While Valentine’s Day has become notoriously synonymous with rose bouquets, boxed chocolates and giant teddy bears (the jury’s still out on the precise origin of the giant teddy bear, and its cryptic links to the annual day of love), your 14th February needn’t conform to the hyper commercialised, ideal that the holiday depicts.
If you’re seeking a (truly) romantic and unique idea for Valentine’s day (or simply searching for ways to give your plans a bit more… pizzazz), look no further than our 8 Amazing Ideas for the Ultimate Valentine’s Day Date, with stuffed animals holding a pale pink heart nowhere in sight.
1) Enjoy a Candlelit Dinner At Home
Avoid the typical run of the mill restaurant date on Valentine’s day -and with it, the multitudes of couples doing the exact same thing as you- and revert to a more subdued and romantic evening in, instead.
Either choose to order your favourite cuisine in, or if you’re (more or less) confident in your culinary capabilities, cook up a homemade storm together.
Just because you’re skipping going out doesn't warrant your night in being any less fancy than it would be if you were visiting an upscale restaurant. Ensure you get dressed to the nines, and take time to make the dining table extra cosy and romantic by arranging roses in a vase and propping long candle sticks into empty wine bottles (every dinner can be a candlelit dinner if you just light some candles, and candlelit dinners are synonymous with romance).
2) Get Rid of Your Phone
However you and your partner decide to celebrate your Valentine’s Day, ensure you do so -at least for a portion of the night- in the most romantic way possible in 2021; sans mobile phones.
While you may have no intention of even touching the phone lying seemingly dormant next to your wine glass or dinner plate, the desire to do so remains. Cull the impulse to “just check” Instagram by turning your device on airplane mode or -shocker- completely switching your mobile off; work Slack messages and Facebook notifications can wait, having each other’s undivided attention on the most romantic night of the year can’t.
Whatever you end up doing, make sure your phone is tucked safely away.
3) Create a Relationship Quiz Together
Whether you’re heading out or staying in, incorporate a little competition into your romantic evening with the inclusion of a relationship quiz; a simple yet challenging array of questions about each other or your relationship.
Going out for dinner? While you’re waiting on your order, create the quiz (create two, one for each person to answer), and then quiz each other during dessert (and please, at all costs avoid blatantly unenthused questions such as “what’s my favourite film?” and others of the variety; get your creative juices flowing here).
4) Transport to International Waters for the Night
Whether you’re staying in or heading out, tie a country theme into the evening’s activities to make things more exciting (and if your partner loves a certain cuisine, more personal). An Italian themed night works well because the Italian cuisine comprises pizza, and everyone likes pizza (right?) so it’s a surefire crowd pleaser, however feel free to go anywhere in the world for your date night (perhaps you’ll go on a dumpling and rice wine crawl through Chinatown, or meander to a small bar for French escargots and crepes?).
The world is your oyster, so transgress from solely food-related activities for your country themed night; rent an international film, see if your city homes gondola rides, or metamorphose into DJ for the night by creating a themed Spotify playlist (and acoustic Flamenco music serving as backdrop to your Valentine’s date night? - Perfecto).
5) Set Communal Goals
Take time out of your date night (after the film, between meal courses, after your wander through the moonlit city streets…) to jot down communal goals to complete throughout the course of the year.
You’ve both got the creative freedom here; decide whether you want the goals to be weekly, fortnightly or monthly goals, but ensure that they’re objectives that are completed together (think visiting a new restaurant once a month, joining a language class, or drinking a cup of coffee together every morning before work).
6) Go Thrift Shopping and Choose Each Other’s Date Outfits
Inject a healthy dose of ~fashion~ into your Valentine’s date by going to a thrift store together and respectively choosing each other’s outfit for the evening.
The rules are simple; you and your partner both agree on a nominated value in expenditure and a time limit, then subsequently choose each other’s (entire) date outfit. Whether you want to be kind or lay out the foundations for a fashion disaster depends on where the evening’s date is to take place; the newly opened five star restaurant may not be thrilled in welcoming your beret wearing, cowboy boot donned, leopard print clad partner into their premises (for some unbeknownst and frankly abhorrent reason).
Visit a thrift store together, and buy each other’s outfit for date night.
7) Experience Something New Together
The 14th needn’t solely revolve around a physical gift exchange. In fact, science states that experiences lead to long lasting memories (more so than objects), meaning that you’re better off spending your hard earned cash experiencing something novel and unique with your partner.
AmazingCo’s Mystery Picnics make for a stellar experience for foodies at heart, essentially leading those partaking on the self guided adventure on a clue and riddle solving scavenger hunt to collect delicious picnic pieces (overnight options are available too, in the form of a Mystery Weekend).
Seeking a date night from the safety and comfort of your couch? No worries! Thanks to the wonder that is the world wide web (and AmazingCo’s At-Home Date Night experiences), you and your partner don’t need to go anywhere to have a romantic Valentine’s date, but can play games, take part in activities, and go head to head in challenges all from home (every homebody’s dream).
8) Incorporate a Scavenger Hunt Into Your Date
If you’re planning a trek through nature (or a weekend away) for your Valentine’s date, make things more exciting by incorporating a scavenger hunt twist. Create a list of predefined objects that you’ll -surely- see on the way (think pine cones, a red car, a woman with blonde hair and a blue top, red berries; your items will of course be dependent on what type of region you’re exploring), and compete in who can find each item first.
You may wish to find all these things on one long walk, or if you’re heading away for the weekend, keep an eye on these things for the entirety of your being away (and watch your partner’s smile falter as they realise you’ve declared victory, long after they’ve forgotten about the challenge).
