relationships

Plan (and execute!) a perfect anniversary surprise with these helpful tips.

DO
• Remember the date! If you forget your anniversary, you’ll be surprised at how fragile your marriage really is and how much more effort and expense you’ll spend to compensate for your stupidity.
• Listen, file it away and then deliver. If in May your partner reveals that they’d like to learn how to surf, file it away and deliver surf lessons in August.
• Come up with a cover story. Tell your mate you’ve made a reservation at a nice new restaurant and then stick to your story.
• Actually have a plan. Taking them on a last-minute “Choose Your Own Adventure” drive around town while you look for a restaurant with free parking is a surprise alright. A dumb one.
• If you need inside help, get it. Enlist one or two friends, relatives or coworkers whom you can trust to help with your misdirection campaign.
• Do something original that shows you appreciate what makes them so special to you.
• Cover your tracks. If you’re planning the surprise on a shared home computer, always: (a) erase your Internet and Word history; (b) log out of your email; and (c) save your plans on a USB flash drive.
• Stick to your regular schedule. If you keep disappearing to work on your preparation, they’ll get anxious and suspicious.
• Give them a photo collage that includes a dozen special moments in your relationship.

DON’T
• Surprises should be great or they shouldn’t happen at all. Gift-wrapped oven mitts? Not even close to surprise-worthy.
• Roses good, but potted plant = no sex.
• Shopping trip good, but cookware and appliances = no sex for quite a while.
• Avoid a gift that’s really for you, e.g. German porn or hockey tickets if your partner would rather go to a John Legend concert.
• Don’t repeat yourself. That dress you surprised her with four years ago? Don’t keep buying it, year after year. First time’s a treat; fourth time’s a curse.
• Don’t hint too much that a surprise is coming. A cottage-country surprise will look pretty feeble if they think you’re taking them on a week-long holiday to the Virgin Islands.
• Don’t let him/her see the credit card bills if you have a joint account.
• Don’t talk about how much money or effort you put into the surprise.

Have you downloaded the 2life app yet? It is the perfect way for couples to stay connected and organized. Chat, share, collaborate and coordinate with your partner, all in one colorful, easy-to-use app. Download now, it’s FREE!