12 Valentine's Day gifts that aren't chocolates or flowers
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Updated 6 September 2026.
Chocolates and flowers are fine. They are also what everyone else in the office is getting, they cost double in February, and by the fifteenth they are gone. The twelve ideas below are for people who want the gift to still be around in March. They work for him or her, for a three-month relationship or a thirty-year one. One is our own personalised song; the rest we do not sell.
1. A song about the two of you
Written from your story: how you met, the first date, the running jokes, the thing you would want said. Fully sung in the genre they love, with their name in the chorus, delivered within 48 hours with a lyric sheet. Deluxe puts it on Spotify and Apple Music so they can share it. It is the one Valentine's gift nobody else can give them. From £14.99. See our pages for a song for your girlfriend, boyfriend or wife.
2. The first date, again
Same place, same table, same walk. If it has closed, cook the same thing. Cost of dinner. The gift is remembering the details.
3. A print of the place you met
The bar, the festival field, the office, the app (there are illustrators who will draw that too). £30 to £150. It hangs in the hallway for years.
4. A letter, handwritten, one page
The most under-used Valentine's gift there is. Free. Say the specific thing rather than the general thing.
5. Twelve envelopes, one a month
A short note or a small plan for every month until next Valentine's Day. Free to whatever the plans cost. It turns one day into a year.
6. A weekend with the phones off
Booked, packed, childcare sorted if needed. £150 to £400. Give the confirmation in a card on the fourteenth.
7. The playlist, made properly
Every song that means something, in order, with a line about why for each. Free. Add your personalised song as the final track.
8. A class for two
Cocktails, pasta, pottery, dance. £50 to £150. The kind of Valentine's gift that produces a story rather than a thing.
9. Something they mentioned once
The book, the jumper, the gadget they looked at in November. £20 to £200. Proof of attention beats proof of spending.
10. A photo book of the year
Every photo of the two of you since last February, printed. £25 to £60. Nobody makes these; everybody keeps them.
11. Breakfast in bed, but organised
Their actual favourite breakfast, from the place they like, at the time they want it, on a day they do not work. £15 to £40.
12. A star map, if you must
A print of the sky on the night you met. Widely available, £25 to £60, and a little generic now, so write your own line on the mount and pair it with something from higher up this list.
For him or for her?
The list is the same. The details change. A song for a boyfriend leans towards his genre and often towards funny; a song for a girlfriend or wife more often goes warm and, with Deluxe, onto her playlists. The letter, the class and the weekend work identically in both directions. If you are early in a relationship, choose from the lighter half of the list: the playlist, the class, the breakfast, or a song briefed as playful rather than romantic.
By budget
- Free: the letter, the playlist, the twelve envelopes.
- Under £50: the photo book, the breakfast, the star map, a Standard personalised song at £14.99.
- £50 to £150: the print of where you met, the class, a Deluxe song with a Spotify release.
- Over £150: the weekend, the thing they mentioned if it was expensive.
Timing
Valentine's Day is the one date on the calendar when made-to-order gifts get squeezed. Prints and photo books need two to three weeks in early February. A personalised song is written and delivered within 48 hours, and 24 with the rapid option, which makes it the fallback that still counts as thoughtful on the thirteenth. The letter and the playlist can be done on the night.
Write their song - from £14.99
Three rules for a Valentine's gift that lasts
Make it specific. "Our first date at the Italian on Bold Street" beats "a romantic dinner". Make it yours. The letter in your handwriting, the playlist in your order, the song from your brief. And make it low on pressure. Valentine's Day carries enough expectation already; the gift should feel like attention, not like a test either of you has to pass.
What about a card?
Send one, but write in it. Most Valentine's cards carry a printed verse and a signature, which is why they go in the recycling. Two lines in your own words, naming one thing you love about them, and the card becomes the gift. If you cannot find the words, that is exactly the job a personalised song does: the brief goes in as bullet points and comes back sung.
If it is a long-distance Valentine's
Half the list works at a distance. The song, with Deluxe, is on Spotify for them to play wherever they are. The playlist, the letter posted a week ahead, the twelve envelopes handed over on the next visit, and the photo book sent to their door all travel. Breakfast in bed can be ordered to their flat from the place they like.
If you are giving one of these as a couple
Some couples skip presents and give each other one thing to do together. The class, the weekend and the first date again all work as joint gifts. A song can too: brief it together about the two of you and play it on the night. It is cheaper than two separate presents and it usually lands harder.
Whatever you choose, write two lines of your own in the card; that is the part that gets kept.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Valentine's gift that is not flowers or chocolates?
Anything that lasts past the week: a song about you two, a letter, a print of where you met, a photo book, a plan for the year. The common thread is that they carry your details.
What is a unique Valentine's gift for him?
A song written about him in his own genre, briefed funny if that suits him. Tickets or a class for two are the next most personal.
What is a romantic Valentine's gift that is not too much for a new relationship?
The playlist, the class, breakfast, or a personalised song briefed as light and playful. Avoid anything that implies a promise.
How late can I order a personalised song for Valentine's Day?
Two days before is safe with standard delivery, and the day before with the 24-hour option. Order earlier if you also want it live on Spotify, which takes five to seven days.