Personalized Valentine's gifts: 40 ideas with your story in them
Forty personalized Valentine's gifts, sorted by how personal they really are, from a name on a necklace to a book written from your memories.
40 ideas ·
A personalized Valentine's gift says something a store-bought one can't: this was made for you, and nobody else. But not all personalization is equal. A name engraved on a mug is personalized. A book of the fifty reasons you love them, written from your memories, is personal. The best gifts are as close to the second as you can get.
So these 40 personalized Valentine's gift ideas are sorted by how much of your story they hold: gifts made of your own words, gifts marked with a date or a place, photo gifts, and gifts with their name or initials. Then come ideas for him, ideas for her, and personalized gifts you can still get at the last minute.
Most of them take a little thought rather than a lot of money. For more ideas, see our Valentine's gifts for him and Valentine's gifts for her.
Make it a book: Reasons I Love You holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Personalized gifts made of your own words
These are the most personal of all, because nobody else could have written them. They take an evening of thinking, and they're the ones that get kept.
- A book of reasons you love them: fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated on the cover and their name under the title.
- A booklet of love coupons with your own promises on them: breakfast in bed, a night off, one argument they get to win.
- A set of open-when letters, each marked for a moment: open when you miss me, open when you can't sleep, open when we've had a fight.
- The story of how you met, written from your side, printed and bound like a little book.
- A crossword where every answer is about the two of you: your first date, your song, the dog's middle name.
- Your wedding vows, or the first message you ever sent each other, framed.
- A jar of 52 folded notes, one reason for every week of the year, in your handwriting.
- A love letter written on the paper from somewhere that matters, like the menu from your first date.
Personalized with a date or a place
- A star map of the sky over the place you met, on the night you met.
- A print of the map around your first home, your first date or the place you got engaged, with its coordinates.
- A bracelet or ring engraved with the coordinates of a place only the two of you understand.
- A bottle of wine or whiskey with a label you've designed, dated for the year you met.
- A framed print of the front page from the day you met or married.
- A sound wave print of a voice message they sent you, or of you saying "I love you."
Personalized photo gifts
- A photo book of your year together, with a line under every picture.
- A jigsaw puzzle of your favorite photo, to do together on Valentine's evening.
- A blanket printed with photos from every year you've been together.
- A calendar of your photos, with the dates that matter to you already marked.
- An old photo of the two of you, reprinted and framed, with the date on the back.
Personalized with their name or initials
These are lovely, and they look good. Add a handwritten note about why you chose it, and the gift says far more than the engraving can.
- A necklace with your initials, or theirs, side by side.
- A leather wallet, notebook or passport cover embossed with their initials.
- A monogrammed robe or a set of pajamas with their name on the pocket.
- A pair of glasses engraved with your names and the year you met.
- A cutting board engraved with the recipe they always make for you, in their handwriting.
Personalized Valentine's gifts for him
- A book of reasons you love him, with the two of you illustrated on the cover: the gift he'd never buy himself.
- His watch, engraved on the back with your wedding date or a line only he'll understand.
- A whiskey glass engraved with his name and the year you met.
- A book of reasons from the dog, if the dog is his best friend. It's sillier than it sounds, and he'll keep it.
- Love coupons for the things he'd never ask for: the remote all evening, a lie-in, game day uninterrupted.
Personalized Valentine's gifts for her
- A book of fifty reasons you love her, written from your memories, with her name under the title.
- A necklace with her birth flower, or the initial of each of your children.
- A framed illustration of the two of you, made from a favorite photo.
- Open-when letters for the days she'll need them: a bad day, a sleepless night, a day she's proud of herself.
- A star map of the night you met, with a line about it written in the corner.
Personalized gifts you can still get at the last minute
Engraving and printing take time, and most personalized gifts need ordering by late January. These are ready in minutes or made at home.
- The digital book of reasons, ready minutes after you approve it, sent as a link on the morning of the 14th.
- Digital love coupons, printed at home and folded into the card.
- Open-when letters, read online one at a time, with a PDF to print and seal yourself.
- A playlist of the songs from your relationship, with a line about why each one made it.
- A video of your friends and family saying what they love about the two of you.
- A handwritten letter with three specific things you love about them, signed and sealed.
How to make a personalized gift feel personal
Personalize with something only the two of you know. Their name proves you know how to spell it. A date, an inside joke or a memory proves you were paying attention, and that's what makes a gift feel personal.
Then add words. Even an engraved necklace becomes more personal with a card that says why you chose it, and the gifts people keep for decades tend to be the ones with your words inside. If you're stuck for the words, the free reasons generator turns a few true things about them into ten reasons you love them.
Last, check the dates. Personalized gifts are made to order, so engraving, printing and shipping all add days. Order printed gifts by late January, or choose a digital one you can send on the morning.
If you'd like a personalized gift that's made of your story, Reasons I Love You puts fifty reasons in a book, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated on the cover and their name under the title. You read every page before you order. The digital book is $12, and the hardcover is $49.
For something smaller, love coupons put twenty promises in a booklet with your characters on them, from $8, and open-when letters are a set of sealed letters from $12. Here are 60 love coupon ideas and 60 open-when letter ideas to fill them with, and what to write in a Valentine's card to go with them.
Questions people ask
What is a good personalized Valentine's gift?+
One that holds something only the two of you know: a date, a place, an inside joke or a memory. A book of reasons you love them, written from your memories, is about as personal as a gift gets. A star map of the night you met or an engraved watch with your wedding date come close.
What can I personalize for Valentine's Day?+
Almost anything: jewelry, watches, wallets, glasses, blankets, puzzles, star maps and books. The more of your story it holds, the more personal it feels, so a date or a memory beats a name.
What's a personalized Valentine's gift for a boyfriend?+
A book of reasons you love him, written from the months you've had together, a whiskey glass engraved with the year you met, or a booklet of love coupons with a date for every month of the year ahead.
When should I order personalized Valentine's gifts?+
By late January for anything engraved or printed, since personalization and shipping add days. Digital gifts, like the digital book of reasons or digital love coupons, are ready in minutes, so they work right up to the morning of the 14th.
