I had always heard that Valentine’s Day was a made-up holiday with a (not so pretty) historical background and honestly, before doing my own Wikipedia search, my knowledge of how it originated was limited to the hilarious scene in the 2010 romantic comedy, Valentine’s Day. You know what I’m talking about, right?! Where Kate, the elementary school teacher (aka Julia Roberts), is trying to explain the background of Valentine’s Day history and the troublemaker of the class, Franklin, interrupts her saying that it was a massacre in Chicago that also resulted in a curse on the Chicago Cubs? Well after the interruption, she goes on to explain that Valentine’s Day came to be because in ancient Rome, under the ruling of Claudius the Cruel, marriage was banned so soldiers could focus on war. However, there was a priest, Valentine, who secretly married everyone anyway because he believed in love. The emperor found out about this and put him into prison where Valentine wrote a note to his beloved, on February 14th, signed “farewell from your Valentine”. See what I mean, definitely a not so pretty historical background.

Regardless of how Valentine’s Day originated, when you’re dating, engaged or married to the love-of-your-life, Valentine’s Day is another day to express how much you love and care for that person. It gives you the opportunity to celebrate that you’re in love & you don’t care who knows it! (Elf quote anyone?! Ok I’ll stop with the cheesy movie references…) As much fun as it is to celebrate your love, it also can be stressful! I mean hello, the holiday season just came and went and you probably already had a tough time figuring out the perfect gift for your Sig O, and now you have to plan (or if you’re lucky and your partner plans) and shop for yet another holiday?!
That’s why today I wanted to share 10 Forever Bride Categories that you may not have thought of to reach out to before Valentine’s Day. From different date night ideas to gifts for him and maybe even a vendor or two that you can forward to your hunny’s e-mail with a not-so-subtle nod to how perfect it’d be for Valentine’s Day if he reached out to them, I hope to share some surprising areas for you to explore to celebrate lovers day!

1. Cake & Dessert Vendors
Alright, I know I promised you ladies different and innovative Valentine’s Day ideas and the first Forever Bride vendor category I’m sharing is Cake & Dessert Vendors, but I promise it’s thinking about your lover’s day dessert in a new light! Do any of you still need to figure out what you’re serving as a sweet treat to your guests after dinner? Do you get sick of getting a box of chocolates you don’t even end up eating from your sig o? Are you someone that sticks to the dessert you know and love and don’t really venture out? If you said yes to any of those questions, listen up!
From Valley Pastries to Pretty Great Cheesecake to Just Truffles to Hip Hop Gourmet Popcorn, Forever Bride has so many unique cake and dessert vendors! So, forgo dessert at your Valentine’s Day dinner and get a sample from a vendor (or two or three!) to try out different dessert options for your wedding! If you were one of the people that said yes to getting a box of chocolates you don’t ever eat then tell your +1 that you’ve got dessert covered this year and instead order a box of bonbons from J. Kumari Chocolate . Besides being gorgeous and Instagram-worthy, they’re also delicious! Lastly, if you are someone that sticks to the brownie and ice cream combo whenever you order or make a dessert at home, I’d recommend reaching out to The House of Brigadeiros. Now you may be wondering, what’s a brigadeiro? “Brigadeiros are bite size and unique treats that can be described as a blend between a truffle and a fudge. We have 11 flavors but are always introducing a few seasonal one”. Sign me up!

.

2. Boudoir Photographers
This may be a vendor category that you may have considered reaching out to, but you not have pulled the trigger yet”¦Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to do so! In fact, Forever Bride founder Ashley wrote an entire blog post all about why a Boudoir shoot would be the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day! There’s three different awesome photographers that we recommend that make you comfortable throughout the shoot and will get the perfect shots that both you and your partner will love! Reach out to Captured Glory, The Hawk & Sparrow, or Cranberries & Tea to schedule your shoot.

3. Jewelry & Accessories Vendors
Remember at the beginning of this blog when I said there will be some that are date nights, gifts for your sweetheart or something that you e-mail them with a not-so-secretive subject line that reads “Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift for your Bride-to-Be” – this vendor group is one that falls into that last category.

Whether you’ve been eyeing a gorgeousVoeu Du Coeur to keep your rings safe and help them photograph beautifully on your big day or you found the most perfect earrings while browsing Jenny in the City, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to drop a not so subtle hint on what would be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for you. YOU deserve it!

4. Suits & Tuxes Vendors
Idk if your husband-to-be is as terrible as my husband is at providing gift ideas, if so, I think scheduling a suit or tux fitting for Valentine’s Day is a great idea. Not only do you get to see your man all dolled-up (which rarely happens) on the most romantic day of the year, but you also get to maybe cross one more thing off his side of the wedding to-do list, which we can all agree he’s probably dragging his feet to do anyways! Reach out to Circle Rock or Savvi today!

5. Entertainment & Dance Lesson Vendors
This is one of my favorite ideas as I think it’s truly unique and something you may have never thought about before! Being a recent newlywed myself, my now husband and I were seriously considering dance lessons prior to our big day. Not only did we both have two left feet, but our friends recently got married and did a choreographed first dance that we thought was so fun to watch as a guest! Unfortunately, it wasn’t in our cards to get dance lessons, but I think it’d be a perfect date night Valentine’s Day idea. Not only is it probably something neither of you have done before, but it’s also unique and a way to get out of the house and do something in the middle of winter! I personally reached out to Arthur Murray when we were considering, so I’d highly recommend you do, too.

6. Honeymoon Planners
Another suggestion for a Forever Bride vendor category to reach out to in honor of Valentine’s Day is Island Getaways , Sharyn Kaye Travel or Riverdale Travel from their Honeymoon Planners section. How fun does a date night in, snuggled on the couch with a bottle of wine (post your favorite take-out meal of course) researching and connecting with a travel agent to plan your honeymoon sound?! I personally can attest to how seamless and fun it is to work with a planner as I worked with a previous Forever Bride Honeymoon Planner vendor for our trip. Hands down it was one of the best decisions I made while wedding planning. I’d love to spend my Valentine’s Day planning our next trip!

7. Health & Fitness Vendors
I like to think of these suggestions as of the wild card on the list of 10. Unless you and your partner are workout junkies, you may never think of a health and fitness related Valentine’s Day. After all, if you’re like me, you actually use this made up holiday to gorge a little more than normal on all things dark chocolate! Since it probably is your wedding year, instead of over-doing it, why don’t you make February 14th all about something health & fitness related! It can be something as intense as finally signing up for health coaching, like with E2 Health or as low-key as scheduling back-to-back chiropractic appointments at href=”https://www.cornerstonechiropracticclinic.com/”target=”blank”>Cornerstone Chiropractic.

8. Live Music Vendors
Yet another “kill two birds with one stone” date night idea on this top 10 list is going to a show of a Live Music Vendor. If you or your significant other is anything like my new husband, having a live band was #1 on his wedding must-haves list. Therefore, we went to several live shows to figure out just who could keep our party going all night long. I think seeing the Bluewater Kings Band or Abiding Harmony is such a great Valentine’s Day date night!

9. Rehearsal Dinner Venues
It could be a lot of fun to check-off your rehearsal dinner venue! Might I suggest making a dinner reservation at BLVD Kitchen & Bar ,Mill Valley Kitchen or the the Lynhall for your big Valentine’s Day dinner?! Make sure to call in advance as I’m sure they fill-up with normal Valentine’s Day patrons during cupid’s holiday!

10. Hair & Make-Up Vendors
This might be my most creative wedding to-do list item yet! I promise this is also my last wedding to-do list item!!!! If you’re still on the hunt for your morning of beauty squad, check out Amy Rastetter Professional Make-Up Artist or Luminous Beauty . If you already booked your hair and/or make-up artists, how fun would it be to do your trial before whatever your Valentine’s Day plans are?! You’d feel like a million bucks and have a reason to show off how gorgeous you’re going to look on your wedding day. I think that’s a win-win!
Hopefully, you now have a plethora of unique and fun ideas on how to spend this year’s Hallmark holiday and maybe even make more wedding planning progress!

About the Author: This blog was brought to you by Morgan Wagner. A 20 something marketer that’s living the suburban dog mom dream! A type-A planner, coffee & red wine enthusiast and lover of game nights and other little things.