This is a guest post from a good friend of The Gents Place
When my good friend Ben asked if I wouldn’t mind contributing an article to the Gents Place blog I was all for it – I love the concept of a boy’s club and was excited to be a part of it. Then he sent over the topic – Valentine’s Day Buying Tips… from a Woman! I swallowed hard.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a woman, and I do love gifts, but in my opinion Valentine’s Day, and gifts in general, is one of the hardest things to get right. I suppose that’s why Ben asked for a woman’s advice.
Before you begin your hunt for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift you need to identify the kind of woman for whom you are buying. Is she more emotional or more practical? Is she cautious or more of a risk-taker? Creative or traditional? Once you’ve figured out the type of woman you are buying for you can better find a gift that she will truly love.
For the traditional, emotional woman – For this type of woman you can’t go wrong with a box of chocolates and a dozen red roses. If the relationship is further along consider buying her a nice piece of jewelry. The most traditional of women will prefer a diamond or pearls.
For the creative, risk-taker – If you want to play it safe, but are looking for a more creative gift, try a bouquet of exotic flowers. If you want to go a little more sentimental and serious consider buying her jewelry with a precious stone. Or, for a little bit of fun, a nice piece of lingerie is generally well-received by risk-taking women. The most creative of gifts I’ve come across is an iPod touch with a preloaded playlist of songs picked by you, especially for her.
For the practical woman – There are two types of practical woman: those who want practical gifts and those who want stuff they would never buy for themselves, since they are too practical. If you are dating a practical woman, I’d say your best bet is to buy a gift from each side of the spectrum. Take notice if she has mentioned something she needs lately, and buy that. Also buy a practical, but non-essential item, such as chocolates (which you can eat) or a watch (jewelry you can use). And ideal present for a practical woman is perfume, since it is light and feminine, yet useful.
In all instances, I would urge you to avoid stuffed animals, however if your significant other has a teddy bear collection going, adding another one to the mix is a sweet gesture.
Being a practical woman myself, I would be completely content if on Valentine’s Day my husband did something for me that he knows I hate doing, or fixed up something around the house that he knows has been nagging me. Of course, if at the end of the night he gave me a piece of jewelry I never would have let him buy had he asked me beforehand, or a fragrance he wants me to wear on special occasions because he likes it so much, that would be A-OK with me!
