image from here.
This week we are spotlighting a very fun blog all about building romance in marriage.
Love, Actually was created to inspire couples to spice up their relationships. Cher and her husband are the co-authors, or “partners in crime” as she puts it, of the site. They are focused on sharing unique and creative dates, which they believe will have endless benefits in a relationship.
On her site, Cher gives this quote credit for the inspiration behind Love, Actually:
“What is the difference between a mediocre relationship and a great one?
What is the secret ingredient that causes your love for each other to grow every day, year after year?
The answer is simple: romance.
Being romantic is more than just saying “I love you” and buying flowers for special occasions.
It’s finding unique and unexpected ways to show your partner how much you love them on a daily basis by creating romance with loving rituals.
It is doing the little things that will make you both feel loved, appreciated and excited about your life together.” -lovingyou.com
Read on for our interview with Cher.
How did LoveActually come to be? How have readers responded?
I had done several creative dates for my hubby in our few years of marriage – and him for me,-and I really enjoyed sharing those ideas with friends. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while, with no real inspiration as to what about. Then one day, over lunch with my hubby, it just came to me. I had been all over the blogosphere and there was not a single blog about creative romance ideas–I’m talking date/romance ideas with pictures, item checklists, the whole works (at least nothing to the extent that Love Actually has taken it). So, that was it. I mulled over it a few days, did a little research, and then created Love Actually. My reader response has been phenomenal. It’s a topic that most everyone can relate to and it has endless possibilities.
What have been your favorite top 3 ideas you’ve shared so far?
Booty Camp - oh, to be a fly on the wall the night that hubby and I came up with this date night… We had fun writing/creating this idea!
April Showers Forecast Spoof - I like these ideas that really appeal to the husband because ultimately, it’s who I do all this for! This one’s a simple guy pleaser.
Newsflash – just a creative way to say how much you love him…
What is your favorite date that your husband has taken you on?
Skydiving. I think it was a test of my spontaneity and adventure. I passed with FLYING colors.
Couples romance can be a personal topic. How (or why) are you able to share your own romance with the whole internet?
I’ve honestly never considered that. Marriage is just such a precious and important thing to me and I think it’s a small sacrifice to get a little “personal” at times in light of all the marriages that are improving daily by the application of the simple and inexpensive ideas found on Love Actually. I think a lot of people have this idea that romance and love should stay “behind closed doors.” I’m here to debunk that myth and show that romance can be brought out in the open (obviously within reason) to enlighten all of us of how to better “woo” our spouses so that marriages last! I want my marriage to last through eternity, and I know others do too, so I’m more than happy to share ideas that I’m using to help me down that path!
Who are the examples in your life? The couples who inspired you to cultivate great romance in your marriage?
This is going to sound weird, but honestly, old people. Old couples who I see holding hands walking down the aisle in the grocery store. Seriously? After all those years of being around each other, and they STILL want to hold hands. In the grocery store no less!! That’s inspiring to me. There’s got to be something to that. That’s what I want for my marriage. To want to be close to my husband, even after so many years. To wonder what in the world I’d do without him. To hope that he’ll always be mine. To grow old together!
You have so many great ideas. Are there any books or web sites where you find inspiration?
Absolutely. My first source of inspiration was lovingyou.com. I’d go there to find ideas for me and hubby (way before Love Actually was even thought of). Since Love Actually has been in the works, I’ve tried to avoid as many romance books as possible (okay, I’ve slipped a couple of times) because it’s very hard to find someone else’s great idea and be able to steer my mind away from that to come up with an equally creative, original idea. It’s almost like it has to come from scratch or I feel like I’ve stolen someone’s idea and it’s not my own anymore. Obviously, there are some borrowed ideas or reader suggestions on Love Actually, but I definitely try to come up with my own ideas to keep Love Actually fresh and different than your average “101 creative date ideas” articles.