Top Five Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ to Your Fiancé

Do you feel that love in the air? Or maybe you feel that ring on your left hand? Either way, tis the season to celebrate the most fun thing in the world- LOVE! You don’t necessarily have to do a grand gesture (but if you feel like it, our holiday splurges would work just fine!), sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most. We’ve got five sweet ways for you to say ‘I Love You’ this weekend that are sure to get you brownie points.

Snack Attack

Have you heard the phrase “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Yeah, it’s an oldie but a goodie for a reason. If your fiiancé is a snacker, swing by the store and grab his favorite snacks. Keep a stash in a secret place like in your car or in your purse, and surprise him with them. Sneak them into his lunch (if he brings it to work), into the center console of his car (as long as it doesn’t melt), or surprise him while he’s at his computer or watching tv. It’s one of those little things that reminds them you care and you like spoiling your sweetie.

But First… Send Him a Selfie

If you’re feeling cute, write down something cute like “I love you!” on a piece of paper, hold it up, and shoot a selfie to send to him. It’s a more personal way of getting your message across, you remind him how adorable you are, and it’s something easy on your end. Just remember, keep it safe for work in case he’s in public. Always keep it classy, ladies. Just saying!

Do Some Leg Work

It must be a guy thing- so many guys have a TON of clothes that they love that they will never get rid of that are covered in holes and patches. Why do they do that? A lot of guys are sentimentally attached to some outfits or pieces of clothing and will wear them into the ground. So where do you come in? Go ahead and sneak them out to get them patched up by a tailor. Get those hems fixed, those zippers replaced, just go ahead and refurbish the beloved pieces that your fiancé just can’t let go of.

Treat Him to a Guy Date

You always get to go on dates with him, why not let him have a date with his buddies instead? Hint- you may not want to phrase it like that, but the sentiment is there. Something fun you can do is order a big fight on pay-per-view and some beer for your man and his men to enjoy. You can set them up with dinner at a wing joint. You could even (if they’d be up for it) get them manly manicures at a guy-friendly salon (they do exist, and they’re awesome).

Have a Date Night In

You know what every guy loves? Staying at home and enjoying it. Even if they won’t admit it or claim to be outdoorsy, there’s nothing wrong with being at home and having a good time. Tell him it’s date night but stay in. This is the time to get your inner chef on (or even better- order in!) and cater him in the comfort of his own home. Stream a movie you both love, have a good meal, and keep it simple. Sometimes that’s the best way to spend a night with the person you love.

 

Top Five Most Romantic Spots in San Francisco

There’s a reason why people keep leaving their hearts in San Francisco. It’s a beautiful diverse city with so much to explore and enjoy- especially if you’re there with someone you love. Next time you’re out there, or if you’re nearby and have some time to kill, swing by our five favorite places in the beautiful city by the bay.

Ghirardelli Square

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Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, parking is bad (heads up- San Francisco is a hard city to park in). But SF’s own Ghirardelli Square is beautiful, romantic, and a fantastic place to be.Ghirardelli Square is right on the pier overlooking the bay and offers free-WiFi (as if you need an extra reason to go). There are a few different places to eat, including Ghirardelli’s own in-house dessert shop. You can get a look at the whole Ghirardelli range, munch on some sample chocolate, and sip on a Ghirardelli hot cocoa while listening to free live music play in the square. Did we mention the insanely beautiful view? This square is a must-see.

Pier 39

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Another tourist-favorite, Pier 39 is a fun spot along the water in San Francisco that you can easily spend a whole day in. There are a ton of restaurants, snack places, and neat niche shops to cruise around in. There’s a beautiful carousel at the end of the pier, and of course the sea lions. Oh, the sea lions. They’re loud, they’re smelly, and they’re absolutely fascinating. It’s a beautiful place to stroll for the day hand in hand with so much to do and see.

Boudin Bread Factory

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Have you heard of the world-famous San Francisco Sourdough? It’s Boudin, and it’s totally worth it. Boudin has a few locations around the city (and even a few outside of San Francisco- there’s one in Disney’s California Adventure!) but the best location is at Fisherman’s Wharf. This location is right on the water and is a working bread factory. Skip the Union Square location for the real thing and watch your food be made. You can pick up a specialty bread (like the alligator or turtle bread above) and an amazing meal. This location offers a full restaurant with specialty seafood dishes to enjoy while you look out over the water. If you have dinner upstairs, you can get free tickets to the bread tour downstairs (which is our tourist-hack). If you fall in love, you can even sign up for specialty sourdough loaves to be delivered to your door (or someone else’s- this makes for a really unique wedding gift!).

Palace of Fine Arts

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The Palace of Fine Arts has probably the trickiest parking on our list, but is one of the most beautiful. This is a gorgeous standing example of beautiful architecture and has a swan pond within (seriously- it’s the most beautiful thing ever). If you’re really craving some romance, swing by on a Saturday afternoon. More often than not you’ll find wedding photos being taken, if not an actual wedding taking place. This writer can name several couples who got engaged here, all of which are still together (one having just celebrated their twenty fifth wedding anniversary!). Do yourself a favor and take your sweetheart here for some pictures- you won’t regret it.

California Academy of Sciences

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The Academy of Science is beautiful, fun, and one of the most unique dates you can go on in San Francisco. The Academy of Science was in the last ten years renovated and become a fixture in the city. It features regular rotating exhibits but also is home to a gorgeous aquarium, butterfly habitat, and many mammal-fixated exhibits. Once a month, the Academy of Science opens its’ doors to the 21+ crowd and puts up bars and small dance areas throughout. Whether you want to learn and explore one of the most unique museums in the country or you want to do so with a margarita in hand, this is the perfect romantic spot in the city for you and your honey.

 

Top Five Practical Wedding Gifts

Are you sick of buying blenders? Sure the new Ninja model is fantastic, but what if you want to gift something that goes a little farther than that? We’ve got a few things on our wish list that would be pretty awesome alternative gifts for the newlyweds (other than what’s left on their registry, of course!). We do suggest that you always check the registry first (afterall- that’s EXACTLY what the couple wants!), but if everything’s gone or not in your price range (go figure the four figure silverware wasn’t claimed first) then we’ve got some good gift ideas.

Get Them Going

One handy tool for the new couple? An awesome GPS device. Sure, most people use their phones right now, but it’s much safer to have a mounted GPS rather than looking down at your phone every so often. Plus they’re much less likely to have that awful “re-routing” message when your data comes in or out. It’s easy to find GPS devices for under $100, with fancier models running just over that.

Take Care of Date Night

If you’re anywhere near Southern California, Orlando, or really any major area that has a theme park spring for season passes! They may not be able to register for it, but it’s something awesome lots of couples love to have. Season passes are usually the price of one to four (tops!) visits to the park, so if they go once a month everyone got their money’s worth! It’s a great place for default dates, holidays, and playing hookie from work. You’ll be able to give them a great experience and they may even bring you home a funnel cake!

Personal Touches

If you’re looking for something original that you can do for under $100, put their face on something! There are awesome websites that are able to do personalized wine bottles, beer bottles, flasks, trinkets, you name it! Often times, discount sites like Groupon or LivingSocial will do deals too, so you’d be able to really get a deal. Something sweet like a bottle of wine with their picture, wedding date, and names could be a really sweet heartfelt gift. It’s a great keepsake from their wedding that they weren’t expecting, and bonus points if it’s good wine!

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Join the Club

This is especially thoughtful if they’re just moving in together- get them a membership to Costco or Sam’s Club! If they’re starting a home or family together, a membership to a wholesale store could come in handy. Particularly if the newlyweds will be hosting parties together or just in general getting used to living together.

Foot The Bill

Pick up the tab for  some fun bills, like a Netflix or Hulu subscription. Take care of an Amazon Prime membership or a year’s worth of Audible. Fun little extras like that can be hard to find wiggle room for sometimes, but they’re always great to have. A new couple that has to take care of a wedding may be pinching pennies right now- help out their budget by taking care of some fun extras here or there.