"No matter if you’re newly dating, recently single, in a long-term relationship, or happily solo, Valentine’s Day is historically stressful. Pricey menus, overbooked restaurants, or the shame of being single? No, thank you. And don’t even get me started on that awkward phase when you just started seeing each other and aren’t sure if you’re at the buying-presents level or if you should keep it casual. Whatever’s got you stressing this year, keeping it simple with some at-home Valentine’s Day ideas may be the way to go.
because brunch should be low on cost, low on stress, and high on the things that actually matter: good food, good company, and a cute atmosphere
No matter what your relationship status says on Facebook, we all deserve a little extra love on February 14. Here are the best at-home Valentine’s Day ideas to enjoy (that are specifically tailored to your relationship status!) to make your holiday stress-free, enjoyable, and special. Overpriced restaurant menus and depressing nights alone need not apply.
If you’re in a relationship…
Order a kit to upgrade your night-in
If you’re looking for Valentine’s Day ideas that will make your night special but don’t have the time (or energy) to figure out how, why not order everything you need straight to your door? Whether you’re craving an evening of cocktail-making, wine-tasting, cooking, or something a little sexier, there are tons of options for kits that will elevate your Valentine’s Day at home. Pick a kit that aligns with your idea of the perfect date night, and once it arrives, all you’ll have to do is unbox everything and put on a playlist to set the mood.
Re-create your favorite restaurant at home
At-home Valentine’s Day ideas can be just as fun and special as a fancy date night out. Get takeout from your favorite date-night restaurant, or mix it up by ordering a few different kinds of food for a buffet of all your favorites (wood-fired pizza and spicy tuna rolls? Yes, please!). Light candles and get out a nice tablecloth to create a romantic atmosphere. Make it extra special by dressing up in nice clothes or even just spritzing on your nice perfume. You’ll feel like you’re at a fancy restaurant but without the expensive prices and sometimes weird food (who actually likes escargot anyway?).
Relive one of your favorite trips
If the doldrums of winter have you itching to travel, bring vacation to you this Valentine’s Day. If you had a magnifique trip to France a couple of years ago, look through pictures, play French music, and cook some croque monsieurs. Or make some piña coladas and put on a sundress to celebrate that beach trip you have booked for later this year. You can also recreate the trip you’ve always wanted to take together. For example, you can make homemade pasta if you’ve both been dreaming of visiting Italy! And if you’re in different locations this year, reminiscing about experiences and reliving happy memories will make your Facetime date feel more special.
Have a picnic
Because what’s more worthy of a romantic holiday than a picnic? If it’s warm where you live, enjoy the weather by spreading a picnic blanket in the backyard and enjoy dinner (and a bottle of wine) sitting under the stars. If it’s too cold outside, DIY your own picnic by lying a blanket on the floor in the living room. Make it extra cozy with a lit fire or candles, and enjoy a romantic evening that will feel more special than your average night in. If you’re long-distance, mail your partner candles, order pizza on Postmates (for both of you), and send over a Zoom link so you can have the same experience together from miles away.
If you’re dating…
Download a new app
Dating apps are busy this time of year—truly, if they could have bumper-to-bumper traffic, they would. Instead of spending time on just one, why not try a few new ones to expand your reach or dip your toe into a new pool? If you like the app you use now, maybe you consider upgrading to the paid version to benefit from the added features. Use your night in on the couch to have fun with the apps, adjust your profile to be even more authentic, add a few new cute photos of yourself, and send a few messages to the people who catch your eye. You never know who you’ll meet. Next year’s Valentine, perhaps?
Make a dating bucket list
The dating scene is crazy, to put it lightly, but hey, it can be a lot of fun too! To make the most out of your dating experience, spend your night at home making a dating bucket list. This could include cocktail bars you want to go with new potential suitors or activities you want to try out on first dates. You can even include things like “go on a dawn date,” “experiment with a dating spreadsheet,” or “make the first move.” Your dating experiences are totally up to you, and that is empowering! Have fun with it.
Manifest your dream relationship
Did you know that you can manifest a better love life? Seriously, we talked to an expert about it. This Valentine’s Day, sit down with a journal, think about what your dream partner and relationship look like, and manifest the heck out of it. While finding the one isn’t as straightforward as just writing down a few preferred qualities in a person and hoping to meet them eventually, spending time manifesting our dream relationship can help us release any thought patterns, behaviors, or habits that might be holding us back from what we truly desire out of our love life.
If you’re happily single…
Host a dinner party for one
Because you don’t need to have company over to have a dinner party, plan a special night for just you. String some twinkle lights, make an appetizer, pop the nice champagne, turn on jazz music, and put on your comfiest matching set while your favorite meal is cooking. (This is the perfect opportunity to make that yummy single-serving dessert you’ve had saved for months, too!) Celebrating yourself and romanticizing your life, any time of the year, are important, but on a day that is reserved for love, show extra to yourself to celebrate all that you are.
Plan a solo trip
Whether you’re a seasoned solo traveler or you’ve never once stepped on an airplane without at least having your bestie by your side, we highly recommend spending Valentine’s Day booking (or at least dreaming up) a solo trip. Where have you always wanted to go? Is there a hotel you’ve been dying to stay in? Now is the time to get it on the calendar. You can plan this trip to be exactly what you want it to be without having to consider anyone else’s preferences, budget, or PTO time. Do this for you—you deserve it.
Indulge in a solo sexy evening
Is your vibrator charged? You might want to make sure it is before heading into the holiday. We can’t think of a better way to spend the evening than with a toy that gives you all that you desire (plus more). But before you jump right into bed with yourself to enjoy some well-deserved pleasure, engage in some solo wooing. Dim the lights, put on something silky or lacey, play sensual music, and eat some of those Valentine’s Day chocolates you picked up at the store (chocolate is an aphrodisiac, after all). If you have a spicy book nearby, read a few chapters or listen to some erotic audio before engaging in solo sex. Trust us, this will be your favorite Valentine’s Day to date.
If you recently went through a breakup…
Create your own spa experience
Breakups are never easy, especially when the month of love comes along to remind you. The fix? Put all your energy into self-care with an at-home spa experience. First, set the atmosphere. Dim the lights, light candles, diffuse essential oils, turn on relaxing music, and put on a cozy robe. Stock up on all the luxurious products you love, whether it’s a CBD bath bomb or a high-quality hair mask, and get ready for a full day of pampering. Take a bath, indulge in dry brushing or exfoliating, give yourself a facial massage for relaxation and de-puffing, and finish off with a manicure or pedicure in your favorite color. End the night with a glass of champagne or a cup of tea.
Do all your favorite traditions for yourself
Who says you can’t enjoy all the things you once loved about Valentine’s Day just because you’re solo now? If you used to love getting sushi with your ex on Valentine’s Day, order the dang sushi! If you used to love baking brownies to have in the house when your partner got home on Valentine’s Day, get that oven pre-heated, sister! And of course, if you used to love buying a little gift for them, it’s about time you treat yourself to those slippers you’ve been eying up. You can still enjoy the things you love, sans a partner. Plus, the more you do things by yourself that you used to do with a partner, the less you’ll think about them every time you do them.
Create a self-love night
Not to sound like a broken record, but the most worthy kind of love is self-love, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not. Take this February 14 as an opportunity to get to know yourself, care for yourself, and prioritize yourself. Plan out a schedule in advance of all the things you want to do to practice self-love. For example, revisit a childhood hobby, make a playlist of all your favorite songs, create a vision board, make a list of what you love most about yourself, cook an indulgent meal you love, buy yourself flowers, and watch your favorite movie. For some more reflective self-love, try journaling prompts dedicated to getting to know yourself better, or squeeze in as many activities as you can from our Self-Love Challenge.
If your gal’s are your valentines this year
DIY a paint night
Painting crafts are all over TikTok these days, making for a fun, creative, and interactive way to spend the night (that’s also affordable). To get started, decide what you want to paint (canvases, wine glasses, plates), and order your materials online. Look up a YouTube video for step-by-step painting, and pour a couple of glasses of wine with your friends. You’ll have a lot of fun, get your creativity on, and maybe even come away with new portraits or glasses to display in your homes (or you’ll laugh at how bad everything turned out, but either way, it will be a great time).
Host a tasting
If a girl’s trip to Napa Valley isn’t in the cards this year, bring Napa Valley to you. Host a simple wine tasting by sampling a few local wines, and don’t forget an Insta-worthy cheese board, which is always a crowd-pleaser. If you want to step up your game, create cards that detail the origins of each wine, the different notes in each sample, and which foods they pair well with. If beer or cocktails are more your friend group’s style, sample a few different types of local craft beers or mix up a few different cocktails. This is your important reminder that a box of chocolates pairs well with just about any alcohol.
Plan a dessert swap
I know that we just did one of these during the holidays, but those cookies have been long gone for over a month now. It’s time for a refill—Valentine’s Day style! Invite all your girlfriends to make a special Valentine’s Day dessert (making sure each person makes enough for everyone to have a few to take home!) and swap them all at one of your houses. If you want, you can prepare cute boxes or bags for everyone to take their treat assortments home in so they feel like they just left a bakery. Except this time, everything was baked with love (and lots of chocolate)!