10 Ideas To Wow Your Wife: How To Be The Most Romantic Husband Ever

The Set Up:This one will require you to know what your wife actually likes, which shouldn't be a problem. If however you have no idea what your wife likes, not to worry (unless she finds out), some simple "recon" can give you a clue.  

The Planning: First, you can always just come out and ask her (make up a reason), but if you want to embrace your inner James Bond, then check around the house for clues (books/magazines she's reading, her favorite movies, things she DVR's, etc). Unless you've actually spent time with the C.I.A. don't try to do any in depth snooping, she will find out, and she will be pissed.

Don't ask her friends either, no matter how much they promise to keep the secret, they'll talk (they always talk). Keep this on a "need-to-know" basis; remember, surprise counts for half your grade. 

This is one where attention to detail will make all the difference; the more "real" you can make it, the more amazed she'll be. Study, study, study is the best advice I can give you for this one, while it will more than likely be easy to find source material, you need to be willing to put in the extra effort.

Example: My wife is a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (aka Johnny Depp), so while she was at work one day, the kids and I turned the house into a pirate paradise. We went all out with the decorations, costumes, music, you name it. We had a pirate style dinner, things like turkey legs, corn on the cob, and lots of stuff to eat with your hands (and I made sure we had plenty of rum for after the kids went to bed).

The Set Up: I stumbled onto this one, and it's solid gold. Basically, just like the title says, you hire a cleaning service to come in and clean the house and you hire a caterer to cook dinner; too easy. 

The Planning: Most towns have cleaning services for hire; several in most cases. Simply call one up and they'll send out a crew to clean the place from top to bottom. As for caterers, I use a service here in Orlando that specializes in romantic dinners. They provide everything: the food, the chef, a server, and the dishes (which is my favorite part because that means no clean up). Depending on the laws in your area, they may or may not be able to provide wine or other alcohol, so plan ahead if that's something you'll want.   

Example: When my wife was still in grad school she did way too much. I tried to help out around the house, but in her opinion, I wasn't cleaning as much as I was "re-configuring the mess". After a full day of school, she'd come home and start Donna Reed-ing it up around the house.

So, I called a cleaning service and they did an amazing job; they had the house (which was only a tiny 2 bedroom at the time, but we loved it) looking amazing. It was actually one of the cleaning crew that recommended the caterer for dinner.

The dinner was perfect, however I'll warn you, you'll want to set this up in advance depending on the menu you're planning; generally I try to book these at least 2 - 3 weeks in advance. Yes, this is one time I break Rule Number 4, but it's just so damned convenient. 

The Set Up: This is by far the easiest one on the list. You simply send your wife to a spa with one of her friends. 

The Planning: Just call a spa in your area and book reservations for your wife and one of her girlfriends. In most cases, you can get a really good deal if you book for three or four people, especially if you book it during a slow season.   

Example: A couple months after our first child was born, my wife was worn out. She had just finished school (while pregnant) and had a baby, and she was just plain exhausted. I called one of the spas here in Orlando and made reservations for her, her sister, and her best friend. I sent a car to pick them up and then come get her, I took care of the baby and sent them off to a weekend of relaxation. 

On a related note, that was the weekend I learned babies do not like Metallica. 

The Set Up: Pretty self explanatory, just send the kids off to the grandparent's/aunt's/uncle's house for a weekend.

The Planning: Most times, the grandparents love to take the kids for a weekend. If the grandparents aren't available, aunts and uncles are also good. It's usually best to do this in the summer, when you won't have to worry about getting the kids to school on Monday, but if the person you're sending them to lives in the same town (and doesn't mind taking the kids to school for you), you can do it anytime. 

Example: A couple of years ago, there was a brief window where my wife and I were going to have a four day weekend together. I sent the kids off to their Uncle Rick's and my wife and I had four days alone together for the first time since our kids were born.

Needless to say, with no kids in the house, we did what every young married couple with kids dreams about doing all day every day... we took a nap, we watched TV Shows that weren't cartoons, and we had a dinner that didn't include either Macaroni & Cheese or Chicken Nuggets.   

The Set Up: Start with a seemingly casual trip to the mall/grocery store and end up on a vacation she'll never forget. This is another one that can go really wrong, really fast, if you don't pay attention to detail: you have been warned.

The Planning: Okay, your mission, should you choose to accept it: plan, book, and pack for a vacation for you and your wife- all by yourself... without your wife finding out. This takes some serious skill to pull off, but it's one of the most amazing things you can do for your significant other.

If she works, make sure that you arrange it with her boss, otherwise she'll more than likely worry the entire time. Make sure that you have the pets taken care of, and that you have everything ready to go when you pick her up. The best time to do this is while she's at work, make some excuse to need to use her car for the day so that you have to drop her off and pick her up.

Example: This was actually part of a 3-for-1 in my case, I combined the last three; you you'll see this example under Number 1. 

The Set Up: Out of the blue, surprise your wife with a gift, but make it the MOAG (Mother Of All Gifts). 

The Planning: This doesn't have to be something insanely expensive, in fact it will more than likely be something relatively inexpensive; the catch is, it's usually something hard to find... something really hard to find, I'm talking "four-hobbits-and-a-wizard-on-an-epic-quest" hard. Again, remember Rule 198 and get to work. 

Example: Keep reading, the last example is a long one, and it encompasses this one as well. 

The Set Up: This is the "Once In A Lifetime" one, the one that will leave her speechless for days and that will make her happier than she's ever been. 

The Planning: I can't give you specifics on this one (obviously), but I can tell you that this is the "big one" so don't hold back, and go all out, this is the one she'll remember 50 years from now.

Example: When my wife was a little girl, her father left on a business trip, and when he came home, he brought her a snow globe from London. She loved that thing, she always kept it right beside the bed on the nightstand. Unfortunately, four year olds and snow globes don't mix and our daughter shattered it one day trying to make it snow; my wife was heartbroken.

The next summer, I picked my wife up from work one day and drove straight to the airport. She was understandably curious as to why we were there, and so I told her that I had made dinner reservations for us at Hemisphere (a really great restaurant at the Orlando International Airport). After dinner, the server brought us out dessert, and a little red box for my wife. Inside was a little "London" snow globe key chain that looked just like the big one her father had given her.  

She was so busy staring at her "snow globe" that she didn't notice that I walked us over to the security checkpoint and got in line. When she looked up I surprised her again, with a red envelope this time. Inside it was her passport and our tickets to London. I explained to her that my sister had flown in and that she was going to stay with the kids, and that I had already spoken to her boss and get her the time off. 

I had shipped our luggage to the hotel in London a few days before and it was waiting on us when we got there (Fed-Ex is a wonderful thing). She was amazed the whole time, aside from the kids being born, and perhaps our wedding day, I've never seen her happier. Now every time she grabs her keys she has a reminder of that trip