Ideas on Grand Gestures of Love

Everyone has a love story. It doesn't matter if your story began in the library or when you brushed his hand over the keg at a frat party. It's your story and it's one-of-a-kind. Write it out and include every juicy detail -- starting from the moment you met to present day. Now publish your labor of love. You can print the pages and bind them at a local copy shop for just a few dollars. Or you can send the story to one of many online companies to be turned into a hardcover book with glossy pages. Either way, consider adding photographs or photocopies of mementos like ticket stubs or a menu from your first date. The book itself may be small, but the time, effort and personalization is truly a grand gesture of love.

In an era of flash mob proposals going viral, the expectations are higher than ever. So if you are a choreographer with 100 dancer friends, go ahead and plan an elaborate number in the middle of Times Square -- that's definitely a grand gesture. Thankfully, you can still fulfill the grand gesture requirement on a slightly smaller scale. Serenade her outside of her bedroom window. Or recreate an iconic '80s movie moment and hold a boombox above your head as it plays your song. Or surprise her during a night out with a karaoke song and dance routine. Make sure to dedicate it to her before belting it out.

You don't have to hire a sky writer to proclaim your love for him -- though it would be memorable if you did. Instead, consider hanging your written proclamation of love in a public and meaningful space. Ask the owner of his favorite coffee shop or sports bar if you can hang a sign in the window. Or string an "I love you" banner between two trees in front of his home. Buy a bit of ad space in your campus newspaper or local flier. Of course, make sure to include his name somewhere in your display and make sure that he is there to see it.

Some of the grandest gestures are the most personal. Do something meaningful just for her. If she's far from home, call her favorite hometown bakery and have them overnight a few special treats. Make her favorite meal and sit her down to a candlelit dinner. Go old school and make her a "mix tape" of meaningful songs, but put it on a CD or flash drive, of course. Map out a list of meaningful destinations -- the place you met, had your first date, first kiss, and so on -- and take her on a "tour" of your relationship. Turn it into a scavenger hunt or treasure hunt with clues, if you're feeling creative. Any gesture that shows effort and thoughtfulness is bound to be appreciated.