very love-filled Valentine’s Day!

All photos courtesy of: Lele Fain Photography