Valentine's Day Inspiration: 17 Sweet Ideas for Event Decor, Catering & Activities

Ovando’s colorful Caprichosa arrangement costs $195. The company provides floral design and event production throughout New York.

While Valentine's Day events typically take on a red or pink color scheme, it can still feel unexpected. At Netflix's Golden Globes party in January, the brand worked with Swisher Productions to produce an elegant bash with an all-red color scheme. The dramatic decor extended to a wall of roses situated above the bar.

A Valentine’s Day-appropriate alternative to a dessert station is Sugarwish’s new Sweet Shoppe. The company can provide 18 pounds of sweets, plus red and white striped candy bags; the station can also be customized for events and filled with candy to match specific themes. The Sweet Shoppe costs $238, is appropriate for as many as 50 people, and can be shipped nationwide.

For a Valentine’s Day-theme photo shoot, Rocket Science Weddings & Events designed a modern, industrial-meets-romantic wedding ceremony. Taking place at Machine Shop in Minneapolis, the tabletop had a mix of textures, including black leather linen from Nuage Designs and pink chiffon-draped chair backs from Avant Decor. An arrangement of red flowers made a dramatic statement on a tall stand from Event Lab.

Pop-up museum Happy Place came to Los Angeles in November 2017 and will return at L.A. Live in April. During the exhibit’s initial run, one of the Instagram-friendly rooms had larger-than-life letters spelling “XO” that guests could climb inside of. Wallpaper featuring lipstick prints adorned the space.

Sherry B. Dessert Studio in New York has a variety of Valentine’s Day specials that can be shipped nationwide. The Ice Cream Cake Sandwich 6-Pack costs $89, and includes three flavors: Red Velvet, which has cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between red velvet cake; Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, which has cheesecake ice cream with a layer of raspberry jam sandwiched between chocolate cake with a pink cheesecake swirl; and Rose Chip, which has vanilla rose ice cream with white chocolate flake sandwiched between rose-infused vanilla cake.

Sherry B. Dessert Studio is also offering a giant, heart-shaped s’more for $49 to $59. Vanilla marshmallows are toasted and sandwiched between two 9- by 9-inch heart-shaped graham crackers. There is also the option to coat the s’more in melted chocolate.

New York-based floral design firm Ovando has a new Valentine’s Day collection inspired by the colors and textures of owner Sandra de Ovando’s home country of Mexico. The heart-shaped Corazon arrangement features pink orchids and costs $545.

What's Valentine's Day without a nod to Cupid? At a vendor showcase in Los Angeles in June 2016, Sterling Engagements and Shawna Yamomoto Event Design created a romantic tabletop featuring a pair of wings from artist Colette Miller of the Global Angel Wings project.

“Galentine’s Day” events—inspired by an episode of NBC’s Parks and Recreation—are becoming an increasingly popular way to celebrate female friendship. In February 2017, L’Oréal Paris and Agenc Experiential hosted a playful celebration of the unofficial holiday. A D.I.Y. Valentine’s Day card-making station included plenty of sparkly embellishments for personalizing greetings.

New York Food Company is offering a variety of sweet treats for Valentine’s Day. Options include individually sized red velvet chocolate mousse cakes, which will be available until February 16. The desserts cost $3.95 each and are available throughout Southern California.

Hallmark hosted a Valentine’s Day-inspired event during the winter Television Critics Association tour in 2015. Red and pink rose petals lined the way from the cocktail tent to the dinner tent, and female violinists in long red satin gowns played classic songs such as "Moon River," "Over the Rainbow," and "Fly Me to the Moon."

For the 2015 Hallmark event, Kinetic Lighting bathed the venue in softly swirling patterns reminiscent of roses.

New York-based dessert shop Cookie DO Confections is offering a variety of Valentine’s Day-inspired desserts. Flavors include chocolate chip, cake batter, sugar cookie, and red velvet. A four-pack costs $55, and can be shipped nationwide.

Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas is offering a cocktail called “Kiss on the Lips.” The drink is made with Cruzan strawberry rum, Passoa liquor, soda water, fresh strawberries, and mint leaves, and costs $13.

Celebrity event designer Preston Bailey pulled out all the stops for his own wedding—which was held on Valentine’s Day in 2013 inside the Empire State Building. The lavish gathering had a creative, romantic touch: Black-and-white personal snapshots of the couple’s guests gave the hallway an art gallery-style look.

Also at Preston Bailey’s wedding, a gold-painted tree stood at the entrance to the reception space, offering guests boxes of gourmet chocolate strung from pink ribbons.