Valentine's Day is a pretty polarizing holiday – personally, I've always been a big fan. There's just something so fun about the colors, passing out valentines, eating chocolate, and celebrating love. I'm not a very mushy, gushy person, so it's never been that "romantic" of a holiday to me – I think it's more fun to do sweet little things for people, like sending snail mail to my nieces and nephews, parents, and friends, baking for my coworkers, etc. This year, I decided to host a brunch for some of my gal pals.

Instead of going over the top with classic Valentine's Day decor, I knew I wanted oranges (with leaves still intact!) to be a big part of my decorations (for no reason in particular – I've just been inspired by them lately). I layered vintage table cloths, picked out a blue and white vase, and found the prettiest pink roses. I also picked up a few pink heart balloons and tied them to my living room chairs to add a little height to the decor.

Breakfast foods are my favorite to eat and cook, so I loved putting together the menu. I kept it pretty simple, because cooking and hosting can get a little overwhelming quickly. Here's what we had:

Individual baked egg crisps
Toast with jam and butter
Avocado mash
Breakfast potatoes with olive oil and rosemary
Doughnuts
Strawberries, blackberries, and oranges
Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting topped with raspberries

I wanted to have a juice bar or some kind of signature juice (I got a juicer for Christmas and still think it's the funnest thing ever), but I had a nasty cold last week and had to scale back on a few plans. Instead I had mini Fiji waters, a plethora of LaCroix, Trader Joe's sparkling pink lemonade, and mimosas. Oh, and a pack of Jolly Good sodas that my husband contributed to the mix. Fun fact: cute straws make any drink taste better.