Women Share What Made Their Valentine’s Day So Memorable

St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you are still wondering how to make this holiday memorable for that special person in your life, we got you covered. The following women share what made their Valentine’s Day unforgettable:

Photo by Michelle Leman

“People normally want to go all out for Valentine’s Day, but my favorite dates ever have been the simpler ones. We made dinner, watched some movies, and talked about how much we cared about each other. I even got him to take the Love Languages test!” Ariti, age 32.

 

“A few years ago, my now-fiancé and I were planning a trip to Montreal, leaving the day after Valentine’s Day for a long weekend to celebrate. Since we were young and broke, we did not have money to go out to a nice dinner, so instead, we went to Burger King. Now it’s still our tradition to get fast food every year on February 14th.” Caitlin, age 25.

 

“My first actual date with my high school boyfriend was on Valentine’s Day! Obviously, we did not really plan for it to be a V-Day date—it just happened that way. However, he still showed up that night with a single red rose for me. Some might call that a little over-the-top, but I thought it was incredibly sweet.” Alexandra, age 26.

 

“My boyfriend and I rarely celebrate Valentine’s Day because our anniversary is only a week later. But one year I wanted to do something special, but still keep it low-key, so I ordered in a bunch of sushi and surprised him with a little at-home V-Day date.” Elizabeth, age 25.

 

“My ex and I both loved going out to eat. However, since we went out to pleasant restaurants regularly, it would sometimes feel even more special to spend a night in. On our first Valentine’s Day together, he cooked an amazing meal for us at his place and we just enjoyed a romantic evening in.” Elissa, age 28.

 

“I have a major sweet tooth, which means my favorite V-Day tradition is the post-Valentine’s Day candy sales! Regardless of what I do and/or who I happen to be dating on the actual day, I always plan a full day of me-time for the 15th, featuring as much discount chocolate as my heart desires.” Julia, age 32.

 

“We went to my favorite band’s small little venue concert, picked up fish tacos on the way home, and baked cookies together that night.” Jaylon, age 21.

 

Photo by Tim Samuel

“This was, like, ultimate bougie, but my girlfriend and I went to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. We told the hotel that we were recently engaged (we were not), but they decorated our bed every night with rose petals and a bottle of champagne. Go big or go home, right?” Alyssa, age 28.

“I found myself in a bit of a Situationship with this girl around Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago and was not sure if we were official or not, so I was not really expecting to celebrate V-Day with her. (I did not want to get my hopes up.) Well, she ended up surprising me by not only making plans with me but also cooking a very fancy dinner with pasta, bread, salad, and some of my favorite desserts. Like, she did not cook regularly, so this was a Big Deal. It was so sweet because it was her way of showing me she cared, and we became official that night.” Michelle, age 25.

 

“My favorite Valentine’s Day was cooking a new recipe together (Louisiana chicken pasta, which was just as good as it sounds), drinking a little too much wine, and falling asleep in their arms on the couch. Sometimes it’s the little things.” Haley, age 26.

 

“My best Valentine’s Day ever happened last year when I was single. I had the ultimate ‘treat yourself’ day and got my favorite lunch, a mani-pedi, and then bought my favorite coffee. Instead of being sad that I was alone, I created an opportunity to celebrate the love I had for myself. I even made it a promise to myself to do it every year. Even though I have a boyfriend this year, I will still do it!” Catherine, age 25.

 

“My boyfriend jokingly used to complain how men don’t get the same treatment as women on Valentine’s Day by receiving cards and chocolates, so I surprised him by making an edible arrangement of bacon roses and gave it to him in the morning before waking up so he could have breakfast in bed. I also gave him a card where I wrote the biggest surprise of all: tickets to a helicopter tour of our city. Ten years later, we are still together, got married, and that is still one of the best Valentine’s Days we’ve ever had.” Rachel, age 29.

 

“Several years ago, my boyfriend at the time (now husband) earned major points on Valentine’s Day. First, he dropped me off at a salon to get my hair and nails done. Then he picked me up, brought me to his place, and made me dinner. From there, we went to a comedy club and laughed the night away. It was such a thoughtful date that I will remember forever.” Jacqui, age 28.

 

“The cutest Valentine’s Day idea that I had was making a time capsule for our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. In three years, we get to open it up and we’ll get to relive so many glorious memories.” Alyssa, age 31.

 

“My partner’s birthday is the day after Valentine’s, and our anniversary is just two weeks later, so for our first Valentine’s together, I wanted to do something special. I am a firm believer in more is more, so I surprised her with a trip to New York. I booked an incredible dinner at this cute Japanese place in Brooklyn. We hit MoMA, had Sunday brunch; it was really fun. The only bad part was it was below 10 degrees the whole time, but the rest was a blast!” Elizabeth, age 29.

 

Photo by Marko Klaric 

“Last year, for Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I celebrated a little differently than most. We are both individually very serious about getting out of student loan debt in one to two years, so we added an extra couple hundred dollars onto our February debt payments so we could get that much closer to becoming debt-free. To me, it was so sweet because it’s so us!” Joanna, age 23.

 

“In college, my boyfriend went out and bought a bottle of champagne, two glass champagne flutes, chocolates, and flowers for me. I got him cigars and chocolate cigars. We still lived in the dorms, but his roommate had moved out, so we took both mattresses and put them side by side on the floor to make one giant super-bed. We drank champagne, ate lasagna, and watched A Walk to Remember from the floor on the super-bed. All these years later, I still have the boyfriend, the champagne flutes, and the cork from the bottle that night. We use the flutes every Valentine’s Day.” Rebecca, age 26.

 

“We’re broke and in our early 20s, and we do not spend much money. However, on Valentine’s Day, we like to go out to eat for dinner, wherever we want, and buy whatever TF we want. Our normal $30 to $40 bill is about $120 with multiple drinks, apps, main courses, and desserts. We just treat ourselves, and I love every minute.” Santina, age 22.

 

“My girlfriend at the time surprised me with a staycation in our own city. She booked a hotel downtown, reserved seats for us at the rooftop bar, and had our bed decorated with rose petals and champagne when we returned.” Alicia, age 36.

 

“The guy I was casually hooking up with—not even really dating—surprised me by making a reservation at a trendy restaurant in our city. The weather that day was extremely cold, but we layered on coats and went out, anyway. When we got to the restaurant, they lost our reservation and did not have any available for a few hours. We went to a dive bar around the corner, shared some beers, and had a super-laid-back dinner at a restaurant with a prix fixe menu and open seating. It was all super, unexpected, and just being together, even if we were hungry and freezing, made me realize this was significantly more than a hookup thing.” Caitlin, age 25.

 

“One of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories is when my boyfriend made a home-cooked meal. He surprised me with a dozen roses, a giant fuzzy heart with chocolate inside, and a handmade card. We had little money back then, and he still lived with his parents, so he brought up a bunch of chairs to his room and used his nightstand as our table. He also lit candles, put on Frank Sinatra, and opened a bottle of Moët. We spent the rest of the night watching the first movie we ever saw together and playing video games. It was the best.” Riley, age 20.

 

“One year, my girlfriend surprised me with a super-romantic wine-tasting tour. It was such a shock because I never even thought about wineries being open during the colder months, but many are! We had such a fun time getting tipsy and drinking delicious wine together, and then we took the train home, watched a movie on our laptop, and had a nice dinner together. And I got to be in bed early, which is honestly my favorite thing.” Sarah, age 27.

 

“You really can’t go wrong with breakfast in bed, which also is the best Valentine’s Day I ever had. My husband makes me chocolate chip pancakes with extra chocolate chips just the way I like them, and I do not get up until noon. I look forward to this day literally all year!” Tina, age 30.

Photo by cottonbro studio

 

“The best Valentine’s Day I’ve had was the first one with my boyfriend. We knew it was supposed to snow later that day, so we had to alter the plans we had previously made to go to an extravagant dinner at a fancy restaurant, instead went out to brunch, and spend the rest of the day at home. We exchanged gifts after brunch and spent the afternoon simply being together and enjoying our uninterrupted time. That night, we made a delicious dinner at home and watched many corny Valentine’s Day movies. It was perfect because it was simply us spending time together and enjoying the love between two people.” Rachel, age 21.

 

“We started the evening by cooking a meal together and it was amazing. Getting to create something romantic together was beautiful. After we finished dinner, he brought us to the same place where we had our first date, Hyde Park, and we held hands while we walked around. At the end of the night, he surprised me by booking a hotel room. When we got there, he had my favorite chocolates lying out on the bed. It was so simple, yet so perfect. Best Valentine’s Day ever.” Isabel, age 20.

 

“My long-distance boyfriend was too busy with his new job to visit me regularly, but on Valentine’s Day, he mailed me a plane ticket and told me to come and visit him. He even rented a hotel, so we could be alone without his roommates. When we got there, he had laid roses all over the bed and there was champagne and a fluffy robe. We ended up ditching dinner reservations and staying in all night with room service. It was like a movie.” Amanda, age 21.

 

Photo by RODNAE Productions

“My girlfriend surprised me with a downtown tour of our city. It is hilarious because we have both lived here our whole lives, but we got to see the city from a tourist perspective and learned things we never knew. It was cheesy, but that’s what made it so freaking fun.” Russia, age 28.

 

“My boyfriend at the time had left the cheesiest teddy bear in front of my dorm room on Valentine’s Day along with a note that said, ‘I’ll pick you up for dinner at 6. Dress warm!’ We ended up having a super-romantic peanut butter and jelly sandwich dinner with a bottle of wine on this giant hill that overlooks our campus. It was probably the sweetest date ever!” Kelly, age 20.

 

“My high school boyfriend asked me to come over to his house on Valentine’s Day weekend to help him with chemistry homework, which I thought was really weird because he was taking chemistry classes and I was obviously not, but I didn’t hesitate to come by. I went to knock on his front door and there was a note saying ‘walk in’ on it. I walked into his house and heard my favorite sappy love song playing, and [there was] a huge trail of rose petals leading into his living room, where he was sitting with all my favorite things. There were candles, and Disney stuffed animals, and it was so romantic. Even though we’re not still together, it will definitely be in my top Valentine’s Day memories!” Jessica, age 21.

 

Photo by Lisa Fotios

“I was out of town on business for Valentine’s Day and it really bummed my boyfriend because he had this whole big thing planned. When I came home a week later, he ended up making a whole Valentine’s Day meal and celebration, anyway. He cooked steak and even bought a super-sweet cake that said ‘Happy (kind of) Valentine’s Day.’ He also got me flowers and chocolate. It was so sweet, especially because he sucks at keeping secrets and I did not know he was planning this.” Sally, age 23.

 

“Last year was the first Valentine’s Day my long-distance boyfriend and I got to celebrate together in person. He came to visit me on Valentine’s Day and we went on an amazing hike. When we got to the top of the mountain, it had a beautiful view and we got to sit down and eat a late lunch together while watching the incredible sunset. Before we hiked back down, he grabbed my hand and told me he wanted to be together forever and gave me a promise ring. I was so surprised!” Lauren, age 21.

 

“My boyfriend and I had made plans to go out for dinner, but we waited too late to make reservations. He told me to leave it up to him and that he would find us a place. The morning of Valentine’s Day, he showed up at my house with roses, and bags full of groceries, and told me he was making me dinner instead of going out. I was hesitant about his cooking because he had never done it before, but it turned out pretty well. He made some yummy enchiladas, and best of all, I did not even need to get dressed up. Afterward, we cuddled and watched a movie. It wasn’t the most extravagant date, but it was the sweetest.” Michelle, age 22.

 

“The most memorable Valentine’s Day was when I showed up at my boyfriend’s house and he led me downstairs to his basement, where he’d prepared an indoor picnic. He knew I was tired from my week and did not feel like going out, so we stayed in. He does not really cook, so he went around buying all my favorite foods from different restaurants like chicken and beef skewers, Indian bread, and chicken Caesar salad. I was so surprised because I had never actually told him my favorite foods, but he had figured it out from the times we went out to eat. Then for dessert, he made chocolate-covered strawberries. We ended the date by watching the movie we watched on our first date. It brought back memories of when we first started dating and we were both so nervous that we did not hold hands until the very end. There were no dimly lit mood candles or expensive presents, but it made a lasting impression on my heart.” Kim, age 21.

 

“My boyfriend’s birthday is only a couple of days before Valentine’s Day, so usually we skip celebrating V-Day. A couple of years ago, we went up to the Hudson Valley for the weekend to celebrate. There was a big snowstorm, and we were trapped inside, but the house was beautiful and we got to snuggle and escape from the world. It was magical. I tried to surprise him by wearing some new lingerie too, but when I came out of the bathroom wearing it, he had fallen asleep! It’s been an inside joke of ours since.” Emily, age 25.

 

“I know it sounds so simple, borderline tacky, but the most wonderful Valentine’s date I ever had was spent in a dorm room. We picked a movie we both loved, and to surprise each other, we each ordered a Seamless delivery with the food we thought the other would love most. It was lazy and comforting, but still cute and romantic!” Tara, age 23.