20 Latinas Reveal Their Best and Worst Valentine’s Day Memories

Celebrating Valentine’s Day has become a global phenomenon and the day of showering your loved ones with thoughtful gifts and memorable praise is quickly approaching! We’ve spoken to 20 Latinas to get their real stories about their best and worst Valentine’s Day memories. From over the top gestures to the night of their lives with gal pals, they shared their heartfelt, hilarious, and horrendous Valentine’s Day stories with us.

1.The one who was almost set up with her brother.

Instagram / thecanalhouseuk

“When I was at my previous job, I worked with an older Uruguayan lady, she was like a grandma to me. On Valentine’s Day, she came running to me, holding a magazine in her hand, and saying look at that Uruguayan boy, you need a guy like this. When I saw the picture I threw up in my mouth….it was my charming brother, apparently, without me knowing he got featured in a Spanish local magazine, there was his photo with the title: “South American Bachelor.” – Daniella, New York, NY, USA

2. The one celebrates the love of her gal pals.

Instagram / prerollparty

“My best Valentine’s Days have been when my girlfriends and I were all single. Instead of doing the anti-Valentine’s Day things like going on about how it’s a meaningless Hallmark holiday and opting out, we always chose to focus on the love that was in our lives. All of us are crafty so we used to make valentines and leave them in each other’s mailboxes. My friend made these incredibly complex origami ones which involved major folding skills. It was so complicated that it was like opening a present. Another year, she made a collage of a human heart that read, “I anatomically heart you”. We did a heart-shaped pizza another year. – Ruth, 

3. The one who thought her boyfriend didn’t get her a gift.

Instagram / jutatoovieira

“I was in high school and my boyfriend at the time didn’t buy me anything for Valentine’s Day. I was upset and complaining for a few minutes. The whole time he was silent and then stepped out and when he came back he had a bag from Americans Diamond with an expensive necklace with a cross on it which made me happy like a contestant on The Price is Right but then it made me feel bad too because he spent so much on it. I would have been satisfied with a card or some flowers.” – Brenda, San Antonio, TX, USA

4. The one who married a man who knows what she loves.

Instagram / lemielcollection

“I love flowers. My apartment has vases scattered all over the place to support my floral habit. A few years ago, my husband and I decided that there were so many gift-giving occasions each year that it would be nice to keep Valentine’s Day super simple. We’d just get each other something small and go out to dinner, nothing big. He surprised me by telling me that my gift was a flower shopping spree. I was ecstatic, and he got a good laugh out of watching me put together my favorite blooms. Our apartment smelled like the most amazing garden for weeks. Knowing that my happiness made him happy made it one of my favorite Valentine’s Days ever.” – Samantha, Boston, MA, USA

5. The one who really hates teddy bears.

Instagram / lindasbeautyvlog

“I had adamantly expressed my utter disdain for teddy bears and told my boyfriend to never get me one. On Valentine’s Day, he handed me the ugliest, scruffiest, rinky-dinky teddy bear that I’ve ever seen–until he told me to look underneath it. There was a pocket there and inside–a jewelry box which contained the most beautiful silver necklace I had ever seen with our initials engraved in it. I felt like a complete jerk! It was the most thoughtfully romantic gift anyone had ever given me.” – Stephany, Bloomfield, NJ, USA

6. The one who went on a wonderful anti-Valentine’s date.

Instagram / shikabee_photo

“My first date with my husband was sort of an anti-Valentine’s Day. He’d said that Valentine’s Day is cheesy and took me on a date on February 15th instead. We went to see a play called Pygmalion at the Globe Theater which is an exact replica of Shakespeare’s theater–but in San Diego’s Balboa Park. We had drinks at the Prado beforehand and ate Mexican food at the trendy El Camino afterward. Three years later, in October, he proposed to me at Balboa Park, and we sat at the same table having drinks at the Prado again.” –Alexandra, Washington D.C., USA

7. The one who overheard her date being crude.

Instagram / california_vibezzz

“My date took me to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day. It was going perfectly until I returned from using the restroom and happened to overhear him telling the barista there that he was totally gonna get laid for taking a girl here. Needless to say, the night ended with a thank you and a handshake.” – Sara, Tustin, CA, USA

8. The one who met her husband on V-Day.

Instagram / shopbdc_

“I met my husband on Valentine’s Day in 2008. I’d traveled to the USA for work training. He was at the same training and we worked together but didn’t talk more than the necessary. At the end of the training, he went back to his town and I went back to my country without thinking that I would see those green eyes again.

A month later, I received an empty email from him. I was confused since I didn’t give him my info, just my name, and place of work. He decided to try to find me and sent several emails to different people with my name until he found me. After that, we started talking on the phone and then he decided to visit my country. Long story short, we’ve been married for almost 9 years and have two beautiful little boys.” – Alejandra, Naples, FL, USA

9. The one who didn’t hold back on seconds or thirds.

Instagram / bakedbymelissa

“One Valentine’s Day I went on a date with my now husband and he took me to an all-you-can eat-restaurant. As a woman, you sometimes feel pressure to eat less than you usually would and reserve yourself to not give the vibe que eres comelona. At this point in my life, at 25, I was taking a new approach – an unapologetic like-me-as-I-am-or-else-it-won’t-work attitude. So I went for it! I ate everything my heart desired on that date, and even kept eating as he was already on his dessert and mentioning that he was full. I wanted him to know that this girl can eat. I had no reason to put on an act or withhold what I really wanted to please a man! Many many dates later, we still both eat without any shame and he loves me for it.” – Christie of Vida With Christie, Toronto, Canada

10. The one who celebrated with dance.

Instagram / benidormsummerfestival

“One of my best Valentine’s Day experiences was when I decided to take a weekend trip with my friends to participate in the annual San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival. I was single and thought what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than together with friends who enjoy dancing as much as I do? Long story short, I spent Valentine’s Day taking salsa and bachata workshops all day, had an amazing Peruvian dinner at a nearby restaurant with friends, and spent the night dancing to Latin music until the next morning. I grew up believing that Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate not just love but amistad. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate this.” – Edith, Seattle, WA, USA

11. The one who shared a gift with another woman.

Instagram / joi_bella

“On Valentine’s Day, my date bought me a bear. Later, I saw that another girl he knew posted on Facebook with a very similar bear, but smaller. At the store, I saw that the bears came in a set together. My bear had come with another little bear that he had given to her!” – Francheska, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

12. The one who had a boyfriend who paid attention.

Instagram / laura_gula

“I once mentioned that I’d always wanted someone to give me one of those oversized teddy bears. I’d never had a guy who did romantic things for me. Mind you, this right out of high school. After dinner, we went to his place to watch a movie. When I opened the door and I saw an oversized teddy bear on the couch with chocolates and flowers. I was so happy that someone had actually remembered something I said in passing and made a mental note to surprise me with something so cute and thoughtful. It was one of my favorite Valentine’s Days!” – Stephanie of Wanderlust Beauty Dreams, Colombian-American

13. The one who cherishes a grade school gesture.

Instagram / sweetflavor.ukraine

“One of my best Valentine’s Day memories is from 5th grade, in San Antonio, Texas. We had cubby holes in our homeroom, where we kept all our stuff. A boy I liked, snuck into our class during P.E., & put a gift in my cubby. It was Coca Cola flavored lipgloss! It was the 70’s, and lipgloss was king! It was my first gift from a boy and I was all chiflada! Pero mi mama was old school and would’ve been mad if she knew. I gave the lipgloss away, and my mom never found out!”– Rosalynda of Mixed Blessings Blog, Milpitas, CA, USA

14. The one who had a regretable dinner.

Instagram / leyniarestaurant

“My worst Valentine’s Day happened last year. I was a senior in college and my boyfriend at the time was also a student, so we were on a tight budget. I bought us tickets to go see La Sonora Dinamita and he was going to treat us to dinner. He didn’t think to book reservations anywhere so we struggled to find a place. We finally settled on a spot and had a decent dinner. We danced for a bit and enjoyed listening to the band. I woke up early the next morning feeling sick. I realized why the restaurant wasn’t packed; I got terrible food poisoning! My boyfriend was sound asleep while I was puking up my Valentine’s Day dinner.” – Lupita, Santa Rosa, CA, USA

15. The one who accidentally splurged on a meal.

Instagram / skylarkeastbourne

“On my first Valentine’s Day with my husband, we went to our favorite restaurant. Turned out that it was a fixed menu that night so what we thought would be a max $60 dinner turned out to be $130. It left him so broke that from that moment on we decided to never eat dinners that expensive except for our yearly anniversaries. We’re now married and both have great jobs. We stopped worrying about what we spend on food. Every once in a while, when we have one of those expensive dinners, we sit back and remember all those years of having to be so frugal when we went out.” – Daniela, North Bergen, NJ, USA

16. The one who has been around the globe with her love.

Instagram / upcjqp

“I met a British guy while backpacking Southeast Asia. We continued to travel together and spent our first Valentine’s Day in Máncora, Peru. An expat recommended a small guesthouse located in a remote beach just half an hour north of where we were staying. It was a simple but cute bungalow right on the sand in a deserted beach. We walked over to a local shop, bought some cheap wine and pasta and made our dinner together for the first time. We’re married now! It’s a fantastic memory and the beginning of many fun adventures together.” – Alexandra, Los Angeles, CA, USA

17. The one who had an unintentional surprise.

Instagram / apericenawine

“A really sweet guy who I had known for a long time asked me to join him for dinner at a fancy new restaurant on Valentine’s Day. We both agreed that we weren’t interested in each other in a romantic way and he was going to take care of the check. Plus, I had heard great things about the food and I had no other plans. Did I mention he was going to pay?We arrived and the waiter offered to take my coat. We sat down and there was a napkin on the floor right next to his chair. He picked up the napkin, but it turned out to be a pair of lace crotchless panties my friends gifted me as a joke! Apparently, they got stuck to my coat while I was rushing out of my house. I tried to act surprised and disgusted as I prayed to the Virgencita that he wouldn’t think they were mine. He called the waiter over to complain, but the waiter replied, “Oh yes, they fell out of this young lady’s coat.” I had to come clean and tried to explain. He said he believed me, but I’m sure homeboy thought I intended to wear them for him. It was the most awkward dinner of my life!”– Perla, Riverside, CA, USA

18. The one who celebrated with Frida and Diego.

Instagram / yp_art_

“The best Valentine’s Day for me (even now that I’ve been married for 3 years) was with friends. I was single and with a group of five other single girlfriends. We went to a Jazz night at the High Museum in Atlanta. The exhibit that evening was on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s relationship! We then went to dinner and cocktails together and celebrated how badass we all are! The older I get, the less importance I place on Valentine’s Day because we should demonstrate our love in small, real ways every day.” – Patricia, Florence, Italy

19. The one who had a boyfriend who kind of tried–but failed.

Instagram / lettemacarons

One year, a boyfriend cooked me dinner since I was the one who usually made us food… Which seems really sweet EXCEPT he did everything wrong. At the time, I was doing a vegan, alcohol and sugar-free cleanse for the month. His dish included everything that I couldn’t have. In retrospect, it spoke to the bigger problem in our relationship: He never took me or what I wanted into consideration. In fact, he turned out to be extremely manipulative. I should have known considering his complete misfire with Valentine’s Day.” – Irina, Fort Myers, FL, USA

20. The one who went into labor.

Instagram / sarahshambaughphoto

“My best Valentine’s Day started unexpectedly at 3 am in form of two minute apart contractions. It was the worst timing. My southern town was closed due to a snowstorm so leaving the house was not recommended. My husband braved the cold, shoveled a path, and carried me through the hills so we could get to the car. Driving to the hospital was another challenge due to black ice. I was scared that we wouldn’t make it. But my husband again braved the circumstances and drove us safely to the hospital door. That Valentine’s Day, I learned again that love is brave and persevering. A few hours later, our baby came to the world in one of the most challenging days of our lives.” – Linda, Raleigh, NC, USA

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