Is your anniversary coming up? Is his birthday right around the corner? Are you trying to think of birthday or romantic anniversary gift ideas for him? Let’s face it, shopping for gifts for men is notoriously challenging, more so if you’re looking for the perfect romantic gift that he’ll love. When the tables are turned and you find yourself in the same position, a beautiful bunch of flowers, a box of special chocolates, or a gorgeous set of pearls will usually suffice for romantic gifts. So how can you choose a romantic gift without the bouquet and sweets?
Remember, real romance is about showing someone that you love them. And to show them that you love them means to show them that you understand them, know what they like, and most importantly, know what they don’t like. Whether you have been dating for a month or married for 20 years, being romantic is showing your loved one that you listen, learn, and pay attention to what matters in his life.
By bringing him thoughtful and perfect romantic gifts, you can make an impact and score points without doing anything more. The Internet can show you hundreds of easy and simple yet romantic gift ideas, such as personalized M&Ms and couple bracelets. Search a little further, and you’ll find cuddle candles (apparently, that’s a thing), coffee mugs with witty sayings, and the “sorry, I don’t have any money, so here are sex coupons” gift idea. Now sexy coupons can be fun and flirty, but please do not let them be THE gift. To broaden your options, here are 11 of the most romantic gift ideas for men, and we will start with the easiest first.
Dinner
We don’t mean you take him to the gastropub where you go every weekend. By dinner we mean a nice dinner. Think of fine dining, something with amazing ambience and incredible food, or maybe a place where you both wanted to visit before or where the food is something new to you.
Try searching for an Italian restaurant with vintage wines and recipes that Nonna Maria has been cooking since her days as a little girl in Palermo, or a sophisticated steak house with killer cocktails, overstuffed leather chairs, and 40-day dry-aged cuts of meat. You can also try a chic sushi place where you can splurge on an omakase and sake pairing. If you prefer something a bit more casual, find a seafood place on the water with the freshest lobsters, scallops right off the boat, and an amazing sunset. You’ve got endless options for dinner date ideas, especially if your guy loves good food.
If he’s a foodie or appreciates the finer things in life, an incredible meal can turn into an incredible experience. As long as the food is good, the drinks are flowing, and the company is right, it will create a romantic moment that you’ll remember forever (as long as you don’t drink too much). Just don’t pick a place you used to go to with your ex-boyfriend. That’s not cool.
If he is more of a homebody, then bring the restaurant to him by either picking up food from his favorite restaurant or making him his favorite meal. Surprise him with a restaurant-like atmosphere at home for you to enjoy in peace.
Booze
DO NOT just run to the liquor store and slap a bow on a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red. (If you’re going to gift him a bottle of Johnnie, at least make sure it’s the blue label). To do a romantic booze gift right, you’ve got to make it all about him and include lots of extras, lots of treats, and lots of—you guessed it—booze.
Put together a few bottles of wine from that vineyard you went to when you first started dating. Surprise him with a massive assortment of six packs from his favorite brewery (or all his favorite craft beer). Gift him a good old-fashioned bottle of Jack Daniels, but include whiskey stones, tumbler glasses, and his favorite mixers. The more thought you put into it, the better.
Of course, if you are too busy to run around the city and put together a special gift for your guy, then turn to us. We can help you create the perfect booze-infused gift sent directly to his door. Check out our engraved gifts if you want to make his day!
Tickets
Maybe he’s a die-hard Giants fan. Maybe he’s never missed a Radiohead show in his life. Tickets to concerts or sporting events are excellent romantic gifts, and—bonus!—you get to go too. But don’t give him event tickets for third level back-of-the-arena seats. You’ve got to go big…think third row behind home plate or first row center. Whatever the show or sport, make sure you have primo seats.
You do not have to break the bank on this one. Tickets to baseball games and his favorite up and coming artist can be surprisingly inexpensive. SeatGeek is one of my favorite places to look for good deals.
Couple’s Massage
Here’s another one that you get to enjoy with him! If he’s into pampering, he’ll love a couples massage. If he’s not into pampering, he may realize he’s been missing out on the best thing in life—90 minutes in a spa. The soothing sounds of ocean waves, the calming scent of aromatherapy candles, and you naked on a table beside him? It doesn’t get much more romantic than that. It might just become the best gift he’s ever gotten from you.
Hand-written Love Letters
This one is #5 on the list, not because it’s pricey or hard to come by—but because it’s going to take you some time. If you’re a good writer, you might get away with one serious love letter. If you’re not a great writer, you can always go the easy route and borrow some inspirational quotes from Pinterest. (But he might sniff out your plagiarizing ways).
If you want to be original, but can’t write for shit, come up with a list of “100 things I love about you.” They can be simple, like bullet points, such as “your eyes,” and “your smile.” Just be prepared, because by the time you get to 10, you’ll probably have to start getting a lot more specific.
If you are looking for some help from the internet on this one to make it an extra special custom greeting card, then Pinhole Press can help you out. They’ll help you get the perfect gift made especially for him.
Jewelry
Some men actually like jewelry. Now, he might not get excited over a pair of diamond stud earrings like you would, but there is one thing that almost every guy will enjoy…and that’s a watch. It’s a classic gift that screams good tastes and romance, it may not be the most unexpected, and it may not be the most original. If he’s got some style or is working on building up his swagger, a great watch will put him on the right course.
And a watch doesn’t have to be a wristwatch. If your guy is into vintage style, a pocket watch can be a cool gift idea. And if you remember him telling you once that his father or grandfather carried one, you’ll score some bonus points in the “wow, I can’t believe you remembered that” department.
Autographed Memorabilia
Whether he’s a sports fan, music fan, or movie fanatic, autographed memorabilia from his favorite athlete, singer, or film is sure to be the one gift he keeps even if you split up. We’re not suggesting you encourage him to start some insane Star Wars collection or create an altar to Jim Morrison, but a single piece of memorabilia (signed and authenticated) will definitely impress.
If you’re going to gift memorabilia, do yourself a favor and buy from a reputable dealer. (Don’t assume everything on eBay is legit).
Photos
This is further down on this list for the same reasons as the love letters—it’s going to take some time. Now, you could go the easy route and frame your favorite photo of the two of you. You could go the naughty route and do a sex book with steamy lingerie shots of yourself. But the real way to give this gift is to give photographs you’ve taken yourself.
You don’t have to be a great photographer to do this. If you’re handy with the filters on your iPhone, you can create cool shots by cropping, rotating, and changing the hues.
Is there a favorite spot that you two share? Is there a place he took you when you first started dating? Is there a favorite beach, bar, or theater that he’s told you all his fond memories of? Take some meaningful places and either frame them or have them printed in a photo book. If you’re married or live together, you can even have it printed on a massive canvas that you can hang on your wall. Now, that’s a meaningful gift.
First-Edition Book
If your man is a writer, avid reader, or scholar, this is one gift that you shouldn’t ignore. A first edition print of his favorite book will undoubtedly be placed proudly and prominently in his home or office. And he’ll think about how thoughtful you are every time he sees it.
Depending on the book, first edition prints can be pricey, and they can be hard to track down, so don’t expect to find this gift on the fly. In other words, if his birthday is next week, you might want to start looking now with the intention of giving him this gift next year.
Trip
If you’ve got the money to fly him to the Maldives for two weeks—by all means, do so! But the idea of a trip as a gift doesn’t have to be one that destroys your savings account. Assuming he likes his family—and they live in another state—consider flying him home to visit his relatives. Maybe there’s a little beach town you’ve always wanted to go to together. Or maybe you just need four drunk days in Mexico. Trips are great gifts, no matter where you’re going.
Helicopter Ride
We saved this one for last, simply because it’s one of the most expensive gifts on this list. Now, a flight and hotel room for a week might be more expensive, but when you break it down minute by minute, a helicopter ride may be an even more expensive gift to give.
If you’re in NYC, a 15-minute helicopter ride will cost you about $250 per person, so you’re looking at about $40 a minute for the two of you to enjoy the experience together. Prices vary greatly around the country, so don’t rule this gift idea out until you’ve looked into prices where you are.
Romantic gifts for boyfriends and husbands exist. You just need to know where to look and be creative in your gift choices. And hey, if you’re totally broke or just realized his birthday is tomorrow, you can always give him some sex coupons you scribbled on scrap paper, but we hope you don’t.
So what are your great ideas for romantic gifts for your man? If we like them, we can add them to this list. One day, it may become 1001 romantic gifts for guys, but that may be a bit crazy.
