Valentine's gifts for her: 40 ideas she'll treasure
Forty Valentine's gifts that show you know her, from love coupons to a book of fifty reasons.
40 ideas ·
The trouble with Valentine's gifts for her is that the shops have already decided what she wants: red roses, a heart-shaped box, something pink. The gifts she'll actually keep are the ones that could only have come from you, because they show you've been paying attention all year.
These 40 ideas are sorted into gifts made of words, things to do together, small gifts that still mean a lot, ideas for a girlfriend, ideas for a wife, and gifts you can still give at the last minute. Most cost very little. All of them are about her, not the price.
If you choose a gift made of words, you'll need the words. Our 75 reasons why I love you, for my wife is a good place to start, and the free reasons generator drafts ten from your own memories.
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
Gifts made of words
She probably knows you love her. Hearing exactly why, in detail, is a different thing, and it's the gift she'll reread.
- A book of reasons you love her: fifty of them, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated on the cover.
- A booklet of love coupons for her to cash in through the year: a lie-in, a bath run for her, a night she doesn't cook.
- A love letter about the moment you knew, slipped into her coat pocket.
- A set of open-when letters: open when you miss me, when you've had a bad day, when you need a laugh.
- A jar of 52 folded notes, one reason for every week of the year.
- The first message you ever sent her, printed and framed.
- A poem about the day you met. It doesn't have to be good; it has to be yours.
- A list of the small things she does that nobody thanks her for, read aloud over dinner.
Things to do together
- A night back at the restaurant from your first date, at the same table if you can get it.
- A pottery, painting or cooking class for two.
- Tickets to the show or concert she's mentioned more than once.
- A spa day for two, or one just for her with everything at home handled.
- A weekend away, planned down to the last dinner, with nothing for her to organize.
- A February picnic: blankets, a flask of something warm and her favorite food.
- A dance in the kitchen to the songs from your wedding or your first year.
Small gifts that still mean a lot
- Her favorite flowers instead of red roses, because you know what they are.
- A necklace with your initials, or a date only the two of you understand.
- A star map of the sky on the night you met.
- A framed photo from your best day this year, with the date written on the back.
- The candy she loved as a kid, tracked down online.
- A cozy robe or pajamas, with a note tucked in the pocket.
Valentine's gifts for your girlfriend
Early on, a sentimental gift doesn't need to be big. It needs to show you've been listening.
- A book of reasons you love her, written from the months you've had so far.
- A scrapbook of your dates, with the tickets, receipts and photos, and a caption for each.
- The thing she mentioned once, weeks ago, and assumed you'd forgotten.
- A booklet of love coupons, each one a date for the year ahead.
- A playlist of the songs that remind you of her, with a line about each.
- Tickets to something she loves, even if you've never been.
Valentine's gifts for your wife
After years together, the best gifts show you still notice her.
- A book of fifty reasons you love her, from your wedding day to now.
- A night away without the kids, booked and handled.
- Love coupons for the things she'd never ask for: a lie-in, an evening off, a whole Saturday to herself.
- Your wedding vows, framed beside a new line for this year.
- A piece of jewelry engraved with your wedding date.
- A day where you handle everything, from the morning rush to dinner, without being asked.
Last-minute Valentine's gifts for her
Left it late? These are ready in minutes or bookable today.
- The digital book of reasons, ready minutes after you approve it, sent as a link on the morning.
- Digital love coupons, printed at home and folded into her card.
- A table booked at the place you had your first date.
- A video from her best friends and family, collected on the group chat.
- Her favorite flowers from a local florist, delivered that morning.
- Breakfast in bed, with her card on the tray.
- A handwritten letter with three things you love about her, signed and sealed.
How to choose a Valentine's gift for her
Choose what she'd love, not what Valentine's says she should. If she doesn't like red roses, don't buy red roses. The gift that lands is the one that shows you know her: the flowers she actually likes, the trip she keeps mentioning, the joke only the two of you get.
Then make it specific and add words. A dinner becomes a memory when it's at the place you had your first date, and almost anything becomes personal with three lines about why you chose it.
If you want the words to be the gift, Reasons I Love You puts fifty reasons in a book, one per page, with the two of you illustrated on the cover. The digital book is $12. For something smaller, love coupons start at $8: twenty promises, two to a page, with your characters on them.
Allow up to three weeks for a printed book to arrive. The digital book and the digital coupons are ready in minutes, so they work right up to the morning of the 14th. Shopping for him too? Here are our Valentine's gifts for him, and for the card, what to write in a Valentine's card.
Questions people ask
What do you get a woman for Valentine's Day?+
Something that shows you know her: a book of reasons you love her, a booklet of love coupons, her favorite flowers rather than the obvious ones, or an evening planned around her. The gifts women keep tend to be the personal ones, not the expensive ones.
What is a good Valentine's gift for a girlfriend?+
A scrapbook of your dates so far, love coupons with a date for every month, or a book of reasons you love her, written from the time you've had together.
What should I get my wife for Valentine's Day?+
Something that shows you still notice her: a night away without the kids, a day where you handle everything, or fifty reasons you love her in a book, from your wedding day to now.
What can I give her for Valentine's at the last minute?+
Something that doesn't depend on the post: the digital book of reasons, ready in minutes, digital love coupons printed at home, or her favorite flowers from a local florist.
