• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • Privacy Policy
  • PRESS
  • CATEGORIES
    • BEAUTY
    • FASHION
    • MOM LIFE
    • LIFESTYLE
    • GIFT GUIDES
    • RECIPES
    • TRAVEL
    • HEALTH & FITNESS
    • MENSWEAR
    • VIDEO
  • SHOP MY INSTAGRAM
    • GIFT GUIDES
  • TAHOE A-FRAME
  • ARCHIVE
  • DISCOUNT CODES

Just Add Glam

the San Francisco lifestyle blog by JENNIFER HENRY-NOVICH

February 13, 2020 / LIFESTYLE

SETTING EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER THIS VALENTINE’S DAY

 How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man kissing a woman's head while she holds a dog.    

As Valentine’s Day approaches, you might be thinking about something sweet to do for your significant other. But are they planning on doing the same? Communication is key in every relationship, especially when it comes to figuring out how to set expectations within your relationship. I can guarantee that neither partner in a healthy relationship wants to let the other down. So if you have any reservations about what to expect this Valentine’s Day, you’re going to want to have a conversation and clear the air. Here is my go-to guide on how to set expectations with your significant other for Valentine’s Day. 

HOW TO SET EXPECTATIONS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

Have you heard about the five different love languages? Created by Dr. Gary Chapman, the philosophy behind love languages is fairly simple: what do you value most in a relationship? For instance, you might be someone who values quality time, whereas your partner might be someone who shows love by giving and receiving gifts. Whatever your love language is, it’s important to know what you crave from your significant other and it’s incredibly important that they know as well. Take the quiz here and educate yourself on what makes you and your partner tick. 

How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man and woman standing under a ski lift.

BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED AND WHY

It’s okay if Valentine’s Day is an important day to you. It’s awesome that you want to take a minute to celebrate your relationship and your love outside of your ordinary date nights. Tell your partner this. They might not understand it initially, but with the right communication, they can get a glimpse into just how much it means to you to celebrate this international day of love. If you’re feeling like the two of you haven’t been super romantic lately either, this is the time to break into that conversation and set an easy date to make up for lost time. Having a conversation like this is an easy and low pressure way to start setting expectations with your significant other this Valentine’s Day.

How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man and woman sitting together outside with their dog.

TALK ABOUT SPENDING LIMITS

If you have decided to spend some money for Valentine’s Day, there are a few things you need to clarify when it comes to spending. Whether you decide to book a trip, buy a gift, go to dinner, or surprise your significant other, costs can really vary. You wouldn’t want to spend under $10 on flowers while your partner spends $100 on tickets to a show. Make sure you both feel comfortable with the number you land on and – say it with me – stick to the budget. If you think you’re being romantic by splurging past the budget, you may end up making them feel guilty that they did not do the same. This is not to say you can’t ever surprise your partner by doing something big, it’s just something to think about!

On the other hand, talk about spending money in general for Valentine’s Day. It may turn out that neither of you want to break the bank and you can rule out spending anything but time with each other for this romantic holiday. 

How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man and woman sitting together outside.

FIND COMFORTABLE COMPROMISES

Often times in relationships you and your partner are not going to agree on everything. Expectations for a holiday like Valentine’s Day might be one of these occasions where you have different philosophies. One way to make sure no one’s Valentine’s Day is ruined is by finding compromises that make you both comfortable when it comes to gifting. This can be important for couples who are new in their relationship and for couples who have been doing this a long time. If you think that Valentine’s Day gifts should be expensive and your partner doesn’t think you should spend anything, try to find something in the middle that works for the both of you.  Something that might work for your relationship is planning your Valentine’s Day celebration together. This could be a great compromise if one person is feeling the pressure more than the other. 

How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man and woman sitting outside with their dog and kissing.

HAVE THE CONVERSATION EARLY

If you’re hoping to have a conversation about setting expectations with your significant other this Valentine’s Day, February 13th is not a great day to do it. Make sure you have this conversation with plenty of time to spare if you’re feeling like it needs to be had. Some things, like ordering flowers or booking a restaurant, need to be taken care of early. There’s no need to add more pressure on your significant other by waiting until the last minute to set your expectations. Your icebreaker can be as simple as saying, “Did we decide what we’re doing for Valentine’s Day this year?” See? It wasn’t that hard. 

How to Set Expectations by popular San Francisco life and style blog, Just Add Glam: image of a man and woman sitting outside with their dog and kissing.

BE FAIR WITH YOUR EXPECTATIONS

This one is really important. You will see a lot of celebrities and affluent people on social media post online about the diamonds and dozens of roses they got. Remember when Kanye West had Kenny G serenade Kim Kardashian? Unless you have your own empire, odds are that you and your significant other cannot afford something like this. And it would be incredibly unfair to expect a grand gesture if the two of you are saving up for other big life moments. The key is to be fair about setting expectations with your significant other this Valentine’s Day. Try not to focus on what others are doing and cherish your own celebration. While it might be nice to dream, it could make things harder for you and your significant other when it comes to making each other happy on Valentine’s Day.  For us this year, having a new baby, our expectations are LOW.  We are lucky if we get a dinner our alone with grandparents babysitting, ha!

Setting expectations with your significant other this Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be scary. If you follow these tips and have a bit of confidence, you’ll be able to get everything out on the table and relieve some pressure. No matter what you decide on doing, make sure it’s something both of you can look back on and smile about.

Do you have any tips on how to set expectations for Valentine’s Day?  Let me know in a comment below!

Next Post
Previous Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

I waited to share putting my 2023 vision board tog I waited to share putting my 2023 vision board together until late January because there it’s so much buzz around the new year and goal setting around the start of the new year…but how about waiting until the buzz around it starts to fade? I’ve been committed since 12/31/2022 but if you need some fresh inspiration for 2023…here you go!

Last year I made a digital vision board in Canva with about 8 vague photos and I never looked at it. This year, I got a huge poster board and nearly 100 very specific images of the things I want. VERY specific. In the short 3 weeks having this propped up in my office and seeing it each day, I’m already seeing the needle moving on these items! 

Have you created a vision board or set goals for 2023? What doe is mean to you? How are you achieving your goals this year? #goalsetting #visionboard
Our favorite hack for traveling with babies! @slum Our favorite hack for traveling with babies! @slumberpod - the ultimate sleep sanctuary for moms and babies. Sleep soundly, sleep safely, and wake up refreshed. For travel, love how we can use this to move about our shared room freely after the kids go to bed 🤫 #slumberpod #babysleep #momlife
Porch pirates no more! I’m ordering some great s Porch pirates no more! I’m ordering some great stuff for hosting and gifting this year and the last thing I need is it walking off my front porch. This season, to make sure my new silverware and champagne flutes make it to my holiday table for hosting, I’m having all of my Amazon orders delivered to my garage thanks to my @myQconnect Smart Garage Control and @AmazonKey. It’s awesome to be able to watch my delivery live from the myQ app when I’m not home to make sure my packages are secure and locked up when it’s all done. Cheers!

Check out link in bio to learn more about myQ and Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery.

Giveaway Alert: myQ will be giving away Smart Garage devices every week through December! Make sure you follow @myqconnect on Instagram for a chance to win! 

#AD #myQHolidayHack
Holiday shopping without the stress of package the Holiday shopping without the stress of package theft! 👏🏻 For holiday shopping this year, l've #partnered with @myQconnect to enable all of my packages to be delivered straight to my garage thanks to the myQ Smart Garage Control and @AmazonKey. I love how this option helps keep my packages secure for peace of mind. One less thing to deal with during an already busy season!

Check out link in bio to learn more about myQ.

Giveaway Alert: myQ will be giving away Smart Garage devices every week through December! Make sure you follow @myqconnect on Instagram for a chance to win!
#AD #myQHolidayHack
#AirbnbPartner One of the things that gives me the #AirbnbPartner One of the things that gives me the most joy is creating beautiful spaces that I get to share with others! SWIPE for before and afters!

I love the design process of coming up with a design in my mind and working to make it a reality for a beautiful escape to share. One question we get a lot is “how can I find a place of my own and get started hosting?” Thanks to @airbnb I’m excited to share that @airbnb is introducing opportunities for renters through Airbnb-friendly apartments. You can break into hosting by renting an Airbnb-friendly apartment where you can live full-time and host part-time. I love how this creates financial opportunity for those who rent to start their hosting journey in an easy-to-start way! If you’re interested in learning more you can check out the link in my IG stories!
Holiday gift idea 🎁 gift new memories with tick Holiday gift idea 🎁 gift new memories with tickets to @enchantchristmas presented by @hallmarkchannel! 4 million lights within the light maze and village for an amazing holiday night out 🤩 #enchantchristmas #hallmarkchannel

Categories

  • BEAUTY
  • BLOGGER TOOLS
  • FASHION
  • GIFT GUIDES
  • GLAM GIRLS COLLECTIVE
  • HOME
  • LIFESTYLE
  • MENSWEAR
  • MOM LIFE
  • RECIPES
  • TAHOE A-FRAME
  • TRAVEL
  • VIDEOS
  • WELLNESS

Archives

  • Email
  • YouTube

Shop my favorites

Copyright © 2023 · Just Add Glam · Designed by Bella Creative Studio