Valentine's Day is closing in fast, and that means a lot of nail biting and stress headaches for guys in search of plans for a day with their special woman.
"It's a day to feel special," said Mamie Price, junior in nutrition and dietetics.
In elementary school, Valentine's Day meant sheets of manufactured cards and cheap suckers to sheepishly place on a girl's desk, but today, expectations are a little higher.
"My wife expects me to do something extravagant and romantic," said Jacob Meredith, junior in accounting.
Yet extravagance doesn't always mean making plans difficult or expensive.
"My ex-boyfriend wrote 'I love you' in 20 different languages and posted them on my car," Price said.
But if Post-it Notes on a windshield won't cut it, jewelry is a model Valentine's Day gift, especially diamonds.
Becca Terry, sophomore in radio, television and film, said a good gift would be flowers and an expensive necklace, preferably diamonds.
But price can be one of the major factors that decides which gift to buy.
"It's better if you know about how much they are going to spend, so you can get it close to what they spend," Meredith said. "You don't want to spend too much, but you don't want to buy something too cheap either."
But the best gifts do not have to be the most expensive gifts.
"It's just not this big deal where you need extravagant gifts," said Gerri Wright, sophomore in communication.
Dinner is almost always a big part of Valentine's Day.
Whether it is a romantic stay-at-home candlelight dinner, or the most expensive restaurant in town, it should be something special and from the heart.
Sarah West of Amsterdam Cafe said the restaurant has a special menu for the holiday that includes
special desserts and select menu items, chosen by the chef.
While going out to eat is nice, a Valentine's Day dinner needs a special touch to set it apart from any other regular date.
"We've had a lot of people get engaged here and request the same table as they had on their first date, stuff like that," West said.
Dinner at home is a way to avoid the restaurant crowds, get creative and keep distractions at a minimum.
"Cook dinner," said Alicia Ridout, sophomore in German. "Cook a good dinner, not just microwave."
Flowers, chocolate and teddy bears can be an inexpensive way to accentuate any Valentine's Day gift, even if they are not the focal point.
These classics can be found nearly anywhere, including Walmart, Target, Winn-Dixie and Kroger and can be a simple and easy way to add a little something extra to an already special Valentine's Day celebration.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
