February 10, 2006
by Jill Williams
5 Tips for Planning the Perfect Valentines Day
Date
Valentines Day can be a stressful time especially if
the burden of planning the big date falls on you. The
high expectations for romance can make it seem like
an almost overwhelming task but by following the 5 simple
tips below you can plan a romantic date that will please
even the toughest of critics.
In real estate the mantra is location, location, location.
In planning a great Valentines Day date your mantra
is details, details, details.
Plan Well and Plan Early. Don't
wait until the last minute. Decide what you want to
do early and make any reservations or preparations well
ahead of time. This is a very busy time of year for
many popular date venues like restaurants, the theater,
and concert halls. Many will sell-out early so by planning
ahead you will ensure you get your first choice.
Know your Date. Plan with your dates
personality in mind. If they are the outdoorsy type
who hates to get dressed-up don't take them to
a formal restaurant. Plan a hike and take along a special
picnic lunch. You can go to your local specialty food
store and buy a selection of meat, cheeses, and olives
for a casual picnic. If they love hands-on activities,
instead of taking them to see a play, find a fun class
that you can take together. Your local community center
or junior college may offer classes in cooking, ballroom
dancing, or wine tasting. If they're the traditional
type who loves to get dressed-up and go out to dinner
surprise them by finding out from one of their friends
what is the one restaurant they have been dying to try.
However, while you want to keep your dates personality
in mind you also want to be sure to pick something that
you will also enjoy. After all the success of the date
depends on the connection you make as well as the location
you pick.
Appearance Matters. It's all
about showing your date that you care. Now if you are
going on a hike or playing a round of golf you don't
want to wear a three-button suit and tie but do dress
appropriate for the date. Has it been a while since
you got a haircut? Could you use a shave? It's
the little details that your date will notice and appreciate.
Be a Gentleman. Do all those things
you used to do when you were first dating but have let
slide over time. Open the car door for your date, offer
them your coat if they are cold, and let them sit in
the seat with the best people watching view at the restaurant.
It's the Thought that Counts.
Now that you just shelled out all that money on great
seats for the ballet or on a meal at the new hot restaurant
in town, you may not have a lot of money to spend on
a gift. Just remember that it really is the thought
that counts. A well chosen card is something they will
treasure and save as a memento of the occasion. Instead
of just signing your name to a store-bought card add
a personal note. Not a writer? Handwrite a romantic
quote from a favorite author or poet or a line from
your song on the inside of the card. (Be sure to cite
the source of course!) Make the gifts personal. Instead
of buying the traditional dozen roses find a special
picture of the two of you and put it into a nice picture
frame that they can put on their desk at work or on
their nightstand at home.
So now that you are armed with these 5 tips go out
there and start planning your date! Make this Valentines
Day one of your most memorable dates yet.
 Do
you want to Play Cupid this Valentines Day?
Every February, in just about every city across America,
cards, flowers, candy, hugs and kisses are exchanged
between friends and lovers all in the name of St. Valentine.
While exactly who St. Valentine was and what he did
is heavily debated there is no doubt that February is
the month for love and romance.
Did you know that many people trace Valentines Day
back to Ancient Rome and the Lupercalia festival? As
part of this festival all the young available women
in the city would place a piece of paper with their
name on it into a big jar. Then the city's bachelors
would pick a name at random from the jar and he and
this woman would become a couple for the next year.
Sometimes this match was successful and many times it
was not. Some of the modern day online dating sites
seem no better than this Ancient Roman method. This
lottery style system was later abandoned by the Romans
for obvious reasons.
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