Romantic Gift Ideas for Your Wife

After enough years together, romance gets crowded out by school runs, bills and whose turn it is to take out the trash. A romantic gift for your wife is anything that tells her you still see her the way you did at the start. It does not have to be expensive. It has to be personal, take a little effort, and be about her rather than about running the house. Here are 12 ideas. Our top pick is a love song about her, because it says what most husbands find hard to say out loud.

Hear a love song from Songbond

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 romantic gift ideas for your wife

1. A love song about her ($39.90). Share the first thing you noticed about her, the name you call her and the moment you knew, and Songbond turns it into an original love song. It is ready within 24 hours.
2. A love letter, sealed with wax. Two pages by hand about what you remember from your first year. A wax seal kit costs about $15 and turns a letter into something she keeps.
3. A weekend at a bed and breakfast. Somewhere within driving distance, booked, packed for and with the kids handled. Usually $200 to $500.
4. A necklace with the coordinates of where you met. Engraved on a small bar or disc. About $50 to $150.
5. Twelve roses, each with a note. Tie a small tag to every stem with one reason you love her. About $40 to $90, plus an evening of writing.
6. A couples massage. Side by side, phones off, followed by a slow lunch. Usually $150 to $300.
7. A bath night, set up for her. Candles, good oil, a new book and the door closed, with you handling everything on the other side of it. About $30 to $60.
8. A sunset picnic where you first kissed. Or as close as you can get. A blanket, cheese, fruit and a bottle. About $20 to $50.
9. Your first texts to each other, printed as a small book. Scroll back as far as your phone allows and have the early messages bound. About $20 to $40.
10. Tickets to a candlelight concert. A string quartet playing in a church or an old theater lit only by candles. Usually $40 to $90 a seat.
11. The perfume she wore when you met. If it has been discontinued, ask at a perfume counter for the closest match. About $60 to $150.
12. Breakfast in bed on a weekday. Not on Mother's Day, when she expects it, but on a Tuesday when she does not. The cost of eggs and an early alarm.

How to choose a romantic gift for her

Romance means different things to different women. Some want words, some want to be taken somewhere, and some want an evening where nobody needs anything from them. Think about what made her light up in your first year together.

• If she loves words: the sealed letter, the notes on the roses or the printed texts.
• If she loves to be taken somewhere: the bed and breakfast, the concert or the picnic.
• If she loves quiet evenings: the bath night, the breakfast or the song.

How to give her a love song

Do not text her a link in the middle of her workday. A love song deserves a moment. Play it on a long drive when it is just the two of you, or after dinner with the lights low and the dishes left for later. You could also give it at the start of a weekend away and let it be the soundtrack to the trip. If you are nervous, leave a note on her pillow with the link and the words “Listen to this when you have five minutes alone.” Then let her come and find you.

Tell her in a song

Make a love song for your wife. Share your story, and her song is ready within 24 hours. If the date is tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs about the day we met and Valentine's Day song ideas.