20 Creative Ways to Ask “Will You Be My Valentine”

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Dating coach Crista Beck shares expert-approved ways to woo your boo with a Valentine’s proposal

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Handwritten Card or Letter

2 Gift Basket & Sign

3 Bouquet & Chocolates

4 Locker Decoration

5 “Reasons I Love You” Note

6 Poem Performance

7 Candy or Snacks With a Punny Note

8 Art Supplies with a Punny Note

9 Sticky Note Heart

10 Scrapbook Playlist

11 Social Media Post

12 Favorite Drink with Special Carrier

13 Heart-Shaped Pizza

14 Cake with Iced Letters

15 Digital Photo Album

16 Personalized Mug

17 Personalized Puzzle

18 Custom Film Roll Keychain

19 Picnic Date

20 Scavenger Hunt

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Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: January 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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Valentine’s Day can be super romantic…but you have to win over your potential Valentine first! (And yes, even if you’re already dating, you should still ask them to be your Valentine…because who doesn’t want more whimsy and romance in life??) Anyways, you might be stumped on a cute, creative, and totally swoonworthy way to ask your S.O. to be your Valentine… which is where we come in. This list is full of ideas—from easy to elaborate—that will make your boo feel almost as special as they truly are. Plus, we’ll share bonus tips from crafting and relationship experts to help you create a Valentine’s proposal that’s above and beyond!

What’s a good way to ask someone to be your Valentine?

Dating coach Crista Beck suggests asking someone to be your Valentine in a simple but direct way, like with a cute note, a handmade card, or a bouquet. However—depending on the likes and interests of the person you’re asking—you can also try something more creative, such as:

• A gift basket with a decorated sign, a teddy bear, balloons, and/or some personal gifts.
• A cake in their favorite flavor with “Will you be my Valentine?” written on top in icing.
• A personalized mug with a photo of the two of you and custom text.
• A heart-shaped pizza in a box with “Will you be my Valentine?” on the inside cover.
• A heart made out of sticky notes on their mirror (with a compliment on each one).

Steps

1

Handwritten Card or Letter

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1. This one seems simple, but it can be extremely meaningful if you put in some effort and heartfelt affection! “You can make or buy a card,” says Beck, then write a cute note inside it. Whether you get a store-bought card or craft one from scratch, “it’s all about showing you care,” notes arts and crafts specialist Amy Guerrero. “Make sure to fill out [your card] with a thoughtful message or personal doodle, then don’t forget to decorate the envelope. Adding stickers, washi tape, or hand-lettering their name onto the envelope is [another] way to make the card look great!”

   • As for the contents of your card or letter, “describe on paper exactly how you feel about” your potential Valentine, instructs relationship therapist Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC. “Saying what you love and appreciate about them can be very meaningful and personal.”
   • You can also add a card or letter to any of the options on the list…in fact, we highly recommend it!

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Crista Beck is a dating coach, relationship coach, and matchmaker with over 15 years of experience in helping people become open to love and find a partner.

   Amy Guerrero is an arts and crafts specialist with over 15 years of design experience and a specialization in macrame, DIY crafting, and fiber arts.

   Moshe Ratson, MFT, PCC, is a relationship coach, a Marriage and Family Therapist, and the director of spiral2grow Marriage & Family Therapy, a coaching and therapy clinic in New York City.
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2

Gift Basket & Sign

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1. Another classic—but a classic for a reason! You can’t go wrong with a big, beautiful sign and an assortment of balloons and gifts. Plus, you can personalize the individual items to suit your soon-to-be Valentine! For the sign itself, get a big piece of paper or a posterboard and write “Will you be my Valentine?” in large, colorful letters. You can also use stickers, or cut out the letters from red and pink paper and glue them onto the sign. Add heart doodles, stickers, or other decorative elements to really spruce up your sign.

   • Of course, you can also switch up the way you’re writing the question itself. One of our favorite ideas is to draw two checkboxes under the question with “Yes” and “No” next to them, then give your S.O. a pen to check off their answer!
   • Then, you can turn to the gift basket itself. Include items based on your Valentine’s interests and likes, such as balloons, stuffed animals, snacks, jewelry, cologne, etc. Then, just place them in a cute box or basket!

3

Bouquet & Chocolates

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1. While some may call this boring, we doubt that anyone would balk at a beautiful bouquet and a box of gourmet chocolates—even Beck recommends gifting flowers for your Valentine’s proposal! Just make sure you put effort into this one, since the idea itself is sorta basic—get a nice bouquet of your boo’s favorite flowers, and pick out a high-quality box of truffles in your bae’s favorite flavors. For the “asking” itself, you could tuck a note into the bouquet or into the box of chocolates, or you could simply ask the question directly when handing over the gifts!

   • You can also add a bouquet of flowers to any of the ideas on this list…unless you know for sure that your sweetheart doesn’t like flowers, they’re kinda a must for Valentine’s Day!
   • Ratson agrees, adding that, “to some people, flowers are very meaningful symbols of love, happiness, and family. And, they can simply be a treat!”
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4

Locker Decoration

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1. If you’re in school, decorating your person’s locker is an adorable and super fun way to ask them to be your Valentine! Ask one of their friends to find out their locker combination, if you don’t already know it, then sneak over to their locker while they’re busy in class (you can also do it after school, if you’re allowed to hang out in the building!). Place a decorated sign or poster in their locker that says “Will you be my Valentine?”

   • If you can or want to, include other gifts and decorations like streamers, stickers, balloons, stuffed animals, snacks, etc. Then, do your best to accompany your soon-to-be Valentine the next time they go to their locker…they’ll love the surprise!

5

“Reasons I Love You” Note

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1. First, find yourself a piece of printer-sized paper, ideally a piece of colorful construction paper (you can also scale this whole idea up with a piece of cardboard or poster paper, but we’ll leave that up to you!). Then, make eight tiny envelopes out of paper, or buy a set of tiny scrapbooking envelopes. Glue or tape the envelopes onto your original piece of paper in the approximate shape of a heart by creating rows of 1, 2, 3, and then 2 again (from bottom to top). Next, place a piece of paper in each envelope with a reason you love your partner. In the slip of paper that’s going in the bottommost envelope, write “You’re the best Valentine I’ve ever had…but will you be mine?”

   • Lastly, on the big piece of paper, write “Reasons I Love You” in nice handwriting above or around the envelope heart.
   • When you gift your note to your soon-to-be Valentine, be sure to tell them to open the bottommost envelope last!
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6

Poem Performance

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1. If you have a way with words, then this is the time to harness your inner Shakespeare! You can write a romantic poem inspired by the feelings you have for your Valentine, or you can find an existing love poem and passionately recite it before asking the recipient to be your Valentine! If you’re struggling to write a full poem, there’s nothing wrong with doing something shorter, like a flirty “Roses are red” poem or an original haiku!

7

Candy or Snacks With a Punny Note

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1. Your boo’s favorite treat is already a great Valentine’s surprise, but you can make it even cuter with a punny note or card! There are tons of different ways to do this (we’ll give you some ideas), but the most important thing is to present the snack or candy with a cute note and a pretty ribbon. Here are some treat and pun ideas for your Valentine proposal:

   • For a box of Airheads, write “Boys suck…but will you be this Airhead’s Valentine?”
   • For a bag of Starbursts, write “Baby, you make my heart BURST. Will you be my Valentine?”
   • For a bag of Hot Cheetos, write “Is it hot in here, or is that just you? Either way…would you be my Valentine?”
   • For a bag of gummy bears, write “It would make me beary happy to be your Valentine. Will you be mine?”
   • For multiple treats, replace each of the italicized words with its related candy:
     • “To my Sweetarts: Please don’t Snickers at my rhyme, we always have a Whoppers of a time. I sure love you to Reese’s Pieces, and hey! I wouldn’t trade you for a PayDay. I don’t think of you as an Airheads, I think of you as my Life Savers Gummies instead! You probably think this gift is funny, but I’ll always be your Bit-O-Honey. We could have Mounds of fun if you’d say, “Yes” to being mine this Valentine’s Day.”
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8

Art Supplies with a Punny Note

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1. If your crush or significant other is any type of artist, you can gift them something special while also asking them to be your Valentine. Purchase a pack of nice paintbrushes, paints, pastels, markers, gel pens, or even a pretty stationery set! Wrap the gift or tie a ribbon around it, then attach a note with a matching pun followed by “Will you be my Valentine?” Depending on your exact gift, here are some artsy love pun ideas:

   • “I think you’re ink-credible.”
   • “There paint nobody else like you!”
   • “Pastel my beating heart—you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!”
   • “Oil I want is you.”

9

Sticky Note Heart

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1. All you need for this Valentine's proposal idea is a stack of sticky notes (preferably pink ones) and a pen! Then, grab a bunch of sticky notes—we’re thinking 20 to 30—and write a sweet note or compliment for your boo on each one. On one of the sticky notes, write “Will you be my Valentine?” Optionally, make this sticky note a different color than the others. Then, sneakily arrange the sticky notes in a giant heart on your sweetheart’s bathroom mirror. The next time they go to check their appearance in the mirror, they’ll be wowed by the beautiful display, thoughtful compliments, and sweet Valentine question.

   • It’s up to you how you want to present the ~special~ sticky note. You could place it right in the center if you want them to see it right away, or you could wait for them to read all the other sticky notes, then say you forgot one and hand it to them directly. Up to you!
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10

Scrapbook Playlist

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1. You’ll have to get a little crafty with this one, but it’s excellent for music lovers with more “our songs” than you can count! Start with a spiral memo pad, then make a list of songs “that create certain pleasant memories for you,” says Ratson, “like [a song you heard on] vacation, your wedding song, or just a plain romantic song.” Remove (and recycle!) pages from the pad until you have one more page than you do songs. On each page, sketch a basic version of the song player graphic that you might see on your phone.

   • To do this, draw a large square toward the top of the page, then move below the square and draw a horizontal line, and below that line, draw the shuffle, rewind, pause, fast forward, and repeat symbols from your music player.
   • Then, personalize each page with a different song. Write the song’s title and artist in the space between the square and the horizontal line. Write the duration of the song on the right side of the horizontal line, and a dot somewhere along the line with a timestamp.
   • Next, fill the square on each page with a sketch of the cover art from the song, or print out the cover art and glue it onto the paper.
   • Finally, on the last page, write a fake song title: “Will you be my Valentine?” Then, instead of an artist's name, write “From Me to You.” Instead of an album cover, draw some heart doodles or fill in the space with lipstick prints!
   • If you’d rather ask them to be your Valentine with an actual music playlist, create a playlist where the first letter of each song spells out “Will you be my Valentine?” Then, share it with your person and see what they say!

11

Social Media Post

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1. For a public—but still personalized—Valentine’s proposal, bring it to social media! You can post on TikTok, Instagram, or another social media app, and you’ll be able to get really creative with the type of post you make. For instance, you could post a photo of you and your significant other with a sweet message and a request for them to be your Valentine. You could also post a photo to your Instagram grid, or even create a Reel or TikTok video with a compilation of cute videos, photos, and romantic music. Whatever you choose, make sure to tag your crush or significant other in the post!
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12

Favorite Drink with Special Carrier

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1. Does your boo adore their local coffee shop (and have a definitive signature drink)? This might be your move! Start by buying a Valentine’s drink carrier and writing “Will you be my Valentine?” in permanent marker on the side. You could also use a normal drink carrier…but it’s not as cute, and might be harder to write on. But it’s your call! Then, fill three of the four carrier spots with gifts for your boo. Think a stuffed animal, a box of chocolate, a potted flower, a beauty set…or whatever you think your person will love! At the last minute, order their favorite drink and put it in the last spot in the gift carrier. And there you have it!

   • For an extra special touch, ask your barista to write (or print) “Will you be my Valentine?” on the side of the drink, instead of writing a name. Pretty cute!!

13

Heart-Shaped Pizza

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1. Who doesn’t love pizza?? For this one, you’ll need to find a pizzeria near you that creates heart-shaped pizza (don’t worry—a lot of them offer this around Valentine’s Day). Of course, it’s also pretty easy to make your own pizza and shape it into a heart, especially if you use pre-made dough, which is available at most grocery stores. Either way, once you’ve got your pizza, all you need to do is open it up, take a marker, and write “Will you be my Valentine?” on the inside of the box’s cover. Just make sure the marker ink doesn’t touch the pizza itself—unless it’s a food-safe marker, of course!
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14

Cake with Iced Letters

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1. Cake is a very sweet gift…we actually meant that as no pun intended, but we see it now—and we stand by it! If you’re a baking aficionado, you can totally make a cake from scratch. You can also just buy one at the grocery store! We also recommend a heart-shaped cake (either store-bought or via a heart-shaped cake pan), but that’s also up to you! Regardless, the most important things are that you choose your boo’s favorite flavor and that you write “Will you be my Valentine?” on top of the cake with writing gels.

   • If you want to go the extra mile, you could order a professional cake with all of these elements. It’ll look really beautiful and probably wow your Valentine! But, if that’s not in your budget, a homemade cake is just as thoughtful and romantic.

15

Digital Photo Album

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1. Lots of websites, like My Album and Pixieset, offer features for you to make a digital, shareable album. All you have to do is “collect the pictures” and follow the prompted steps to “create the album online,” says Ratson. On the last page, write something like, “All these memories are great and all, but I’d like to make (at least) one more…will you be my Valentine?”

   • Of course, you can also create a printed or DIY photo album. Do whatever you have the time and money for, and whatever you think your S.O. would like best!
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16

Personalized Mug

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1. For this idea, you’ll need to find a service that will allow you to personalize your mug with custom photos and text. Amazon.com offers customized mugs, along with tons of other websites, like Etsy and Canva. Depending on your level of craftiness, you could also DIY a mug at a local pottery painting studio—instead of photos, add cute doodles or color schemes that are special to you and your soon-to-be Valentine. Whatever route you take, however, make sure to write, paint, or print “Will you be my Valentine?” somewhere on the mug. Then, gift wrap the mug and present it to the recipient!

17

Personalized Puzzle

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1. A game and an adorable Valentine’s proposal?? Count us in! For this one, you’ll have to order a custom puzzle online. When purchasing your puzzle, you’ll have to submit a photo for the puzzle to be made out of—ideally, you’ll want to submit your favorite pic of you and your significant other. Then, there are two ways to pop the actual Valentine’s question. On one hand, you can add it to the photo itself by uploading the photo into an editing app (like Canva), adding a text box over the photo, and typing out “Will you be my Valentine?” Save that file, and then submit the edited photo for your puzzle order.

   • If you choose this first option, make sure to hide any preview of the puzzle’s final image from your giftee—otherwise, the surprise will be spoiled before they complete the puzzle!
   • Alternatively, order the puzzle with the normal photo, then secretly put the puzzle together yourself when it arrives. Then, on the back of the puzzle, use a permanent marker to write “Will you be my Valentine?”
   • Once the ink dries, take the puzzle apart again and give it to your significant other for them to complete. When they do, give them some packing tape to stick the puzzle pieces together, then have them flip the entire puzzle over—that’s when they’ll see your romantic message!
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18

Custom Film Roll Keychain

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1. If your soon-to-be Valentine is super nostalgic, loves a keychain, or is a major photography nerd…this is the perfect idea for you! All you need to do is order a custom film roll keychain from a photography store or website. Upload as many photos of you and your significant other as the order form will allow. However, for the last photo (which should be the last one that will be pulled out of the roll), upload a plain colored graphic with “Will you be my Valentine?” typed on top of it.

   • For example, you can go to a photo editing site (like Canva), create a new image, then add a text box and type “Will you be my Valentine?” Download this image, then upload it with your normal photos to be added to the keychain.

19

Picnic Date

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1. Choose a beautiful and quiet picnic spot for your date, like a local park, beach, or even your own backyard! Prepare a picnic basket with some treats, snacks, sandwiches, or finger foods, as well as some yummy drinks. Along with the food, pack a cozy blanket (that you don’t mind placing on the ground), as well as some paper plates and napkins for your date to eat off of. Now that you have the basics prepared, there are a couple of options for the actual asking bit.

   • One option is to ask friends to set up the picnic while you’re getting you and your date there, and have them put a “Will you be my Valentine?” sign in place that your date will see as soon as they walk up.
   • You could also put a “Will you be my Valentine?” card or letter inside the basket, or simply ask them verbally at some point during our picnic!
   • Some optional extras for your picnic include a portable music speaker, cushions to sit on, and/or some board games to play. And, importantly, don’t forget to check the weather!
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20

Scavenger Hunt

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1. If you know that your crush or S.O. loves mysteries or games, a scavenger hunt is a brilliant Valentine’s proposal idea! To design your scavenger hunt, start by creating a list of places or hiding spots that you want to include in your hunt—depending on how much time and transportation you and your Valentine will have, you can center your spots in one area/building, or spread them out over a larger neighborhood or city. Either way, determine the order of your hiding places and write exciting clues to lead your Valentine from one spot to the next. In the final spot, they should find a slip of paper, sign, or gift that says “Will you be my Valentine?”

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Tips

• Remember: The most important part of any Valentine’s proposal is effort and thoughtfulness. When deciding on your idea, choose something personal to your person that you’ll know they’ll like, and that demonstrates you know and care about their wants and interests. Is your guy not big on sweets or thinks gift boxes are kinda tacky? Skip it! Does your girl love DIY crafts, like the Scrapbook Playlist? Well, there’s your answer!
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