5 Ways to Spend Valentines Day (That Aren't Dinner)

This year, we’re celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary, and 13 years of being together. That means that we’ve gone to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day A LOT.

Not that there’s anything wrong with dinner, but eventually, it becomes kinda… boring. At least it did for us. Maybe the same goes for some of you as well. If so, don’t give up and retire to your sweats just yet (although that does sounds amazing). Here’s a list of 5 unique ways to spend V-Day together.

Take A Class

There are so many fun classes available – some you’ve probably never even heard of. In the last week, I’ve seen classes for cooking, candle-making, dancing, and building a terrarium.

The key to getting the most out of a class together is finding something you’re both interested in, or working to build something together, such as an item you can display in your home.

Another bonus is that all sorts of classes can typically be found on Groupon, so you can save some cash to put toward your Grubhub order for later, so you can get dinner, without it being your main event for the night!

Tour Your Dream Home

I love dreaming and envisioning the future with hubby. I remember touring our very first apartment together and how much fun it was to imagine spending our future there. I walked through the rooms and smiled, trying to visualize where we’d hang our first photo together.

Our life together looks a lot different now and it’s still fun to continue dreaming about the next place we’ll hang those family photos. There’s no better way to celebrate your love than continuing to look forward to your future together, while being able to appreciate the journey you’ve taken so far.

Recreate Your First Date

Okay, I totally may have fibbed a little about the “no dinner” thing in the title of this post. But, this may include dinner for you. However, if so, it’s totally different (and much more special!) then just any old dinner.

Our first date was at an IHOP, and we met at Ruby Tuesday, and I still get a little nostalgic every time I see either one of those restaurants. There’s something so romantic about being back in those moments.

Let’s be honest, relationships are hard work. Even the happiest couples struggle through things. Isn’t it nice to remember back on the times when things were just really easy? That’s what I think about when I remember that first date all those years ago – the ease of conversation, the lightness that now tends to get weighed down by life. Whether you do this activity for Valentine’s Day or not, I want to encourage you to reach back into those memories and feelings you have from the past as you spend time together.

And if you do decide to recreate your first date, don’t skimp on details! Try to replicate as many things as you can; the time of day, the items you ordered, the flowers you received. Have fun with it!

Have Dinner Around the World

One more lie, and that’s it – I promise! But I don’t consider this dinner because it’s much more of an experience! And the whole point is that you’re not really sitting down across from one another, trying to make this dinner different than every other night of the week. Nope; you’re on an amazing adventure!

Hit local restaurants, food trucks, and take-out windows for small bites until you’ve had at least a nibble from each country – or as many as you can manage! This is a fun way to learn new things about yourself, and each other! Who knew that you’d share a mutual love for Indian food? Or that he definitely can’t handle spicy food? It’s also a really fun way to explore your city together.

Do a Photo Challenge

For the past 13 years, I’ve grabbed a waiter at the end of our meal, or a hostess as we’re walking out the door of a restaurant, and asked them to snap a photo of us. Boom. Valentines Day: check. But instead, what if we make it a point to try to capture the experience of the day? Instead of a posed photo reminding of us how we ended the night, wouldn’t it be amazing to recount the day with a collection of photos that captured the entire experience?

I really love any/all photo challenges – if you type photo challenge into Pinterest, you’ll find hundreds of images with different challenges based on months, seasons, and specific timelines.

This is a great way to simply spend time together; walking around, running errands, or even simply staying in. Plus, it can be paired with any other date idea as a way to be sure you’re really seeing and experiencing the moments! It can be done with a professional camera, or an iPhone.

If you have no idea how to get started, I created a Valentine’s Day Photo Challenge graphic that you can grab below! These are very subjective without much direction. There’s no wrong answers – you simply take the idea and create based on what it means to you, or the 2 of you together. The only rule is that you complete it all in one day; Valentine’s Day… or the day you’re celebrating it.