So, you messed up on Valentine's Day. Either you got an improper or unfavored gift, missed a special dinner date, missed a hint to get a certain gift, or forgot the holiday altogether. This probably happens more than you would think. Sorry to point out the obvious to men, but some of you are not great at the whole "getting a hint" thing, which is OK and to be expected. What you can do is make it up to her or him. If your sweetheart is feeling disappointed after V-Day, you might wanna try one of these heartfelt do-over gifts/surprises to repair the damage.
When in doubt, pimp his or her ride out.
Whether it's a nice, new wash or a wax, everyone deserves to drive in style. Add a car freshener in a scent they like or do a vacuum clean inside. If you really want to go big, give them some new tires or a sweet stereo upgrade. Or better yet, put a new puppy with a big, red bow in the front seat and call it even with your Valentine.
Scavenger hunt to their heart.
Ah, the good ol' scavenger hunt. The best thing about preparing one of these is that it builds up the anticipation of the final gift on each clue they find. You should make sure to have the best gift at the end, if you are planning on doing multiple little ones to lead them to the destination. You can do a themed one or just have random things they like to make up for your lack of whatever on V-Day. Also, be sure to show yourself at the final destination of the scavenger hunt, so you can make a proper apology and they'll be sure to kiss and make-up with you at the end!
Go excessive and extravagant!
Give them a lot of something, big or small. It doesn't have to break the bank, either. You can find a big V-Day or love-themed card at Wal-mart for about the same price as a normal-sized one and make your surprise look larger than life. Besides, everything will be half off since it's after V-Day! Fill up a room with cheap roses or get a huge stuffed animal and gourmet chocolate assortment. As mentioned before, there is not one way to do this (you can get really creative). Theme or no theme, just make sure the genuine "Sorry I screwed up our Valentine's Day," message gets across as easily as possible with your surprise.
Write something heartfelt (literally anything)!
Look, we all know how hard it is to find the right words to say how much your valentine means to you. However, Valentine's Day is the time for pre-planning those words out in advance so that you don't have to do this until an anniversary or birthday. If his or her anniversary and/or birthday is on Valentine's Day, I already envy you. And if money is tight this V-Day, this is honestly the best and most heartfelt way to win their love back.
The best advice I've got to give on this one is reminiscing about times you've felt they've shown you immense love and writing it down. Jot down how they won you over, how they made you feel great, or what qualities made them especially attractive to you. If you have a good special someone to make it up to, you'll be surprised how many good traits, gift-givings, or memories you'll come up with. You can write down individual memories and put them in a decorative mason jar you make or write a long letter or list in a big Valentine's Day (or in this case, a "Sorry I screwed up Valentine's Day) card. Use what you have laying around your place and whip up something really memorable for them to keep.
Or just buy a huge box of conversation hearts and make this cake.
Just do it! Who says food is the way to a man's heart? Women like (make that love) to bake, and we sure as hell like to eat what we bake! For anybody, sweets will usually get you anywhere, unless your sweetie happens to hate chocolate, sugar, or all of the good things in life (if they do, dump them! Just kidding, but not really). You can get these things half off too (since, you know, it's after Valentine's Day), so get to it!
Make your space anywhere in your place a "date haven."
It could be rose petals and a lavender-scented bath bomb in the bathtub with a fresh cup of tea prepared, a ready-made romantic meal in the dining room, a blanket fort set-up for movie night in the living room, or an intimate bed arrangement with scented candles lit for an intimate night. If you really messed up big time, all of those would be perfect throughout the day! Whatever it is, you had best make up for lost time by making up date ideas! This is another easy go-to if you are low on cash this holiday. Use things you already have at home and decorate them in any way possible. Reconnecting with your sweetheart in whatever space you choose is essential for making it up to them.
Double the V-Day (or should we say the day after?)!
You screwed up once, so now is the time you should repay them, by providing double the romance! It might be the simple roses and chocolates, but multiplying has a big effect, especially when you want to explicate just how sorry you are about messing up the big day.
If you've been waiting to propose at the "perfect" moment, put a damn ring on it (finally)!
Get it together! If you were in the planning process of doing a proposal or just didn't find the right "moment" to propose, I promise now is the right time to do this. Even if you weren't thinking of doing it previously, it might be in the cards if you have the wallet padding and the desire to do so. It'll for sure save you from an awkward after V-Day breakup conversation and he or she will be impressed by your willingness to commit, despite your lack of performance on Valentine's Day.
And lastly, bacon. Always bacon.
Who wouldn't? I mean, if they are not going to be won over by bacon, they probably weren't that special of a person to begin with. You should leave them, for bacon.
There you have it, I've saved you. Saved you from that awful scorning you were going to get on the couch the morning you wake up after Valentine's Day, the silent treatment that would plague your entire week after, and potentially, that heart-wrenching break-up talk your loved one would give you if you didn't read this.
So, enjoy your person, whoever they may be. Shower them with love often because tomorrow is never promised and love should never be taken for granted, or guaranteed for that matter. Happy belated Valentine's Day!
