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Gone are the days when you had to plan Valentine’s Day all by yourself, without the help of an always-connected computer in your pocket. Now you can do everything from sending real cards gifts to making last minute restaurant hotel reservations with just a few taps on your touchscreen.
Here are 10 apps you need to pull off a flawless Valentine’s Day.
It’s never too late to give your lover a pretty bouquet or a box of chocolates thanks to 1-800-FR’s same-day delivery service. The app lets you find in-stock arrangements (complete with teddy bears heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, if you so desire) order them at the last minute through local florists. For same-day weekday delivery you’ll need to order before 2 p.m., for same-day Saturday delivery (Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year), 1 p.m. is the cut-off time.
Expect a rush don’t wait until the last minute.
1-800-FRS (Free)
Nothing says “I love you” quite like getting a physical card in the mail. But do you really love anyone enough to go to the drugstore, buy a terrible Hallmark card, sign it, then drop it in your outgoing mail slot?
obably not, which is why Ink Cards is the next-best thing: This app lets you create personalized greeting cards, which are then printed mailed for you, all for the low price of $1.99 per card. st make sure to plan ahead: cards usually take 3 – 5 days to reach recipients.
Ink Cards (Free; Cards cost $1.99/each)
If flowers aren’t your thing (maybe your significant other is allergic), you still have options. Sesame Gifts is an app that lets you send curated gift boxes to your special someone. Gifts range from a $12 box of magnets quote card prints to a $475 diamond stud necklace, so there’s definitely something for everyone. Shipping costs $4.95 for stard delivery (5 – 7 business days) or $14.95 for 2-day delivery.
Sesame Gifts (Free)
st because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you should pay full price for food, drinks, or entertainment.
Use Groupon’s app to find group discounts on restaurants, bars, romantic activities such as a couple’s massage or a sunset cruise. If you need some help getting ready for the most romantic night of the year, Groupon can help with that, too—spa treatments, blowouts, hair removal services will get you in shape for sexiness.
Make sure your restaurant choice is on point with Urbanspoon’s hy reviews app. Urbanspoon lets you find nearby restaurants by feature (“romantic” is an option, as is “private dining”) view full menus (so you can make sure there are enough vegan-friendly dishes, or check if they serve oysters). Urbanspoon also links you directly to online booking apps such as OpenTable Rezbook, so you can make a last-minute reservation…just in case.
Urbanspoon (Free)
Not everyone goes out on Valentine’s Day. If you prefer to stay in, we’ll assume you’re at least going to make your partner a romantic dinner, using the Epicurious recipe app.
The app sorts recipes into categories (such as “Decadent Deserts” “I Can Barely Cook”), each recipe features a professional photo easy-to-follow instructions. For the truly directionless, Epicurious even lets you add recipes to a universal shopping list, so you know what to pick up at the grocery store, hopefully a day or two before Valentine’s Day.
Epicurious Recipe App (Free)
Running out to grab a bottle of wine kind of kills the mood, but what if you underestimated your alcohol needs? Minibar Delivery is an app that offers free alcohol delivery (wine, spirits, beer, mixers) to your door ASA The app currently works in select parts of NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, s Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn, Queens, Miami, lm Beach, Ithaca, stchester, the Hamptons, though same-hour delivery is only guaranteed in Manhattan.
Minibar Delivery (Free)
Dateless on Valentine’s Day? Try a quick-match app like Hinge to find a last-minute partner. Hinge is like Tinder, but with a twist: Instead of matching you up with rom-but-nearby people, Hinge only connects you with nearby friends-of-friends, based on your Facebook profile.
It’s still an opt-in dating app (both people must say yes to each other before a connection is made) but you’re more likely to find people you have something in common with. Assuming you have things in common with your Facebook friends.
Hinge (Free)
If online dating—even friends-of-friends online dating—isn’t really your thing, HowAbout Dating is a different kind of dating app that can find you a fun partner-in-crime for V-Day.
In HowAbout, you describe a date you’d like to go on (e.g. “How about we…go to a movie, because I’m the most boring person in the world.”), potential matches can say “I’m intrigued” or “skip.” The goal of HowAbout is to actually go on your proposed date, so it’s a bit more action-oriented than other dating apps.
HowAbout Dating (Free)
st in case one of those last-minute dates goes exceptionally well…you’ll want this as a backup plan. Hotel Tonight will help you find deals on same-night hotel rooms. Hopefully I don’t have to spell it out for you. (so, for V-Day, Hotel Tonight is running a 10% off special with the code ‘VE’.)
Hotel Tonight (Free)
