As wedding coordinators, we find that planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful times to a relationship. You are not only stressed out over the details, the money you are spending, and all the decisions you are having to make, you are also having to find new ways to communicate and compromise. Often, as the wedding planning goes on, you are seeing new sides of each other for the first time and trying to figure out how to best deal with them.

In a dating relationship, you often do not necessarily see how the other person deals with money issues, time management, personal communication, family-issues, and/or high stress. If you are one of the fortunate ones, and you already know your partner-to-be’s ‘flaws’ and none of this is news to you, you can still find that you seem to be lacking in quality time due to the demands a wedding puts on your time together.

In order to help you out, whether you are planning a wedding, or just needing a good way to show the one you love that you do indeed love them, here are some of our favorite (no or low cost) ways to be romantic:

1. Be unexpected – Do things you wouldn’t normally do (ie. instead of running inside when it starts to rain, take a moment to kiss in the rain).
2. Board games are a timeless and inexpensive way of having a great time. Playing board games is a great at home activity that does not take a lot of set up time or require any expense. Play cards or put together a puzzle.
3. Break a Sweat Together – Dust off your bikes and go for a ride together. Go for a walk on the beach. Play frisbee. Pass a ball back and forth. Go for a swim at the local YMCA or rec center and then hit the hot tub.
4. Bring home really good coffee or a decadent sweet.
5. Brush her hair for her.
6. Buy a box full of kids valentines (silly puns, cliche’s and all!) Mail one-a-day for a month.
7. Buy a guide book for the city or region where you live. Visit someplace you’ve never been before.
8. Complete that chore or favor that your partner has wanted you to do for a long time.
9. Cook a real meal – Nothing quick and nothing ordinary, but a real roll-up-your-sleeves-and-air-out-the-kitchen meal that will force your partner to notice.
10. Create a small website or blog dedicated to your partner. Write a short love message each day for a month…or forever.
11. Dedicate a song to him on the radio and send him an email telling him when to listen.
12. Do something romantic and spontaneous, like picking a flower and giving it to her right on the spot.
13. Do stuff! Even if money is tight, it’s OK to go out every once and awhile and, you know, do stuff. Go check out a free outdoor concert, or go have a picnic at the park. Check your local paper for cheap events happening near you. You’ll be surprised at the infinite amount of cheap things you can do without having to fork over $10.00 for a movie ticket.
14. Don’t forget about drive-in movie theatres!
15. Dream Out Loud – Part of forging a healthy marriage is setting goals for your future together. Begin by discussing your hopes and dreams for the future. This simple activity can be a great escape from your present financial challenges because it allows your imagination to run free.
16. Get Cozy in a Tent – You don’t have to head to the great outdoors for a romantic rustic adventure. Just pitch the tent in your backyard or living room and snuggle up for a long night of fun.
17. Give them a bottle of champagne as a “thank you” for doing the grocery shopping.
18. Go dancing
19. Go to a carnival, fair, or amusement park together. (Without the kids.) Plan to blow an entire roll of quarters on silly games.
20. Have dinner on the roof, with some candles.
21. Have flowers and a note of love delivered to their work. (Watch for specials from your local florist!)
22. In public, declare “I love you, ________!” (your partner’s name.)
23. In the midst of talking about how your days went, the chores that need to be done, etc. interrupt and say “I have something important to tell you. I love you and here’s why.” Then list 5 things that you really appreciate about your partner. Finish with a kiss and say, “Ok, so you were talking about the water heater.”
24. Invent a meal and name it after him or her.
25. Invite your partner to take a bath with you – complete with bubbles, champagne, candles, and music.
26. Learn about how other cultures approach romanticism & try some of the ideas out for yourself: http://www.topics-mag.com/edition9/romance.htm
27. Leave a love note in her car, or lunch, or luggage telling her to have a great day.
28. Mail a card and inside write down the top 10 things you love about your partner.
29. Mail a lingerie gift to her at work.
30. Make a CD with a few songs that are meaningful to your relationship.
31. Make little “I love you” posters. Post them in surprising places: the bathroom, the closet, the car, under her pillow, on her pillow.
32. Make reservations months in advance to go somewhere you know your partner will love. Tell your mate to mark the calendar for that weekend, but don’t say why. Just wondering what the surprise might be will add a wonderful dimension.
33. Pack a picnic lunch, or just bring take-out, and find a nice quiet spot in a park. Bring a blanket.
34. Place a flower under the windshield wiper of their car.
35. Place an ad in the classifieds declaring your love. Then take the newspaper, wrap it in a bow, and put a little note on it saying what page to look on.
36. Prepare strawberries with fondue chocolate or their favorite treat and take a moment to share it.
37. Propose a toast to her while at a dinner party with good friends.
38. Recreate your partner’s favorite romantic movie scene.
39. Revive chivalry. Women love a real Gentleman. Open her car door. Hold her dinner chair. Help her on with her coat.
40. Ride a ferris wheel together.
41. Send her a birthday card every day for a month!
42. Send them a series of text messages that tells them how much you love them, or are looking forward to seeing them next. (A neat way to do this one is to skew it a bit and create a series of text messages that lets them know what to expect when they get home!)
43. Skip TV, go on a long walk instead. If you’re worried about missing a show, Tivo it. That’s what it was invented for.
44. Spot chasing. On the next pleasant evening when there are spotlights in the sky, follow one to its source. It’s an adventure!
45. Stargaze together and look for a shooting star to wish upon.
46. Surprise her by giving her a gift on your birthday.
47. Surprise them at work and take them out to lunch
48. Take a bubble bath together.
49. Take a evening to walk down memory lane — visit some of the special places from your early days of dating.
50. Take a Hike -Walking with your partner is a great activity because it can be a relaxing time to talk about life.
51. Take an interest in your partner’s interests. For a woman it might be watching a football game with your guy. And for men it might be going to see a chick-flick. Do it with a spirit of enthusiasm and love. Have fun.
52. The un-plan. Get up one morning and go to a place where neither of you has previously been or even chosen to go. Just get in the car and pick a direction to drive. When you find something that looks interesting, stop in and check it out.
53. Volunteer together for a local organization – there are many local groups that need help and not only will you be doing something positive for your community but you’ll meet other positive people along the way!
54. Weekly dates. Have a date at least once a week (if you can’t do that, do once a month!) with your partner. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one, but at least find some way to spend a couple hours time together.
55. Write “I love you” in the steam on the bathroom mirror after he takes a shower.
56. Write him a little love note; insert it in the book he’s reading.

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