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Romantic Ideas and Things to Do for Valentine's Day
V
alentine's Day - a holiday just for people in love -
is fast approaching! Now, if you are like I used to
be, you are thinking "Valentine's Day is a Hallmark
Holiday." Well, to some extent I still agree with
that, but I also think that Valentine's Day is a great
chance to re-focus our lives on the one we love.
W
edding planning is more than likely taking up a lot of
your time, and if it's not, then it is probably taking
up a lot of your thoughts. Not to mention all of the
other busy-ness that takes up our lives and time.
Valentine's Day is a great excuse to put everything
else aside for an evening or a day to show the love
that we have professed, to forget whose mother said
what, and to take a break from it all.
T
hat is why I am dedicating this issue of the Cost-
Effective Bride to celebrating Valentine's Day. You
may wonder how this issue is going to save you money on
your wedding, but being a cost-effective bride isn't
always about saving money. Sometimes, it is about
saving time, and often it is about replenishing energy.
S
o, what are you planning for Valentine's Day? A dinner
out? A small gift? Flowers? This year, why not make
it a Valentine's Day to remember? How, you ask? Here
are some ideas:
1.
Skip the dinner out - restaurants are busy and
expensive on Valentine's Day - order or make your
fiance's favorite meal and eat by candlelight in your
apartment or house (even if it is McDonald's or Burger
King, this can be nice).
2.
Make a scavenger hunt for your fiance. Have each
clue lead eventually to a small gift or even dessert.
3.
Type up 10-15 things you love about your fiance.
Write a short sentences about each one. Print them out
and cut them into sections for each sentence. Take
each sentence and tape or place them throughout your
house or apartment. Watch as your fiance scrambles
around trying to find each one when he or she gets
there.
4.
This one could take a bit of prep time, so get
going! On colored construction paper cut out as many
hearts as there are for each day from Valentine's Day
until your wedding. On each heart, write something you
love about your fiance, favorite memories, quotes from
your favorite songs or movies, and quotes about love in
general. Buy a photo album (make sure it has enough
pages for each of your hearts) and label each page for
the days from Valentine's Day until your wedding. If
you have enough pages, every now and then place a
picture of the two of you in the photo album. Put all
of the hearts in a box or tin and give the album and
box to your fiance for Valentine's Day. Tell him or
her to pick a heart at random each morning or night and
to place it in that day's page in the photo album.
This is especially great if you do not get to see a lot
of each other. (My fiance did this for me, and it
became something I absolutely looked forward to every
day!)
5.
Write a poem or letter for your fiance about all of
the things you love and appreciate about them or the
things you are looking forward to in your marriage
together. Recite or give it to your fiance to read.
6.
Have a picnic in your living room. Spread a
blanket. Buy some cheap wine, cheese and bread. Light
some candles and have fun discussing your day and your
future together.
7.
Set goals. Believe it or not, this can be really
romantic. My husband and I do this at least once a
year and we always learn something new about each
other. We share the things we want to accomplish
within the coming year and other things that we just
dream about. This really helps us to prioritize our
lives and our marriage. We tend to do this on our
anniversary, but I think that Valentine's Day would be
another great time to do this. Be sure to write them
down so that you can revisit them from time to time and
have a record of the things you accomplished and those
goals that simply changed. It will be fun in later
years to look back and see the direction your life has
gone in.
W
hatever you decide to do, make a few rules for the
evening or day, like "No TV" or "No wedding talk".
Even if you just play a game together or spend the
evening talking, focus on your love for each other and
laughing together. Do the things that you know your
fiance likes to do and make it special for him or her.
I guarantee you that it will be special for you as
well.
(Note: I realize that most of my readers are women.
And, I realize that what we, as women, really want, is
for our fiance to do all of these things for us. Well,
take the pressure of him for one night and show him how
much you care about him. I think that he will like it
so much that he may just return the favor on some other
day! Give it a try, I think you will be glad that you
did.)
I
hope that this Valentine's Day will be one that you
remember for a long time to come and that it will give
you the chance to re-focus your relationship on one
another and not just on your wedding. Have fun! And,
Happy Valentine's Day!
