6 Ways to Show Your Spouse Love

Particularly for those of us who aren’t culinarily inclined, a fancy home cooked meal can do wonders.  If you are looking for a way to blow your spouse away, jump online and put together a multicourse meal to prepare.  For extra credit, find symbolism in the courses or ingredients.  For instance, if your first trip together was to Mexico, consider an appetizer of ceviche.  Her favorite dish at the wedding was salmon?  Try to recreate the dish.  He loves bourbon?  Look up a fun new cocktail incorporating the tasty brown liquor.  Oh yea, oysters and chocolate are both easy and are both aphrodisiacs…just sayin’.

One expense of your wedding that you’ll never hear us challenge (such as in our 3 Ways to Save on Your Wedding Day post) is for your photographer.  Photos fall into that rare category of being both a physical possession, and holding so much meaning that it would be heartbreaking to lose.  Relive the wild day by browsing through the photo albums in a private and casual setting.  Plan a picnic (with wine, of course) and have the albums in tow for a lovely outing reminiscing together.

You may not feel like you’re a stellar writer but chances are that your spouse will love whatever words you put down as long as they’re from the heart.  So switch off the phone, find a quiet spot to focus, and bust out a few paragraphs or verses.  This is specifically a special treat if your significant other is a “Words of Affirmation” type of person.  Put your heart into words and express yourself.

Half of the fun of vacations is the feeling of staying in a hotel, ordering room service, not cleaning up after yourself (what a treat!).  It can be difficult to coordinate vacation time at a whim but what you can do is plan a quick staycation.  Book a room at a local hotel and commit yourselves to treating the weekend as if you were visiting from out of town.  Go to the hotel bar, do some touristy things, take pictures, and order room service.  If you want to have a little extra fun, ask the concierge for recommendations and pretend to be clueless to get the scoop on what local concierges are telling visitors about your hometown.

No matter how independent a person may be, no one will turn down a free massage and night of pampering from their lover.  Treat your significant other to a night of muscle-melting relaxation.  Don’t just offer a massage, do it right by renting/borrowing a massage table, ditch the lotion and buy some high-end massage oil, light some candles, and bust out the relaxation Spotify station.  It’s a great way to serve your partner and create a deeper sense of intimacy.

Inside jokes and traditions are fun and build connection over time.  Find a reason to create a new tradition whether it’s the anniversary of your first date, or a random day or event that the two of you agree carries meaning; even if it’s simply something only the two of you share.  Reenact a favorite date for the sake of honoring your history together, or start making it standard to have a weekend trip for birthdays or during the holidays so there’s always that little extra consistency to look forward to.