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Issue Date: February 12, 2006
The Ultimate Guide to Having The Most Romantic Valentine's Day
OK, so Valentine's Day is practically here and you're feeling a little, well, romance challenged. We understand that nagging feeling of dread that often accompanies Feb. 14, like so many overpriced roses and bank-busting candlelight dinners.
This year, we set out to give you some romance aid -- from the pros. USA WEEKEND asked a selection of leading experts in their fields to give us their picks for what is Most Romantic. Consider it our valentine to you. And feel free to steal liberally from any of these ideas. Our lips are sealed. -- Reported by Gayle Jo Carter
The Most Romantic ...
Date: Watching a sunset
Says who? USA WEEKEND's RelationTips expert Dennie Hughes
Hughes calls sunsets "the secret weapon that can turn any budget or location into a romantic occasion." Her advice: "Locate the best viewing spot and set up the scene accordingly. Think blankets and hot chocolate in cold weather. Apartment living? Think rooftop or fire escape. Warmer climate? Claim your spot at the beach with a bottle of wine." If a gift (or proposal) is involved, Hughes says, save it "until the last rays of light hang in the sky, right where the day ends and the promise of another one together begins."
Dance: The rumba
Says who? John O'Hurley, TV's "Dancing with the Stars" first season dance-off champ who now appears on Broadway in "Chicago"
O'Hurley calls the rumba a "tease and release" dance. "The hips move in a very sensual pattern. It is a dance of seduction -- and everyone needs to seduce and be seduced every now and then."
Song: "The More I See You," or "I'm Already Taken"
Says who? Cabaret crooner Michael Feinstein, and country star Clint Black, respectively
We never heard of these songs either. But Feinstein swears "people move closer together and hold hands every time I sing" the 1940s tune "The More I See You." And Black's choice about lasting love, "I'm Already Taken," is by songwriter Steve Wariner, "one of the best there is at writing romantic songs."
Gift: Jewelry or a massage
Says who? Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, and Kristine Dang of RedEnvelope.com, respectively
We wanted his and hers input on this. Bezos says "funky" is the way to go on jewelry -- purchased online, of course. He makes it sound easy: Just "look at the pictures and buy what you know your wife will like."
Dang prefers a nice, slow massage, "especially now, when time has become even more precious than gold."
Food: Finger food
Says who? USA WEEKEND's CookSmart columnist Pam Anderson
Going sans silverware is surprisingly sensual, Anderson says, "starting with bread. Not neat slices in a basket, but a loaf on the table, torn, crumbs flying, washed down with decent wine." Then try sharing a big bowl of steamy mussels: "With the top off, the bottom shell becomes a mussel-filled spoon for scooping up the briny broth." For dessert? A bar of the best chocolate with a few red, ripe cherries.
Book: "Jane Eyre"
Says who? Romance author Nora Roberts
"It's got it all," Roberts says of the Charlotte Bronte classic. "The brooding, complicated hero with a secret, the forthright, intelligent heroine, compelling atmosphere, brilliant writing, the complicated and romantic meeting of two minds and hearts -- and the mad woman in the attic."
Destination: Madison, Wis. (U.S.) and Dubrovnik(international)
Says who? Peter Greenberg, "Today" show travel editor, and Amy Ziff, Travelocity.com editor, respectively
Greenberg says "anywhere I happen to be with someone I love" is ideal, but he chose the chilly state capital as the U.S. town that "lends itself to cuddling." And Dubrovnik's rich history and gorgeous location make the Croatian city "magical," Ziff says. "Sitting at the bar outside at Hemingway's, staring at people walking down the Placa and looking up at the stars or wandering the museums -- Dubrovnik is quite the city for lovers."
Hollywood couple: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Says who? Lorrie Lynch, USA WEEKEND's Who's News columnist
Married for 48 years, the pair is the gold standard of Hollywood couples. "If they could bottle whatever magic that makes them work -- instead of their salad dressing -- they'd make a mint for charity," Lynch says.
Movie: "Love Actually"
Says who? Movie critic Richard Roeper, of the "Chicago Sun-Times" and TV's "Ebert & Roeper"
There may be other, more classic romance flicks, but Roeper chooses the 2003 comedy, which stars Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, for its "unabashedly sentimental celebration of all the great romantic movie clichés."
Poem: "When You Are Old"
Says who? Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate. A romantic in his own right, the Valentine's Day poems Kooser has penned each year for the past 20 years are now available in a limited edition book.
"When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats
When you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
Go to top
Discover passion with Heidi Klum
By Gayle Jo Carter
We may never be as sexy as supermodel Heidi Klum or, for that matter, married to one of music's most sensual singers -- Seal -- but that doesn't mean we mortals can't learn a thing or two from her.
Klum's Most Romantic ...
Accessory: Shoes by Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti
Term of endearment: "Schatz" [German for "treasure" or "sweetheart"]
Clothing of Seal's: His PJs. "Sometimes he's in his pajamas all day. I love that."
Fashion designers: Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana.
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Especially when it comes to the subject of this Valentine's Day story: romance. Face it, most of us aren't exactly pros in that department, despite the demands of the season. So listen up: You may learn more than you think about life's little turn-ons.
For Klum, host of Bravo's Emmy-nominated "Project Runway, romance is all about the little things. Ironic, considering this is the beauty Seal whisked by helicopter to a mountain glacier igloo complete with strewn rose petals and glimmering candles when he proposed just before Christmas 2004 (not to mention the yellow diamond engagement ring worth $150,000).
But no matter. What makes the dominatrix of the TV dial swoon is a simple gesture.
"We were in a restaurant with a lot of people, and our hands met under the table," sighs Klum, 32.
Most romantic of all, Klum says, is when her husband of nine months serenades her. Klum says that's because Seal's job is to sing, and she knows no one likes to work when he doesn't have to.
Don't worry if you can't carry a tune, though. Klum says old-fashioned good manners are even harder to resist. Quite simply, "[Seal] lets me walk into a room first," she says. "I love that in a man."
Her romantic turnoffs? Men who talk too much about themselves and who don't pay attention when a woman sports a new haircut or outfit. "That's unromantic when guys don't compliment," she says.
So, what can harried lovers do to keep romance alive (Klum has a daughter, Leni, 2, from a previous relationship and a baby, Henry, 5 months, with Seal)? Klum says she finds fun couple time in everyday things, like exercising together. Seal even goes clothes shopping with Klum. "He tells me what he likes, and I do a little show for him, and he does the same for me," Klum says.
And while she stresses the importance of spending time together without the kids, it's her description of hanging as a family that comes off as most romantic. On rainy days, she savors family downtime watching "The Sound of Music" -- in pajamas. "[Seal] knows all the words, sings to all the songs. He runs around singing."
Klum portrait: Craig Blankenhorn, Bravo; Roberto Cavalli dress: Women's Wear Daily, AP Photo
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