Want to really wow your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? Then trade in that box of chocolates for a memory that will last forever. Northern Virginia offers plenty of ways to make that special someone swoon.
Say It With Song
Leesburg-based Old Dominion Chorus delivers old-fashioned singing Valentines. For just $50, quartets of four dapper gents dressed in red will deliver cards, flowers, and hand-picked love songs to lucky recipients at homes, offices, schools, shops, restaurants, and other locations across Loudoun and neighboring counties. Upgrade with a balloon for an additional $10. Guaranteed to make them blush.
Dance Your Heart Out
Nothing proves the extent of your devotion like being willing to learn to dance, whether preparing for upcoming nuptials or just wanting to impress other couples at the club. Lots of fancy steps are happening at Arthur Murray Dance Studio Ashburn, where you can sign up for a first-time free lesson in Tango, Swing, Salsa, or Bachata. You might even get the itch to compete.
When Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose
You can’t go wrong with an amazing bouquet, but why not advance to the next step and sign up together for DIY floral arrangement classes at Metro Flower Market in Chantilly, taught by expert florists? Let love blossom while learning to arrange bouquets, centerpieces, and wreaths, and taking them home to keep is a lovely bonus.
The Sky Is the Limit
Let your love soar to new heights with unforgettable flight experiences. Nothing is more romantic than viewing the Shenandoah Valley from the basket of a colorful hot air balloon. Blue Ridge Hot Air Balloons in Front Royal can sweep you and your sweetheart off your feet and offers a champagne or sparkling cider toast to cap off the experience. For the even-more-adventurous couples, Stearman Biplane Rides in Midland is taking reservations now for 2022 flight sessions, featuring scenic rides or flight instruction in an open cockpit WWII Stearman Biplane or T-6 Warbird. Rides start at $225.
A Picture Says a Thousand Words
Short of a tattoo, nothing says devotion like a full-on portrait painting. Working from photographs or live sittings, local artist Ilisa Calderon from Virginia Portrait Artist in McLean uses oils and watercolors to capture your love’s beauty and personality on canvas. Pricing starts at $500 for a 16×20 oil painting. See her work on Instagram.
The Essence of Love
Make a date to design your own fragrant candle, one that reminds you of all the things you enjoy together–then take it home and continue to enjoy the romantic scents in private. Paddywax Candle Bar in Reston offers DIY candle pouring workshops. Make a reservation online, and everything you need to create your custom candle will be waiting when you arrive. $40 per candle. BYOB welcome, seltzers, beer, and wine only, with an $8 corking fee per vessel or six pack.
Big Words for Big Emotions
Imagine your loved one’s surprise when coming home from work to find an enormous colorful love sign in the front yard. No-Guilt Yard Cards delivers a message for all to see and that’s impossible to miss, with special themes for Valentine’s Day. Rentals start at $99, with “Big Celebrations” displays starting at $150.
Breakfast-in-Bed-and-Breakfast
When all you need is each other, the tiny Patent House cottage at Aldie’s historic Little River Inn is the perfect place to cozy up while relaxing and exploring Virginia Hunt Country. Built in the 1790s and furnished with period antiques, braided rugs, and patterned quilts, the private, one-bedroom cottage features a sitting room with working fireplace and a full bath. Have breakfast delivered to your room to enjoy by the fireside — a hearty country spread including Dutch apple baby, sausage and eggs, or baked French toast, along with bacon, sausage, muffins, juice, coffee, or tea. (You can also choose to dine with the other guests inside the main inn.) On John Mosby Highway in Aldie. Rates begin at $245 a night for the entire cottage.
Wear Your Love Like a Banner
Perhaps the ultimate, albeit expensive, way to get your crush’s attention: an aerial banner flown over the location of your choice. Thinking of proposing marriage? Aerial Advertising and Banner Towing is a Las Vegas-based company that can create a customized banner and make arrangements to have it flown over a location of choice. Personal messages up to 50 characters, plus giant red hearts, are run in the sky for 15 minutes. Prices start at $685 but run as much as, gulp, $3,000, depending on location and other factors.
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