Mathew and I are BIG fans of date night. We love to go out and enjoy a good meal and a movie, but when Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, it can be a little difficult to actually go out. Normally, if Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, we just do something the weekend after, but I still feel like you should make a semi-big deal about Valentine’s Day on the actual day.

The Vintage Modern Wife Easy Valentine's Night In Ideas

In 2009  Mathew surprised me at my cousin Mark’s wedding. He drove all the way from Waco to Corpus and I had no clue that he was coming. Not only did we spend time at the wedding, but I came home (to my parent’s house) to an amazing surprise. In 2010 I got extremely sick on Valentine’s and had a day full of amazing meals planned for us. I still made all of them, but barely was able to eat. In 2011 Mathew and I moved our Valentine’s from a Monday to Sunday, and we had a simple Valentine’s at home with a movie marathon. In 2012 Mathew and I spent a low-key Valentine’s together because the next weekend we were going to pick up Pearl for the first time!

The point of all of these little stories are: YOU CAN DO VALENTINE’S AT HOME and IT CAN BE AMAZING!

Here are just a few of OUR favorite at-home Valentine Day ideas that we wanted to share with you:

1. Go all out- In 2009 when Mathew surprised me at my cousin’s wedding I was floored. Then, when we went home for the evening, my jaw dropped even more. On the stairs by the front door were 7 cards with little parts of a poem on them and rose petals leading to my bedroom. Then, on my bedroom was my bed covered with all kinds of sweet gifts (teddy bear, bracelet, chocolates, huge flowers, etc).

Mathew and I at my cousin Mark’s wedding

Sure, this may sound cheesy for a guy, but what other day can you be super cheesy? Get those rose petals, buy a handful of cards and write a poem/love note to him, shower him with little gifts on the bed (maybe his favorite snacks, movies, etc). The point is, just go nuts. He’ll appreciate the fact that you went above and beyond.

2. Cook a fancy meal- In 2010 I decided to cook romantic meals all day for Mathew on Valentine’s. I started out with an easy breakfast of chocolate chip and banana pancakes. Luckily, Mathew was so full from breakfast (and I was so sick) that we skipped lunch. Usually I don’t advise skipping meals, but our dinner was so much that I didn’t mind. I made Ina Garten’s Steakhouse Steak recipe, homemade baked macaroni and cheese, and grilled asparagus. Mathew loved it and really appreciated the fact that I still felt like cooking for him even though I didn’t feel well.

Ina Garten's Steakhouse Steak
Ina Garten’s Steakhouse Steak

How does this get factored in for you? Find a recipe you’ve never tried before or grab a cook book and make a sexy meal for your man. I’m a big advocate of the whole “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” phrase. Plus, if you add a sexy apron (I have one that says “I kiss better than I cook”) you get double points.

3. Movie-marathon it up- Nothing says love to us than giving up the remote for a night, and even more so, for the entire day. When we decide to do a movie marathon day, we pull out a ton of blankets and pillows, move the coffee table, and make a fort. If we REALLY feel like it, we even spend the night on the living room floor (because- why not?!)

Livingroom Fort, Source: weddingchicks.com

Get creative and pick a theme for your movies (maybe the same word in all the titles, a certain genre, etc) then pile on the blankets and pillows! Light some candles, pull out that fondue set that you got for your wedding but never use, and just have a great night in.

What Valentine’s Night In ideas have YOU done? Do you prefer it instead of a dinner out?

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