What is supposed to be romantic, but just bloody isn’t?

‘why don’t we go up a hill and watch the sunset one morning as it will be so romantic’

It will also be impossible, as the sun sets in the evening. In the morning, it rises.

But, yes, don't make me wake up early to see the sunrise. That is NOT romantic, as I'll be cranky. Especially if it involves walking anywhere .

Yes to all of these. I love this thread.

I have to slightly disagree about mixtapes though. I had ones given to me where it was a copy of an album I didn't have bit with a couple of other songs taped on the end to make up the running time of the cassette. That was thoughtful and lovely without being cringe .

I must confess though to planning on running down the train platform to meet a boyfriend who was away at uni. It was the first time we'd seen each other in a few weeks and I was going to jump into his arms . I didn't though! I realised how utterly naff it would be! I'm usually very sane and unromantic!

I have a classic one but in my defence I was quite young (18). Was dating a guy a few years older than me and we went to lovely restaurants etc and he had an Alfa Romeo.

After one nice meal out he said he wanted to take me on a drive to Leatherhead which he did, it was where his old school was. So we drove down there in the pouring rain, (it wasn't that far but at the time I lived on the outskirts of London) and then once there he wanted me to get out of the car at Box Hill (nearby) in the pouring rain which I reluctantly did - it was 'romantic' to him - I was cold and wet and rushed back off to the car in my stilettos and 80's girl black mini dress and stockings

Planned sunset watching can be a let down. But finding yourselves watching an unexpectedly glorious sunset is lovely.

My DH was at home one day while I was at work and found he’d made two cups of tea. I thought that was quite romantic when he told me!

it looked like an exam hall with candles love this!

I refuse to go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day. It’s the worst.

Sorry, got that last attachment totally wrong www.google.com/search?q=it+started+with+a+kiss+mivie+poster&oq=it&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i60l4.1495j0j7&client=ms-android-samsung-ss&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=mX7oi9sVyIJjYM

Dinner out on St Valentine's day. Especially if you're a same sex couple (shudders at memory)

Surely Valentines Day is the biggest not romantic thing

Going out for a meal. He's supposed to book but leaves it too late so you wind up in some shitty place, crammed to the rafters with other 'romantic couples' rowing over their melon starter and you have to pay twice the price to have red napkins! Extra points if you get seranaded by some shit pub singer doing ballads or someone is hawking single roses round the tables.

Next year you decide to stay in. What can go wrong with an M&S meal deal? DH's utter lack of cooking skills is what. He will burn literally anything or at least overcook it until it's rubbery plus he has to keep asking what to do every 6 seconds whilst you are 'relaxing' with a glass of cheap cava in a beaker because no-one can find the posh glasses. Extra points if DC refuse to stay in bed and keep coming down asking for a drink or having had a 'nightmare'. You end the night falling asleep in front of some shit TV having eaten half a box of supermarket chocs.

I hate Bloody Valentines.
I hate it worse than New Year and I hate that quite a lot.

“Lady in Red” by Chris de Burgh was about his wife and he had an ongoing thing with the babysitter so the romance is gone with that one.

I had a first date with a guy at a blues club who thought it would be romantic to get to singer to dedicate on stage and sing “wish you were here” by pink Floyd whilst gazing at me like an imbecile mouthing “it’s for you” about 20 times. I was fucking there so the context was wrong. I cringed so much I had an out of body experience.

I’d always thought the idea of a shower together was romantic and sexy.

Finally convinced DH when we were in a lovely hotel with a large shower with be off those lovely overhead, waterfall shower heads.

My husband is very literal. To him, showering is... well, showering.

I was all soapy-tit rubs, trying to be sexy, whereas he had his hand on my shoulder using me for balance as he got his washcloth in between his toes.
He also does this weird kind of knee-dip thing while he’s scrubbing his balls, serious look of concentration on his face.

And the waterfall shower head meant that, instead of sexy wet hair pulled back from my face, the water kid of hit me right on the head so my hair splayed out from the centre and I looked like the girl from The Grudge.

Sex in the surf line. Tried once, nearly drowned. Took a week to get sand out of everywhere. Never again.

I can see how a lot of these things are a bit cringey.
We love to have a bath together especially if we're away in a hotel etc. We have a really big bath at home too so it's not squashed to share.
However, I really really don't get the hated for Paris that I see so often on here!
It's such a beautiful city & I always find it romantic to have a few days out of normal life, wandering about arm in arm, just soaking it all up.
We're huge fans of the city break & in normal times we go abroad at least twice a year on them as well as city breaks at home.
Paris or indeed France isn't my top favourite place but I do love it & over the years we've been there 5 or 6 times
Italy holds my heart though & I'm also vety find of Poland.
We're romantic with each other though usually only in private

• An ex

I find things like DP defrosting my car in the winter or making the tea much nicer than ‘pre planned romance’. An used to say things like ‘why don’t we go up a hill and watch the sunset one morning as it will be so romantic’ and I’d feel guilty thinking it but it took any spontibaity out of it all and was just a bit cringe.

He buys me flowers but the weirdly romantic thing he does is send them to my poor old mum who is so delighted. He does it quietly by himself every few weeks because she loves getting them and because he honours she’s my mum and I love him all the more for it.

@ItsAllAboutTheParsley now that made me go all gooey and sentimental. What a nice man you have there.

For me releasing a video for our tenth wedding anniversary

I agree shared baths, seaside sex, (most outdoor sex in fact), Paris or other ‘romantic getaways’, Valentines Day, anything with that raggedy bear on, most ‘romantic’ playlists (I’m old enough to remember the cassette tape ones), showering together, couply jokey glasses/mugs/pillowcases/cushions/T-shirts, PDAs and handholding that mean everyone else has to divert round the happy couple (vom). Baby talk.

DP is a hopeless romantic but it’s mostly popping a sweet and a wee flask into my bag when I had to travel with no cafes open, a cuppa when I’m Teamed out, running a bath for me and leaving me alone in it.
He buys me flowers but the weirdly romantic thing he does is send them to my poor old mum who is so delighted. He does it quietly by himself every few weeks because she loves getting them and because he honours she’s my mum and I love him all the more for it.

[quote PRsecrets]There’s public displays of affection, and then there’s this. I had to pause several times, I was cringing too hard for these “influencers”

Agree with so many of these. I hate breakfast in bed, so awkward to eat and leaves crumbs everywhere. A bowl of cereal would be just about ok but as it's a romantic gesture it ends up being croissants or something that makes a huge mess.

Also going out for a meal on Valentines day. I have done this twice, both with the same guy when we were students. The restaurant had been set up to maximise how many couples they could seat so it looked like an exam hall with candles and it was too gloomy to see what I was eating, plus a set menu with only one veggie choice. Never again.

[quote PRsecrets]There’s public displays of affection, and then there’s this. I had to pause several times, I was cringing too hard for these “influencers”

"We met a month ago in wholefoods and we are in love" bwah ha ha ha ha ha

Ugh I got 20 seconds in PRsecrets, her voice is like nails down a chalkboard 😑

Centre Parcs isn't the Serengeti.

Loving all of these! Very reassuring!