A Galentine's Day Tea Party (with a dash of catnip)

Maybe not everyone lives under a rock like I do but I didn’t know Galentine’s Day was a thing until a couple weeks ago. When Madeline of Mad About Hair asked me to photograph this vendor collaboration I was super excited. Her inspiration came from a tea pot and some vintage tea cups she owns. Maddie went all out and created the hanging flower strings as one of our backdrops and it looked so pretty.

She asked some of my favorite NWI Vendors to do makeup, nails and cakes - add a couple gorgeous models and voila you’ve got a Galentine’s Day inspired shoot. We shot this at her amazing beach house and one of our favorite spots turned out to be the kitchen. Gave us such retro vibes and fit perfectly with how she styled Kara. The pink hair and red head band looked amazing. A pair of high waisted jeans and a chunky sweater made the casual look complete.

Our other model Amy had gorgeous red hair and looked beautiful in all her looks. The heart sweater was so cute. Amy looked amazing in the butterfly Marchesa gown. I am obsessed with all the shots I got. Monique is so creative when it comes to make-up. Sometimes less is more so she kept it fresh and young. The awesome nails by Jessica were so unique … let’s be honest no house work will be done in these. They are perfect for sipping some tea though. Both models looked like real life dolls and we couldn’t get over it.

Luckily the day we shot this, the snow was melting and temperatures allowed us go outside. I always love utilizing the surroundings and using random stuff. Maddie is always on the same page and she pulled out the red wicker chair. The stairs up to the door looked cool too. Everything just worked with the theme and slight retro feel. Even a green parked VW Bettle across the street worked with our color scheme.

Back at the house the cats and Gus were very curious about our tea party. With the help of some catnip we lured the cats into our set up. The kitties weren’t really feeling it though…lol! Made for some fun shots anyway. Gus was the only guy that was invited ;-).

How did Galentine’s Day come to be?

“Excellent question! The best thing about Galentine’s Day is that it was created by a fictional character: Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation. In 2010, the second season of Parks and Rec included an episode called “Galentine’s Day,” in which Leslie gathers a group of her closest gal pals for a brunch of waffles and love. “Every February 13, my ladyfriends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style,” Leslie says in the episode. “Ladies celebrating ladies.” And thus, Galentine’s Day was unofficially added to everyone’s calendar. No, seriously: According to the Atlantic, it’s such a widely recognized fake holiday that some companies now run Galentine’s Day promotions. What could be more real than that? ”

— Cosmopolitan.com