5 Tips for a Low Key Valentines Day
I feel like we've barely got over the stress and delights of Christmas and all of a sudden we're being bombarded with another thing to celebrate. The dreaded Valentine's Day... alright, it's not that bad but I know a lot of us want to keep things a bit more chilled than trips to Paris, elaborate marriage proposals and huge ugly stuffed teddy bears that scare you a little bit when your bedroom light is off.
So I thought I'd share a couple of ideas of how to keep things low key this Valentine's Day. Feel free to substitute a boyfriend for a bestie, they're just as good and usually know when it's not ok to ask for a bit of your dessert.
Image: SOZ, mush alert
Of course this depends on your partner and what type of person you are, but I find that some guys think that you might find flowers too cliche. Assure them they're definitely not!
I received the beautiful bouquet of pink spray roses pictured above from Appleyard London, who are offering my readers 40% off bouquets (with the code BLOG40), so check out their stunning Valentine's Day flowers range.
My absolute favourite place to visit with Mat for weekend dates is actually Home Sweet Home in Manchester, who are the gods of brunch. Avoid pre-booking months in advance for dinner reservations and have a chilled out late brekkie in your favourite place.
Now, I can't divulge exactly what I've bought for Mat as he'll definitely be reading this, but I can tell you that it's pretty special. I'm hoping he'll open it and think 'what an amazingly thoughtful gift' and not just 'wait, how much did you spend?!'.
If you need some inspiration, have a look on Not On The High Street and if you're not spending much, try making it yourself.
Steak, veggies, sweet potato fries and a bottle of red? Sounds like my perfect night in. It'll save the stress of deciding where to go out and you can still get dressed up or maybe just stay in your favourite pair of PJs...
You can do nice stuff for each other any other time of the year. We won't be going out for Valentine's Day but we have already planned a little date night at a restaurant in Manchester we've both been wanting to try.
Next weekend though, when we don't have to be surrounded by PDA!
What will you be getting up to this Valentine's Day?
1. There's no shame in dropping a few hints for some beautiful flowers.
Of course this depends on your partner and what type of person you are, but I find that some guys think that you might find flowers too cliche. Assure them they're definitely not!
I received the beautiful bouquet of pink spray roses pictured above from Appleyard London, who are offering my readers 40% off bouquets (with the code BLOG40), so check out their stunning Valentine's Day flowers range.
2. Skip the hectic restaurants for dinner and go for a brunch date instead.
My absolute favourite place to visit with Mat for weekend dates is actually Home Sweet Home in Manchester, who are the gods of brunch. Avoid pre-booking months in advance for dinner reservations and have a chilled out late brekkie in your favourite place.
3. Give a gift that means something, not a gift that the high street stores are telling you to buy.
Now, I can't divulge exactly what I've bought for Mat as he'll definitely be reading this, but I can tell you that it's pretty special. I'm hoping he'll open it and think 'what an amazingly thoughtful gift' and not just 'wait, how much did you spend?!'.
If you need some inspiration, have a look on Not On The High Street and if you're not spending much, try making it yourself.
4. Cook something tasty together from scratch with a bottle of something lovely.
Steak, veggies, sweet potato fries and a bottle of red? Sounds like my perfect night in. It'll save the stress of deciding where to go out and you can still get dressed up or maybe just stay in your favourite pair of PJs...
5. Sod it all and celebrate next weekend.
You can do nice stuff for each other any other time of the year. We won't be going out for Valentine's Day but we have already planned a little date night at a restaurant in Manchester we've both been wanting to try.
Next weekend though, when we don't have to be surrounded by PDA!
What will you be getting up to this Valentine's Day?
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