A long week at work and your hectic schedule won’t leave you with enough energy to be creative this Valentine’s Day. But, Pooja Salvi & Dev Goswami help you out with a few suggestions that will help you make the most of the big day
Work and stress can leave us way too exhausted to come up with original dates ideas the Valentine’s Day, but don’t give up and resort to a monotonous dinner at your friendly neighbourhood restaurant. And, the run-off-the-mill gifts you attempt to gift your partner won’t help either! While many of us don’t want to jump on the bandwagon of V-day planners, it doesn’t hurt to be a hopeless romantic, at least one day of the year!
We know how much of a burden Valentine’s Day can be. From picking up a unique gift to making sure that you’re doing something differen, men and women are equally clueless about how to tackle the worldwide declaration of the day of love.
However, we think that instead of picking these worn-out dates, this year, you can do something more innovative. Read on as we give you a few ideas about what you can do to make this Valentine’s Day the best one you will ever have.
Making the day better
We’re all for being budget conscious while making the most of Valentine’s Day. So, our innovative ideas will help you have a great time without overspending.
Have dinner... in bed
This may seem like a pointless idea, but trust us, it will be as romantic as you make it. How often do you have the time to spend some simple moments alone with your partner? We’re sure it’s not that many! Cook them their favourite meal and decorate the house with romantic scented candles. Split a bottle of fine wine and simply lounge on the sofa watching old rom-coms (Notting Hill, anyone?)
Take a dance class together
The couple that dances together, stays together. Okay, we weren’t too original with that, but you can be! The city has several dance classes that introduce special dance sessions specifically for V-day. Book a dance session (tango, salsa and cha-cha) with any of these and dance the day away. Don’t be too conscious of showing a little love on the dance floor.
Make your home better
We know, we know, who wants to go about a home makeover on the one day you are supposed to be relaxing together? This works though! Get into the oldest pair of trousers you have, bring home some paint and repaint that old wall that needed mending a long time ago. Or, you can also bond over making a small garden in your gallery. Plant some small flowers in quaint little pots and make your very own indoor garden!
Bake together
Cake anyone? Everyone! Get your oven mitts and baking pans ready and spend the entire day basking in the sweet sweet fragrance of cakes. On the plus side, we think this is the most affordable way to spend the day. Think about it: eggs, milk, flour, chocolate chips — you won’t even spend Rs 1,000 on a basic sponge cake!
Get matching tattoos
Yes, jump on that bandwagon. If you are both into the idea, get one. Something small hidden where only your partner can see is a great idea. It’s a fun (granted, painful) way to express your love, but it’s not for everyone.
Adopt an animal
A fuzzy little addition to your family will only increase the already existing love and warmth of your house.
Play inside
What use are all those throw pillows if you are not going to make a blanket/pillow fort with them? Get them all ready, wear your pyjamas and spend the entire day relaxing in your very own fort.
Walk down the memory lane
Now that you are comfortably nuzzled in your blanket fort, find some old photo albums and take a walk down memory lane. Old photographs from back in the day can bring up warm loving memories from the past.
Reel-life inspirations
Rom-coms and films about love and relationships are top on our list of things that can make anyone a hopeless romantic. But, did you really think that all the romantic scenes that are portrayed in films would pan out so well in real life? Well, some might, but most don’t. Here’s our pick of some of the most romantic scenes that we wish we could translate toreal-life events. even if some are pretty unbelievable!
The Notebook
Maybe it was Ryan Gosling, maybe it was his well-maintained beard (guys, take note!), or maybe it was his shirt drenched in the rain... whatever reason you love this scene, it has gone down in the annals of film history as one of the most memorable ones. But, if you’re wondering about pulling this off in Mumbai... well, let’s just say, that instead of a shirt drenched in water, you will be dealing with clothes covered in dirt and grime, so beware!
Up
It’s hard to classify Up as a rom-com or a story about love, and yes, it’s definitely not an out-and-out romance film, but there is undoubtedly an underlying theme of love, companionship, and even friendship, depicted though whatever we see of the protagonist Carl’s relationship with his wife, Ellie. In fact, it’s a depiction that comes as close as to a real, lifelong romance!
Love Actually
Confession scenes and films on romance go hand-in-hand. And, over the years we’ve heard so many outrageous, real-life stories of how people have confessed their love for someone that we think twice before brushing away any film confession scene as impossible. Unless of course, it’s a confession at an airport — that never really happens; the ground staff isn’t going to open the gates for you and the security guards aren’t going to stand aside. Love Actually thankfully doesn’t do that and keeps it simple and believable.
Castaway
No, we aren’t talking about Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks) and his relationship with Wilson, the volleyball. We’re talking about moments towards the end of the film when he returns to civilisation to find out that his wife has moved on and she’s not coming back — the fact that the film decided to show how well Chuck understands and accept this is why this is on this list.
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a film that proves love conquers all, and we’re sure you know what scene we’re talking about without us having to even mention it. However, that is really not going to happen in real life. Unless it’s scripted by the producers of a reality dance show, which, now that we think about it, has probably happened at some point, somewhere!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SPECIAL?
Putting in an effort
You know how we always keep telling that it’s the thought that matters? Well, Shweta Karthik, an Indian classical dance artist, and Karthik Iyer, a fashion designer and digital marketer, are perfect examples of that. Shewta tells us, “My husband put a lot of thought and effort into the perfect Valentine’s Day gift last year and surprised me with fancy lingerie. I was particularly touched by the gesture as he went through the trouble of finding my size and buying lingerie that he knew I would like!”
Making a dream come true
We love the story Rashi Madhu, a media relationship consultant tells us about her husband. Rashmi tells us about how he made a dream come true for her on Valentine’s Day.“I love star gazing, unfortunately I don’t get the opportunity to indulge too often as we live in the city. On Valentine’s Day my boyfriend blindfolded me and drove me to an unknown location. When he finally parked the car and removed my blindfold, I was surprised to see us standing underneath a sky full of stars! Considering that it was only 4pm, I was surprised about how he managed to pull it off, however I then realised that we were in Nehru Planetarium’s Sky Theatre, where the stars twinkle during the day! It was a romantic and sweet gesture that I will always cherish.”
Making the impossible, possible
Shetal Vaishnav’s story is cute and romantic too! She tells us, “My favorite Valentine’s Day moment was when I told him out of nowhere that it would be very romantic if someone got me a single rose —and he went out to buy one during a curfew! He did it just because I mentioned it! For me, that was a very romantic gesture and it remains one of the most special moments. I will neverforget it.”
It’s not just about romance
Sometimes, the best thing to do is to escape daily life to do something you really wanted to, maybe like what designer Ridhi Arora has in mind. She tells us, “We will be taking a weekend off and celebrating the day in the wild. I have planned a trip to Ranthambore; my husband loves the wildlife and going on tiger safari and it’s become more like a ritual to do this every year now. We get some time off the mundane and stressful city life.”