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The day of celebrating love is approaching! Valentine’s Day is of course the day of the year when you show some extra love with a romantic surprise for your valentine. Especially when you are about to get married!
In the midst of a pandemic, lockdowns and curfews, it takes some creativity to make Valentine’s Day a special day. Are you not sure yet how to surprise him? Then our ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day at home might help you!

Photography: Jeanni Dunagan (l) | Christina Lane (m) | Jeanni Dunagan (r)

1. Fall in love again in 36 questions

You may have heard of this love experiment before. The set consists of 36 questions from “What does a perfect day mean to you?” to “If you died tonight, what would you most regret not telling anyone?” and is available on the internet for free.
According to the psychologists who developed this set of questions, once you have answered the last question you are completely in love with your conversation partner.

Of course the love you two share doesn’t need this, but it is just special to have this conversation spending Valentine’s Day at home!

Will you let us know if you are even more in love?

2. Enjoy a chocolate fondue

Hmm .. nothing better than a piece of fresh fruit dipped in delicious melted chocolate! Have you never enjoyed this sweet treat before? Then Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to give it a try. Fresh fruit, lady fingers, marshmallows, pretzels, Oreos, popcorn, you name it! Fill an etagère with your favorite treats and dip!

You can easily make chocolate fondue yourself by melting your favorite chocolate. For example, make different bowls with white, milk and dark chocolate and place them on a tea light to keep warm. Do you want to make it extra special? Then buy a mini chocolate fountain!

3. Game night!

What happened to a fun, old-fashioned game night? Get monopoly, Jenga and man-don’t-get-angry from the attic, put your favorite snacks on the table and enjoy an evening without your phone or TV. Guaranteed hours of fun and a timeless idea to spend Valentine’s Day at home together!

Photography: Alexandra Vonk (l) | Anya Kernes (m) | Oliver Fly (r)

4. Spa night

He might need a little persuasion, but when he’s relaxing in a bath with a refreshing face mask on, he won’t mind! Create a real spa night with fragrance sticks, scrub, soft towels and of course a steaming bath with rose petals. No bath? No worries! A warm shower is just as relaxing. And maybe a nice massage afterwards?

5. Cake tasting

Have you already chosen the flavors for your wedding cake? If not, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to have a tasting! At many bakeries you can have samples of different flavors delivered to your home. You can also order all kinds of cakes and treats for Valentine’s Day! It may not immediately be a tasting for your wedding cake, but you will get to know the flavors and products of the bakery.

For example, order the cake by mail from Sweet Charlotte; a letterbox box with all kinds of different wedding cake flavors or the Valentine Sweet Box from Gebakkerij, filled with macarons, cakes and cookies!

6. Get creative

Create something for and by you together! Paint each other’s portraits, cut and paste mood boards to inspire your home interior or make scrapbooks full of photos and memories. Nice to keep as a memory and activities like these often lead to pleasant conversations.

Photography: Will Reid (l) | Alexandra Vonk (m) | Clay Austin (r)

7. Movie night with dessert bar

Sometimes it is nice to just lie on the couch with a blanket. Choose a nice movie or run a whole marathon, but make sure you have something tasty to go with it! For example a dessert bar with your favorite desserts. Chocolate mousse, fruit, ice cream, whipped cream … enjoy!

8. Cook a Valentine’s dinner together

Cook a four-course menu together, try a new recipe or bake your own pizzas from scratch. Also nice: various restaurants offer ordering meal boxes, for which you only have to heat the food. So someone else will cook for you and you support the local catering industry! Set the table nicely, open a bottle of wine and light a few candles – et voila! The tone is set for a romantic dinner.

9. Create a wedding playlist and dance the night away!

Browse Spotify and YouTube and create a playlist for your wedding. Try out the songs with a romantic opening dance or go all out to a festive beat! Some of our favorite wedding songs are:

Jason Mraz – The Woman I Love
Ed Sheeran – Perfect
Dave Barnes – Good Day for Marrying You
John Mayer – Daughters
Bruna Mars – Just The Way You Are

Photography: Oliver Fly (l) | Samantha Jones for Rhiannon Bosse (m) | Jérémy Froeliger (r)

10. A scavenger hunt with presents

Set up a scavenger hunt at home with assignments and hide various gifts. These can of course be bought gifts, but also love notes, photos or other items that you have memories of together.

11. Picnic in the living room

A beautifully set table is very romantic, but a picnic in the living room is just as good! Move your homemade dinner from tip 5 to a picnic blanket, order your favorite sushi or go all out with a packed picnic basket.
Move furniture aside and collect fine rugs and pillows for a cozy picnic in your own living room!

12. Plan your honeymoon

Forget about the pandemic and the cold outside and dream about your honeymoon together! Will it be an adventure to another continent or do you opt for a beautiful destination closer to home?
Sailing through the canals of Venice or enjoying the purple lavender fields of the Provence? Which destination suits you?

Avoid staring at the screen of a laptop or phone all evening and order some inspiring travel books like Lonely Planet’s “Ultimate Destinations” or Trotter’s “A World to Explore”. Discover the world and create your perfect honeymoon!

With which of these ideas will you surprise him at home on Valentine’s Day?