Maybe you struggle to say those three little words in a big and different way on this make-or-break kind of day.
And, with all due respect, maybe you’re hardly the type for expensive jewelry or flowers.
So, as Fleetwood Mac might say, “go your own way.”
You can make your Valentine’s Day special with a few creative options today.
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Renew your vows
Married couples can celebrate love and commitment by revisiting the pledges they made to one another — ‘til death do us part. First United Methodist Church at 618 Eighth St. in downtown Columbus is offering five-minute, no-appointment vow renewals between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again from 5 to 6:30 p.m. today. The individual time slots will include a brief liturgy, blessing of rings, and a short prayer in the chapel adorned with floral arrangements and candelabras — and an artsy marriage banner.
Couples will be free to make donations of any amount to the church’s Love-A-Child Preschool Scholarship fund.
John and Jeannie Piatt will be among those revisiting their promises made 38 years ago. Jeannie Piatt, who works at the church’s preschool, mentioned that she couldn’t pass up the chance to help that program. She also mentioned that they have renewed their vows in the midst of a larger church service elsewhere. But she is uncertain that the renewal idea is any more romantic for her because it’s Feb. 14.
“I’m not a really mushy person,” she said.
Husband John Piatt, though, certainly seems to have romantic tendencies. With very little prodding, he talked of meeting his future spouse while she was with female friends during happy hour at Columbus’ The Cozy Lounge in 1980. He laughed when asked if she was drawn to him immediately.
“I’d like to think so,” he said.
He paused when asked if the renewal time could be extremely sentimental or maybe slightly emotional for him.
“Ask me when it’s over,” he said with a laugh.
Dedicate a song
Columbus resident Rich Gold already planned a dedication for his and wife Alice’s special wedding song from 39 years ago as part of WRZQ Radio’s “Love Songs for Love Chapel” fundraiser. For $10 per song, donors can request a tune to be played and dedicated to a person or group of people from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. Love Chapel is the local outreach supporting everything from a food pantry to the Brighter Days emergency shelter.
Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us” from 1980 is the Golds’ tune. And besides love for his wife, Rich will extend love to the Christian ministry today.
“I really love the work that (executive director) Kelly (Daugherty) and all of them do (at Love Chapel),” Gold said. “So, if you can find a simple way to make your wife happy and also help the community at the same time, that’s certainly not a hard call.”
He chuckled when asked about buying flowers for his spouse on this calendar date.
“A wise friend once told me that you’re much better off sending flowers when they least expect it,” he said.
For the love songs, Gold donated $300, actually — basically enough for about an hour of music, allowing the station to select what they liked for his other songs.
Similar to Gold, Columbus resident Keith Luken and his coworkers at Ruoff Mortgage donated their share of bucks to the love songs event to allow the station to select a few tunes for them. In the past, Luken has donated individually and dedicated songs to his wife and also his two daughters while they were high schoolers.
“It makes it such a fun day, and I love to listen to it all,” Luken said.
And then there’s fast food
For those concerned about listening only to their stomach growl, even fast food outlets are learning to slow their pace and soften their atmosphere for a bit of romantic flair. Tina Hill, local White Castle assistant general manager, figures the fast food restaurant’s annual Valentine’s Day dinner segment, featuring elegant tablecloths and decor such as flowers or candles as centerpieces, will come close to filling its 4 to 10 p.m. time slot today.
Plus, wait staff will take orders at the tables with printed menus even for the most basic craving of sliders.
And it’s popular enough that 30,000 diners in 13 states loved the experience last year, according to the chain’s figures. Locally, as of Thursday afternoon, the restaurant’s reservation slots still were available in the earlier hours at OpenTable.com
Meaning that couples caught in a pickle about their plans still have options.
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- Vow renewal: Between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 5 and 6:30 p.m. today in the decorated chapel of First United Methodist Church at 618 Eighth St. in downtown Columbus. No appointment needed.
- Love Songs for Love Chapel: Donate $10 or more and dedicate a song to someone special on WRZQ Radio, known as QMIX 107.3 FM. Information: qmix.com
- Valentine’s dinner at White Castle: Noteworthy to see the drive-through, fast-food culture slow itself for a sit down meal between 4 and 10 p.m. today at the restaurant at 1686 S. National Road in Columbus. Reservations can be made at OpenTable.com
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