Vivastreet blog

Just three days to go and cupid is priming his bow to fire that arrow! Yes, Valentine’s Day is approaching faster than a bull towards a red rag, and if you haven’t thought about what you’re going to do on the 14th, you’d better start thinking pretty darn quick.

So, what makes that perfect Valentine’s evening? The truth is it’s not about what you do necessarily but how you do it. The key to success is forward planning – which means if you haven’t actually planned your Valentine’s Day evening yet, time is running out!

A lot of people like the “I can’t tell you where we’re going tonight, it’s a secret” approach, but this is fraught with dangers, particularly if you think you know your partner, then you take him/her for a night at the dogs, only to find out they hate dogs and gambling – ouch! It’s probably much better to plan your evening together, so that you’re sure whatever you do, you’ll both enjoy it. Also, a word of advice on the cash front boys – the reality is that girls still like a little chivalry; so put your calculators away for one evening, and pay for the whole thing. Believe me, she’ll love you for it… and isn’t that the point of the whole evening!?

Now if you’re planning a simple evening out – a meal followed by a film perhaps, then you’d better book up somewhere the moment you’ve stopped reading this rather amusing blog! Valentine’s Day is probably the busiest evening in the calendar for restaurants and cinemas . So, you need to book in advance, or you’ll be having your romantic evening at a Little Chef off the M25, lovely.

Depending on how adventurous/romantic/brave you are, will determine how much time and effort you put into the whole Valentine’s Day experience. If you prefer to play it safe, then a nice meal, a bunch of flowers, then home in time for Match of the Day… oops, sorry, I meant, Dirty Dancing on ITV2 … could be the perfect evening!

However, the more adventurous amongst you, have probably already booked ahead, and are planning to whisk your loved one off to Paris/Grimsby/Stoke Newington for the weekend. If that’s the case, make sure eveything’s in place, the flights, hotel, things to do while you’re away.  Believe me, a little consideration like this goes a long way to ensuring that everything runs smoothly and there are no needless arguments. This is meant to be a romantic weekend, not three hour delays, stuck at one of Ryanair’s “in the middle of no-where” airports, 200 miles from Paris.

Finally, have a little Valentine’s Day gift ready to surprise your partner with during the evening… if everything’s gone swimmingly, then it will be the icing on the cake. It doesn’t have to be much, but trust me, it will cap off the perfect evening!!