Most people either love Valentine’s Day or hate it, and I’ll be honest with y’all–I fall pretty firmly in the first category. That said, I don’t think you need to go all out and over the top to have a really great day with your beau–Dave and I are planning to head out to one of our favorite restaurants on Saturday night (with the hope of beating the Sunday crowds!) and then attempting my dad’s famous crepes recipe on Sunday morning at home. Nothing fancy, just lots of fun :) If you need a little bit of inspiration for your weekend plans, we rounded up some of our favorite ideas from past Southern Newlywed posts that we think would be a great fit for Valentine’s Day. Let us know your plans in the comments below!
Molly + Eric, by Jon Sharman Photography
“When we want to have a night out on the town without spending a fortune, we like to compromise and hit up our favorite spots for fancy cocktails and appetizers. We’ll get dressed up and pick a spot that’s typically a pinch out of our price range (but justifiable if we’re just going to grab some snacks and sips at the bar). We always order stiff drinks (I like martinis and specialty cocktails while James typically chooses whiskey) and a variety of savory appetizers to share.” – Rachel + James
“Sundays end up being the sweetest days for us together. We love starting the morning at our church home, beating the crowd to our favorite brunch spot, and spending the afternoon at our home, whether that means taking naps or just taking the entire day slow. Since we work at the boutique on Saturdays, Sundays are sacred–they are our day to unwind and refresh for the week ahead.” – Molly + Eric
Shalyn + Drew, by Ever and Anon
“Rhett and I love to set up a picnic area in our backyard and have dinner and dessert. His dad made us a beautiful coffee table out of the wood from our wedding backdrop, so I bring that table out to the backyard and fill it with food and flowers. We sometimes even do this for breakfast! It’s the perfect date, and we love that we can just step outside our house for it. On a newlywed budget, it’s nice to not have to drive somewhere and pay a lot of money at a restaurant.” – Brandee + Rhett
“While I love cooking and we eat at home most nights, we tend to go with standard, tried-and-true recipes that keep us from spending all evening in the kitchen. However, it can be extra fun to plan to stay in and make an ordinary evening not-so-ordinary (all while wearing pajamas and no makeup). We love to open a bottle of wine, find a “fancier” (see: more time-consuming) recipe, and maybe even pull out the nice napkins. While prepping the meal together, we are known to be pretty silly–singing (me), rapping (KPW) and dancing (both) while chopping vegetables and making marinades.” – Kristin + Kyle
Melissa + Will, by Allison Kuhn Photography
“While we were dating, our go-to nights out revolved around live music and local bands. For us, a live show always brings back that giddy feeling we had while first falling for each other.” – Sarah Jane + Brad
“One of our favorite things to do is travel, and since leaving the country isn’t always an option, Curtis and I have been known to create our own Italian dates! We go to an Italian restaurant for dinner, and follow it with gelato and then dancing in a piazza. It’s always fun to pick some of our favorite places we’ve traveled to and try to recreate our favorite evenings there–you really have to get creative!” – Blakely + Curtis
Mandy + Conner, by Gracie Blue
“This one was a huge surprise for Conner. I gave him two envelopes, and he was only allowed to open one in the morning. Inside was a date card that gave him vague details about what to wear, what time to be ready for dinner, and anything special he needed to know. It kept him in suspense all day and made a movie and dinner date a little more fun!” – Mandy + Conner
“Our favorite date night is building a fort in our living room that has lights all around it. We rent Redbox movies and eat tons of snacks! We always see who can stay up the latest, and whoever loses has to clean up the fort the next day!” – Shalyn + Drew
“One of our very favorite dates is more of an un-date! Budget-conscious, pajama-friendly, and makeup-free, we LOVE a complete day at home ordering takeout and watching movies. We’ve been known to binge-watch Netflix (House of Cards, anyone?) for hours. Since we travel so much, BDK and I are homebodies, and really enjoy spending time just relaxing and hanging out. These nights (or days) in are sometimes the best way to recharge our batteries and reconnect when everything is a bit hectic.” – Marissa + Brandon
“Our schedules always seem to fill up with never ending to dos, so we try to carve out time to spend together by doing something good for our health, like going for walks. We usually bring along our dog to give him some exercise, too, and love using this time to explore our neighborhood, find cute trails to walk, and just spend uninterrupted quality time together (my love language).” – Melissa + Will
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