The last time you did something special for your wife, did she respond with the requisite peck on the cheek and a demure “You shouldn’t have”? Or did her eyes light up with ecstasy, like they did on your wedding day?
If you want her to brag all over town about her man, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles found that 75 percent of women value creativity over material wealth when choosing a long-term partner. But you don’t have to be Baudelaire to prove that she’s your muse. Instead, blow her away with carefully planned surprises to show her the resourceful, inventive guy lurking beneath the corporate suit.
“Surprises show her that even when you’re apart, you’re thinking about how to make her happy,” says Patricia Potter-Efron, author of Reclaim Your Relationship.
1 Hire a chef
Call her favorite restaurant–whether it’s a five-star eatery or a neighborhood gem–and ask the head chef to pay a house call on his night off. Enlist one of her friends to keep her out of the house for a few hours, and time it so that the first course is ready to be served when she walks through the door.
2 Whisk her away
Make reservations for a Friday dinner date with her, and hide an overnight bag in the car trunk (after you’ve packed it with her favorite clothes and shoes). For the kicker, trick her into finding the hotel key or plane tickets you’ve tucked away in the glove box.
3 Renew your vows
You don’t have to wait until your 25th wedding anniversary to remind your wife why you love her. Surprise her with an impromptu ceremony–just the two of you–and commit yourself to each other all over again.
