Whether you’ve known them for two decades or just a few weeks, taking the time to understand your partner's interests and preferences makes for a significant and heartfelt date. You might have to do some extra research or ask a mutual friend. If it’s your longtime love, plan a sweet surprise that incorporates a cherished hobby, favorite food, or a place they’ve been dying to visit. Here are some ideas to inspire you:
- For the Animal Lover: Visit a local aquarium, sanctuary, or farm. Incorporate their dog into the date with a dog-friendly restaurant and a hike, or visit the dog park together. And if humor is their thing, plan something silly like goat yoga where you can both laugh the whole time!
- For the Creative: A visit to a local museum or gallery is always a great option. If they’re more hands-on, a paint-and-sip, whether at home or a local venue, would be the perfect date. You can rest assured, that your attention to detail will have them using their hands for more than just art!
- For the Romantic: A dinner by candlelight, a concert in the park, and a day to be spoiled at the spa, are all tried and true Valentine's Day’s winners!
A sure way to bomb a date is not to plan anything. Put in the effort - it shows you care. Start now!
- Check the weather: If it will be unseasonably warm, find a restaurant with a great patio. Chilly night? Pick a spot you can cuddle in by the fire. If you are having an unexpected snowfall, rent some snow shoes and enjoy the beauty.
- Getting yourself ready: You want to look your best on Valentine’s Day and do not want errant hair anywhere! MicroTouch has got your back. Spend time preparing with the MicroTouch Precision Personal Groomer. The perfectly angled, side-mounted blades can go where clippers cannot, assuring a clean, smooth face, ears, and nose! If a bald head is your look, give yourself a clean, close shave with the MicroTouch Titanium Head Shaver. It’s fast, easy, and nick-free to show off your dome, keeping you looking fresh and handsome for the big day.
- Be ahead of the curve: You don’t want to show up to eat without a reservation, get stuck trying to get home without planning transportation (have the Uber app downloaded!), or plan on getting a last-minute gift the day of and being unable to find anything. Think the evening through in advance; your date will notice and appreciate it.
For not-so-new couples, Valentine’s Day is a meaningful time to reflect on the past, celebrate how far you’ve come, and rekindle some great memories.
- Recreate a memorable day from the past; maybe it’s your first date or a favorite Valentine’s Day. Added points if you can still fit into the football uniform you wore in high school (when you met) for a laugh!
- A low-cost but heartfelt gift is a photo album. Scan old pics with your smartphone and upload them to an online album company. Or, go old school and find prints that have been shoved into a box, and finally put them in an album.
- Create a scavenger hunt around town or in your house with clues from past years and special memories. At the end of the hunt: a reservation at your favorite restaurant, or if you’re at home - a special gift.
The way to the heart is through the belly! Food is essential for the day; you can’t go wrong with reservations at your favorite restaurant (call NOW!), but if you want to be more original, try these:
- Cook it: If you aren’t a cook, plan a date at a cooking school together. It will show your date that you are trying to learn something new, you’ll laugh together, practice teamwork, and dinner is taken care of! If you don’t want to leave the house, shop ahead and follow along with your favorite YouTube chef.
- New relationships can be awkward on Valentine’s Day. Find someplace to eat while you are entertained - check out a local comedy club, or choose a teppanyaki restaurant where you sit around a hibachi with other diners and are entertained by the cook while eating.
- Mix it up: Instead of dinner, plan a Valentine’s brunch with waffles and mimosas, or pack a picnic lunch and set out for a hike.
- Connect on a Deeper Level
- Do a vision board together: Cut out pictures from magazines, quotes, images from online, and more. Both of you find things that resonate with your goals for the future, anything that inspires either of you, and glue them onto your poster board. You’ll learn more about each other in the process!
- Turn on the fire, make a charcuterie board, open a bottle of wine, and ask each other some questions. Try 36 Deep Questions to Ask Your Significant Other So You Can Truly Know Them.
- Make a one-year, five-year, and ten-year plan. Get specific: where you want to travel, where you want to live, what kind of house you want to buy, and what type of dog you want to get.
Whatever you do for Valentine’s Day, just remember that personalizing the day to make your date feel like you understand what they like means everything! It doesn’t have to be super fancy or expensive - just focus on showing your love and appreciation.