Valentines Day
Hi! Here we go again! February 14th is Valentines Day with all the newspapers suggesting the usual ideas of chocolates/restaurants/dinner cruises and tandem parachute jumps!
This year, having recently split from my girlfriend, I have nothing to plan. Whatever happened to the romantic dinner at home? A few years ago my sister brought a dozen helium filled red heart shaped balloons. She dimmed the lights and laid out a path with the floating balloons in her boyfriends apartment, leading to the kitchen (where she had prepared a candle lit meal) and then to their bedroom. I like the idea of a romantic meal at home as it is more intimate and thoughtful. But it should be a surprise!
If you are no good at cooking or do not have the time to prepare a meal you could consider ordering dinner online. Check out http://hungryhouse.co.uk where you simply enter your post code. You can select your cuisine from a list of restaurants in your area and build your own menu. Other sites that offer a similar service are https://www.deliverance.co.uk and http://www.just-eat.co.uk .
Hand-picking wild flowers is mostly illegal in the UK, but flower markets are the next best thing. Columbia flower market - www.columbia-flower-market.freewebspace.com have exotic cut flowers from all over the world. If you are in a hurry you can order flowers online at (they also stock helium balloons!).
Popping the question on Valentines Day, asking your loved one for their hand in marriage, should be no problem if the home-delivered meal/helium balloons/exotic cut flowers have been well received! But how you propose will hail or haunt her for the rest of her life. This is the most important moment of both your lives so avoid cute ideas like breaking open a fortune cookie to reveal a ring, or making a proposal over the tanoy at a football match. Putting the ring into her food might be a surprise, especially if she swallows it!
Simple but powerful is to go down on one knee and pop the question before she sees it coming in a location that is meaningful to you both. Or, fill the day with activities that she likes doing. For example if you girlfriend likes outdoor activities than plan a day of them and propose at twilight that when she has that twinkle in her eye from doing the things she loves. Another idea is to recreate the first date or special moment.
A good site to view engagement rings is http://www.engagement-rings-of-london.co.uk and www.thediamondshop.co.uk .
London has some fabulous riverside dining locations, so if you do not fancy the romantic home dinner then http://www.browns-restaurants.com has a scenic location in Butlers Wharf. I like Browns as the food is consistent and reasonably priced with a good atmosphere.