14 Romantic Gestures Women Want To Experience From Guys

14 Romantic Gestures Women Want To Experience From Guys iStock

Ah, the grand romantic gesture — we’ve all seen it a million times in movies and on TV, but have we ever truly experienced it ourselves? It’s 2023, and while we don’t necessarily expect millennial or Gen Z men to come riding up on white horses to sweep us off our feet, there are real-life versions of the romantic gesture that pretty much all women would love to experience.

1. The “I’m Sorry” romantic gesture

The man who actually does something to demonstrate how sorry he is when he screws up is a man who understands that actions speak louder than words. He knows there’ll be much less animosity between the two of you if he sends you beautiful flowers for you to post on Instagram instead of texting his apology.

2. The “It’s Your Special Day” romantic gesture

Calling to say “Happy birthday!” or “Congratulations on landing that job!” doesn’t cut it. He should be celebrating you and taking you out to show how much he cares about you. Since grand gestures are all about showing that he cares and wants to keep you around, he should be jumping at the opportunity to use your birthday or another special occasion as an excuse to plan something awesome.

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4. The “I’ve Been Planning This For Weeks” romantic gesture

There’s nothing hotter than when your man makes a date-night plan with you in advance and has it all planned out. Women hate worrying about when they’ll see their boyfriend next or wondering what they’re going to do, so the advance notice is already a win. In this lazy and entitled millennial culture, a grand gesture is when he takes initiative and actually plans something romantic for the two of you to do together. Even if it’s something simple like a candlelit dinner, the fact that thought went into it makes it a romantic gesture.

5. The “Big Surprise” romantic gesture “

Book the weekend off, I want to take you somewhere.” That’s all he tells you, and then you find out he’s booked a room at a romantic cabin – but it was a surprise. The “surprise” grand gesture doesn’t have to be complicated, especially since he can give you an idea of what you’re doing without giving away all the details.

6. The “I’m Not All Talk” romantic gesture

You know the type of man who says things like “I want to take you to [insert name of fancy restaurant] for dinner soon” but never actually takes you? The modern-day romantic knows the importance of following through on his word. He won’t just say he’s going to do something for you, he’ll actually do it. The art of follow-through is in itself a grand gesture. When a man’s actions match his words, ladies respect that man and know that he’s a keeper.

7. The “Open and Honest” romantic gesture

It takes guts for a guy to lay his feelings on the line, and be open and honest with you about how much he likes you. This type of grand gesture means something because there are no games and he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind.

8. The “I Must Win You Back” romantic gesture

Sometimes, a guy really screws up, which is where this grand romantic gesture comes in. He disrespects you and you’re just done. Most of the time, that’s the end of the story. However, a smart guy knows that he has a shot at winning you back if he finds a  special way of declaring his feelings for you. Again, this will entail some sort of action – not just empty words. You’ll be impressed that he swallowed his pride and attempted to win you back, and if his gesture is genuine, you may even reconsider your decision to end things.

9. The “I know you’re PMSing so I picked up your favorite food” romantic gesture

Instead of making you feel bad about your wildly all-over-the-place hormones, this guy decides there’s no better time to treat you to one or several of your favorite foods. Maybe he stops to grab you a Boston Kreme donut from Dunkin’ on the way home or remembers that you only really like the cheese Doritos and when you eat them, you need a bottle of Diet Coke to wash them down with. Be still my heart!

10. The “I’m desperate to be right but I’ll let you win” romantic gesture

If you’re someone who dates men, you’ve likely experienced that wonderful tendency of theirs to have to be right about every single thing, even stuff they’re not actually correct about at all. That’s called mansplaining and it’s obnoxious as hell. Consider it true love if a guy can shut up and just let you win even when every fiber of his being is telling him to keep running his trap.

11. The “Your Trump-loving aunt is a mess but I’ll go to family Thanksgiving anyway” romantic gesture

You know your family is a hot mess. You don’t like most of them yourself, but they’re your family and there will be drama all year if you don’t turn up for Thanksgiving. He knows this, so despite knowing it’ll be the most infuriating afternoon ever, he agrees to go with you. That’s what we call a romantic gesture.

12. The “Of course she’s not more attractive than you” romantic gesture

I mean, she’s a Victoria’s Secret model with three million Instagram followers and just topped People‘s Most Beautiful People this year, but he swears he doesn’t get the hype and you’re way prettier than her. Does he mean it? The world may never know, but God bless him for trying.

13. The “I’ll go down on you and you don’t need to reciprocate” romantic gesture

It’s a rare one, but boy is it a good one. In fact, it might be one of the best grand romantic gestures out there. When he offers to focus on your pleasure and insists that this time he doesn’t want anything in return, it’s a wondrous occasion. Sometimes you’re frustrated but also really tired, so being able to lie back and enjoy without having to muster up the energy to return the favor afterward is a true gift.

14. The “I can stay with the kids tonight, go have some fun” romantic gesture

Obviously this one only applies if and when you have kids, but if you do, you know just how romantic this truly is. While it’s his kid too and he’s not doing you any favors by spending time parenting his own child, it’s nice of him to go it alone, especially if you have a young baby or toddler who takes a lot more time and energy to care for.

15. The “my ex texted me but I didn’t respond and I blocked her number” romantic gesture

I don’t think I need to explain why this is so good, do I? This shows loyalty, dedication, and proof that he really is over her.

Erica Majored in Psychology at UBC and now works in the glorious dating industry. See more of her articles on her awesome advice column TheBabeReport.com. Oh, and she's obsessed with Hawaii. Want proof? Follow her on Instagram @ericaleighgordon
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