ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Win a $70 Bouquet of Flowers for the Woman In Your Life

Love isn’t a duty. Surprises and duties don’t mix.
So the ideal date would be a surprise one.

So an ideal date would be a surprise picnic at night time.
The place would have to be away from a busy area, but it would also have to be safe. There would also have to be at least some lighting (to see food).

There are two possible ways to pull this off.
You could take a risk and just pop up on your date’s door step and ask if she’d like to spend the evening with you.
Or you could plan a date, but blindfold her until you’ve the destination.
In both cases, make sure she’s adequately dressed.

So the best place for me would be a giant lawn at a college campus when there is a full moon. College campuses generally have security officers that won’t bother you if you’re not causing any trouble. I suppose the place would look something like this (the photo was taken during the day).
http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/0305news/tw10305_f2_bg.jpg

The food would be my date’s favorite food. I would make it, not buy it. Making food shows that I’ve put time and effort into creating something. If it’s awful, we’ll laugh about it. And if we’re still hungry, we could go get something to eat.

The night would be full of just talking and enjoying a beautiful moon.

Unfortunately for me, my love is 3000 miles away.

If I were to win the bouquet of flowers, I could surprise her. I want to surprise her this Valentine’s Day.

Thanks and God bless.

I love to take my wife to do unusual things that also allow lots of room for conversation. There’s a museum here that in the summers shows vintage films on a huge screen set up on the lawn of their gardens. It’s a fun time to hit a restaurant that’s usually out-of-the-way, and then catch a movie in an unusual setting, sitting on a quilt on the grass under the stars. Last time we went, we even had a close encounter with an opossum climbing down one of the tree trunks.

Best date: Date on a random date. Make her feel like she is special on every day. Nice bottle of wine. Cooking for her. Maybe a foot rub.

And flowers. Cant forget the flowers.

When I was in college I planned a surprise date within a date for my girlfriend. It took two weeks of planning and a little money, but it worked out great.

First, I leaked small pieces of information to her friends and roommates, but never enough to give it away, always making sure to tell them that it was a secret. They of course, told her what they knew, which hyped the excitement for the date for about a week and a half.

The night I took her out, we went out to a nice dinner and a movie and it was a nice regular date. Then I told her goodnight and dropped her off at her door. By now, she was more than a little confused because of the information that I had earlier leaked. And she was expecting something less ordinary.

But when she went back in, her apartment was decorated in flowers and her roommates were bouncing around in excitement. Hanging on her closet was a beautiful princess gown I had gotten from a theater costume department. Accompanying it was flowers and an audio tape from me. The tape had a recording on it, telling her how much I cared about her and instructions on how to put the dress on, which her roommates helped her with of course.

One of them gave me a call when she was about ready and I went over (in a knight costume) and we couldn’t get away without a ton of pictures being taken. When we finally got out the door, we were way-laid by three of my friends (all of whom she knew and a couple of them were female), also in costume, who kidnapped her and drug her away to their car. They took her out to woods and built a fire and had a great time till I arrived, gave the “villains” a sound thrashing with my fists and “saved” the princess.

They retreated into the darkness and the princess (girlfriend) and I drank sparkling soda, roasted marsh-mellows and read Shakespeare and talked a lot. Most of them were convinced that I was going to propose, but that wasn’t in the cards for us just yet. I’ve done a few dates so elaborate but not very often (they are a lot of work), but I think that one was my best work.

Here’s hoping I win some flowers for my wife! She hasn’t been feeling good for a couple months. /play-sympathy-card.

Plan only one thing, and let everything else be spontaneous. Go to a drive-in movie theater and bring a picnic with you. Plan to meet early so you can do something else, but don’t plan it out before! Spontaneity is the key. Just don’t forget to keep it fun.

For my girlfriends birthday back in September we took a hot air balloon ride and took in the fall foliage. I packed up two of our favorite sandwiches from the deli we go to and two lemonades. We ate lunch up in the air, it was a pretty good date for both of us.

The best dates have to be planned, but flexible; adventuresome, but enjoyable; creative, but grounded.

Other posts have mentioned picnics, and that’s a great foundation. But the picnic has to be somewhere unique. A skyscraper rooftop is preferable, but a greenhouse, library, or art museum are fantastic options if you have the connections to make it happen.

After the picnic it’s time to pull in something stimulating. I’d shoot for a local factory or artisan shop to take a tour of. I spent one of the most enjoyable afternoons with my wife at a bell-making foundry near Phoenix. Google “Paolo Soleri” if you’re in Phoenix and want to check it out. A chocolate factory, vineyard, cheese maker, or carpenter would do just as well though, it takes a little research and luck to find the right experience. The stained glass exhibit on Navy Pier in Chicago is another great opportunity. It allows for conversation, but also gives the opportunity to pause and reflect on the experience so you don’t feel pressured to have something to say all the time. If you’re super on-the-ball you’ll have an original way to get from the picnic to the next experience. Horse drawn carriage, limousine, helicopter, tandem bike or segways all are memorable.

After that there’s nothing left but a shared dessert. Any restaurant or grocery store can provide an opportunity for fun. This is a great place to get flexible, you can give her 3 sealed envelopes and ask her to choose one. Each envelope has a different dessert destination in store. Or, for best results I’d pull out a recipe card and take her to the store to buy the ingredients together then head home to make it together.

That would be a date worth blogging about.

I surprised my wife with a romantic dinner and it went over quite well. I asked my wife’s friend to borrow her apartment and then had her call my wife and invite us to a “formal” party at her house. (I also had all of the friends that would be invited to such a party in on the whole thing in case it came up in conversation). The night before the “party” I went to her apartment to take groceries for a dinner I would cook and set up the room with candles, music, etc.

So, when we showed up to the “party” we were dressed up for the “formal occasion”. The friend had the music cued, and when we knocked on the door she “took out the trash really quick”. So, I made us a nice pasta dinner, and we had quite the enjoyable evening.

My ultimate date was when I surprised my wife to a night away without our son. I arranged for the grandparents to keep our son and we went away for the night. It started out as a usual day away for us. A fast food dinner and some shopping, but it got much better. We went to watch a movie at a very large theater and then had a super fancy dinner. I then took her to our final destination. I had made reservations at a place that has individual suites with fireplace, jacuzzi tub, walk in shower, etc. We had an amazing time away and mostly enjoyed the time with each other.

Hit the nearest metropolitan area. Go downtown in the business district after dark so the streets are near empty. Have reservations for a small intimate restaurant within walkind distance of a venue and see a live performance. The smaller the better. Leave the show early to get ice cream.

My favourite Valentines date (and this year’s plan) is a romantic dinner for two with a nice bottle of champagne, and Disney cartoon shorts afterwards.

My girlfriend at the time told me she loved horses and how it had been a long time since she rode one, so to surprise her I made reservations for a day of horseback riding at a local ranch. We broke up and I’ve been single since… I’m thinking if I win the $70 gift certificate, I’ll send her some flowers and see if she’d like to go horseback riding again.

I believe a six pack of beer and a twilight zone marathon are the best bet for valentines day.

The first date my wife and I went on was to the Bronx Zoo. We both live on Long Island so it was a good hour drive to the zoo. The car ride was a great way to actually sit and talk and get to know eachother. And the zoo had plenty of stimulus that if the conversation started to lag, there were plenty of animals (and people) to comment on.

Flying a kite! Sounds little kiddish, but hey, we got to let the little kid inside of us out sometime, and why not do it with the one we love

I took my wife for a romantic picnic up in the mountains.
The scenery was great, the food was good and the company was incredible!

The best dates for me always involve the beach…

A glass of wine overlooking the ocean followed by a walk along the beach, day or night is perfect. It’s even better if you can find a beach that you can have to yourself.

Wine tasting at a winery set on a river-gorge or overlooking some scenic landscape. Buy a couple of glasses, or a bottle, and have a picnic lunch with some nice quality meats, like presciutto or a quality salami, some nice cheese, fresh fruit, and an appropriate chocolate to accompany the wine (the deeper and redder the wine, the darker and more bitter the chocolate). My wife and I have done something similar to this on the Columbia River in central Washington state at Cave B. Sit around, talk about the beauty of the landscape, life, dreams, philosophy, family, or nothing at all and just take in the beauty.

One of the best dates I ever had was on our second or third date when I planned to cook dinner for her at my place. It was very informal and allowed us both to be doing something with our hands while talking, as opposed to sitting across from each other in a restaurant trying to be witty or sitting beside each other in a movie not talking at all. It turned out great!

I think that the best date for Valentine’s Day would be a night out on the town. We would start off with dinner at a nice restaurant, then go ballroom dancing at a local ballroom, then finish the night with a few drinks at a local bar.

Dinner should be at a restaurant that she either loves or at a new place that sounds great and has gotten good reviews. We would then join our friends and have a great time ballroom dancing. We both love to dance. We would end the night with a drink or two and a kiss good night at the door.

Sadly, I am out of state at college, and she is back home, working and going to school at the same time. We talk from time to time, as we are both busy. If I were to win this gift certificate, I would surprise her with a bouquet of flowers. I would have them delivered of course. That gesture alone, would mean the world to us both.

Thank you for the opportunity and good luck to all the other gentlemen in this forum!

Lunch at a quaint family-owned Swedish restaurant. We spent the rest of the beautiful, brisk, Autumn, Sunday afternoon walking through the surrounding neighborhood and just spending quality time together. I will never forget that day…

I think the best date I had was when I took my girlfriend to a B&B on Catalina Island, which she loved when she was a little girl. That day, we took the day to tour the island and then, at sunset we took a sailboat cruise where we had a private dinner.

Well to speak in terms of something relative I’ve done in the past for a date, I’m going to go back to a time when money was tight and I had to resort to creative juices. I am also going to reference on what I did on the Valentines Day, also under a limited budget, that won MAJOR points in an effort to help out my fellow men! The date itself was simple, it was me making a few sandwiches and sides, like carrot sticks, chips, and juice (brought the ice in a thermos) and we just went to the local art museum to look at art and sit out in their yard with the picnic. The thing about this date that she liked was that we TALKED bout the art and what we liked, didn’t… So may times we get caught up in talking junk like work, what happened, that we miss the in-depth things! Finding out why she liked what she did gets inside her head and creates a connection that other guys tend to miss. Now I did later on marry this girl and in years past, in times of financial problems, I got creative on gifts/surprises that she told me meant the world to her. First one was laying out a trail of little small tear shaped famous chocolates from the bed she was sleeping in, into the bathroom and inside the bath, placing the assortment of flowers I had for her, along with a note. The note simply said “I kiss the ground that you walk on, and I shower you with flowers!” Investment – under $20, payoff – unmeasurable! The other was running to store the night before, buying about 8 gallons of milk then waking early enuff to heat all them up in a few huge pots, then pouring them into the bathtub for her milk bath! Oh, warm up the cold tub 1st with hot water before you put in the milk, also you can dilute the milk with hot water from the shower to! Clean the tub 1st too, and buy her some cookies, this way she can dunk and bathe is she wants ;-)

I went to her house on a sunday afternoon, for no reason. I brought everything we needed for a picknic and some games. We finished eating, then we just stared at the clouds, we fell asleep in eachothers arms. When we woke up, I walked her home, and gave her a kiss on the forhead and told her that I loved her. Then I walked back home thinking about her the entire time.

I’ve found the best date is simply one where you give her your full true attention. Doesn’t have to flashy or modest, Long or short. Just as long as you give her your time and show her how much you love to be around her that’s all the ingredients you need for a great date.

Well my ex wife could not go out on our Anniversary due to college so I went to the store and bought 200 balloons and a diamond bracelet. When I got home I wrote a love sonnet or poem on each ballon in magic marker. I also used my computer to make a cd with me telling her how much I loved her and that there was a surprise hidden in the car for her. Her friends later told me that when she went out to her car that night she started screaming and jumping up and down, security even showed up. I had took each balloon and shoved them into her car as well as hidden the bracelet while she was in class. When she turned the ignition on the car my voice came on and told her their was another surprise for her in the car. When she came home she was in tears. We could not even leave the house to get her something for dinner she was so effected by my gift to her.

I’ve never been on a date but I would ask if she wanted to see my world and what I do on weekends or if she wanted me to see her world first. I’ll leave it up to her.

Wolf

My best date was I told her I had to go out of town. It was on a special day for us and she was upset. I told her I was sorry, but duty calls and I had to go.
On the day I was to leave, it was a cold day, both inside and outside!!
I left for the airport and about a hour later I called home in a panic. I had left a very important paper on my desk and she must bring it to me at the airport. No time was to be lost.
As she grabbed the paper and headed out the door, she opened the door and I was standing there with flowers and candy. I asked her to read the paper in the envelope. All it said was, “Will you marry me?”
The rest is marital history!.

I’ve got to say, a picnic in the park followed by a romantic stroll by moonlight is one of the best things out there.

best date is where you make or have a meal prepared- sit at home, enjoy eachothers company..
and if you sneak into the bathroom to check your cellphone messages then you shouldn’t be in that relationship- shut it off or else she may catch you and flush it

Not necessarily the most awesome date, but my most favorite date has been dinner and a baseball game. If the girl (or you) get tired of the game, leave early and go for a walk.

I took my girlfriend (now my wife) out to dinner for Valentines day. We’d been talking about going golfing for a few months prior, so after dinner, I blindfolded her, took her to the beach, and we drove golf balls into the water. She loved it!

I took my girlfriend to a very nice (classy) and little known (original) restaurant on the beach for dinner. I had the band play her favorite song (The Way You Look Tonight), and after an incredible meal we walked along the beach. She’s very into archaeology, so I had buried a gift in the sand before hand and had her dig it up to find it. Then we sat and watched the sunset. It’s nice to do things that are tailored to your girl’s unique interests (like archaeology in this case) – it shows you are really thinking about her and what makes her happy.

My favorite date was with a classy, gorgeous girl in the city. I took her ice skating at night and then spent a good couple of hours drinking Argentinean Malbec and enjoying a plate of chocolate covered strawberries at a perfectly lit restaurant. We’re both big fans of dry red wines and it worked wonderfully with the strawberries. It’s not that expensive and it’s as classy as it gets!

My girlfriend and I live about 45 minutes away from each other. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem if I had a car. As things stand, I have to take 2 buses and a light rail to get to her. Ends up taking about an hour and a half.

Normally I visit her on weekends after I get off work, but at thanksgiving she was flying out for the weekend to go visit her parents. We decided that it wasn’t worth the a 3 hour total trip for me to come visit for 1 hour before she left, so we decided I wasn’t going to come over that weekend. About noon that Friday, I decided that seeing her for 1 hour was very much worth a 3 hour bus ride. After work, I rode 2 buses and a light rail to get to her place. I didn’t tell her any of this. So when I showed up at her door, she was incredibly excited and happy to see me.

I went to the airport with her, and it’s a really good thing I did. Her flight ended up being delayed by 2 hours and she was very grateful that I was there.

Not exactly a date, but far and away the happiest I’ve ever seen her.

My wife and I love to go on road trips through Amish country here in PA. We love to stop and eat at a local restaurant. Then we hit a couple of shops after. We especially love to visit antique shops too. It’s pretty wonderful because we get to see the sunset in the country while driving home.

Dinner at a place with atmosphere and a private booth (Italian Village in Chicago works for me and the Wife), where it’s quiet and you can focus on each other and converse. Drinks — just enough to loosen up from the stresses of the week — not enough to make you loud, dull or dizzy. Then a stroll through a pleasant part of town, coffee etc.

Best date would be what my girlfriend and I did on our first date.
First I took he to a quiet spot in the woods next to a lake (but not too secluded, so she could feel comfortable), I put down a blanket and we had a picnic (the gourmet sodas scored extra points with her). After that I took her mini-golfing. We then went to my house where we built a fire in my front yard and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. And to cap it off we went inside, turned on some light swing and danced into the wee hours of the morning.

My best date suggestion is to do something that you and your date will enjoy together. Sometimes it is easy to just do whatever the girl wants, but if you come up with something you both enjoy, she will see that and put you in a better light.

Best date idea non-married: (if I can even remember what that was like) a fun place for dinner where it isn’t stiff, and you can have fun with the food, like a hibachi steakhouse or place for crabs. At least if the conversation is a bust, you can watch the chef at the hibachi, or spend your time picking at the crabs.

Best date idea married: anything involving wine, cheese, HBO on Demand, and no kids. Or sleeping kids.

i love going to the walker art center sculpture garden (home of the spoon bridge and cherry) here in minneapolis

head there a while before dusk so you have enough time to see things in the light and as the evening is winding down the city skyline comes alive as the sky becomes darker,

I give nightly massages (well, every other night anyway) which turns almost every night into a date night–it’s a small thing for me, but it pays huge dividends in the end. Any night I plan and initiate (esp. taking care of babysitting) is a plus. I think our dates are simple–for instance, one night we went to a $1 movie theater and then shared a $3 ice cream. We love $5 dates!

I planned a trip to the Wisconsin Dells for my wife’s birthday last October. I found that to my luck, her favorite band (Styx) was in concert there on her actual birth day. I got us tickets and surprised her with them. As it turned out, one of the band members also had a birthday that day. So, the band sang “Happy Birthday” to anyone at the concert who was celebrating their birthday. My wife was psyched to have Tommy Shaw sing to her (sort of). A little planning and a little luck can go a long way.

Best date was during my summer job between college semesters. I was building wind generators in South Texas about 5 miles from the intercoastal waterway. I woke my girlfriend up at 4 am and drove her and hour and a half (mostly dirt roads) to the site then made her climb 300ft of ladder to the top of one of the wind generators. I had packed a homemade breakfast and a blanket to sit on. We ate and sat together while watching the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico.

Being from South Louisiana, my wife loves boiled crawfish. Valentines Day is the beginning of the crawfish season. It is usually the first time of the year we indulge. I drive her to work with a stop at Starbucks for the morning java. I pick her up from work with a sack of hot steaming spicy boiled crawfish. We drive to the seawall, sit on the steps and enjoy while watching the sunset over Lake Pontchartrain. Works every time!

The best date I ever went on was after I found out that my girlfriend actually didn’t like “being expensive”! I would try and take her to swanky places with all the bling and glamour of a Fred Astair movie only to find out she wasn’t comfortable in those surroundings and knowing it was pricey. (Considering we’re both college students, you’d think I would have tried to be thrifty anyway.) You don’t need a ton of $$$ to let her know you care. on Valentines 2007 I took her to a nice mom and pop restaurant (after a nice bouqet of flowers of course) then we went to her old elementary school and played on the swings and watched for shooting stars. Nothing was ever as enjoyable as that time we had to just talk and enjoy each other’s company.
Another idea is to go dancing. Real ballroo dancing, if you can find it. Nothing has “woo-ed” the ladies more than knowing how to waltz or foxtrot. If you want something more modern I’d suggest West Coast Swing. Group lessons are usually cheap and really fun!

I think a flight to an off the beaten path location at sunset is perfect. Then come back under the moonlight. It’s perfect.

My sweetie and I love to go cycling, and we love to eat. Since carrying a ton of food and supplies is not an option for the way we ride, we can’t usually do picnics on our rides. One day I realized that I had a case of MRE’s (meals ready to eat) that I received after Hurricane Katrina. They are compact, self-contained, very nutritious, and are small enough to carry on a bike. We took our MRE’s and rode to the beach where we had a good time comparing how bad our “beef patty” and “imitation boneless pork” were. I know this sounds like and awful time, but we’re strange. We then went for a swim in the ocean and rode home.

Maybe not the best or the most romantic, but one of the best dates I’ve had was actually just staying in. No one else there, just picking out a favorite movie, maybe one that’s a bit nostalgic, and relaxing. Add candle-lights, food, drinks etc as preferred.

The perfect date would be a taking a picnic to a beach on a sunny day and then cooking a nice meal for my lady in the evening, and ending the night with some ice cream, wine, and a good movie.