Putting pen to paper, especially to detail your innermost emotions, is a monumental task. As a full-time writer, I can assure you that writer’s block is a real thing! The hardest part is organizing your thoughts and making the jump to solidify that first word. In this guide, we’re going to help you get started with a few romantic love letter ideas and some pointers on expressing your feelings with fluidity and ease. With a few of these tips in your pocket, you’ll be a regular Nicholas Sparks in no time!
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History of the Love Letter
Since humans began putting pen to paper, we’ve been attempting to win affection or document our romance in love letters. Many associate the first love letters with medieval courtly love. They were certainly popular by the Renaissance, but actually, some of the oldest references to love letters appear in Indian mythology dating back 5,000 years. Song of Songs, an Old Testament book in the Bible, is an epic and erotic love poem portraying events of the 10th century B.C. In short, a love note is a tried and true method of expressing emotion, telling the story of your romance, and sharing it with the world.
The Parameters for a Great Love Letter
Whether you’re writing a Valentine’s Day card or constructing the vows for your wedding day, there are some basic points that all love notes should aim to hit.
Genuine
First of all, the best love letters are genuine. If you want to avoid being cheesy, don’t use cliches and wording that you wouldn’t use in your everyday jargon. It should sound like you. It’s okay to be vulnerable. If writing down your feelings is difficult for you. It’s perfectly acceptable to admit that in the letter. Be truthful and transparent.
Handwritten
Secondly, a handwritten letter is a far more romantic gesture than a text message or typed note. Take the time to handcraft your masterpiece. If your handwriting is awful, you could also use something like Text A Letter, an app that allows you to create a note with graphics, your chosen font, and a special design that can be sent digitally. The important part is to show your partner that you put ample thought and creativity into the process.
True to Your Relationship
If you aren’t a good writer, you can certainly incorporate a love quote or utilize a template. Just make sure that the heart behind the words is true to your feelings. Writing love letters is less about impressive language and more about the correct language! If you choose to use someone else’s words, make sure they accurately express your feelings. There should be a marked difference between a cute note for your first date and an anniversary letter for a couple with a 30-year love story. If your love is new, it’s okay to keep it simple and lighthearted.
Worthy of Display
Lastly, make it visually appealing. It’s likely that your loved one will keep your letter for years to come. They may even display it in a scrapbook or frame or post it on social media. Your romance isn’t a cheap and generic piece of college rule. It’s a stunning and unique piece of stationery.
Tips for Writing Your Masterpiece
If you’re writing a sweet love letter for the first time, getting started can be daunting. In this section, we’ll detail a few helpful tips to put you on the right path. You don’t have to include all of these in every love note, but pick a few to help express your thoughts.
1. Make the greeting special.
Obviously, a letter to your soulmate probably shouldn’t start with “to whom it may concern.” Make your greeting personal and appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with starting your letter with the pet name you call your partner, whatever that is. You can also up the ante a little, using a more passionate term than you do on a daily basis, but make it a term you would use. The greeting should be a line of its own and followed by a comma. You might try:
- My love
- For my best friend
- My darling
- Love of my life
- My better half
- To the one who truly sees me
- My everything
- To my true love
- To my (insert personal pet name)
- To the one who holds my heart
2. Utilize an outline and proper writing form.
Just because you’re writing to your boo-thang doesn’t give you the excuse to forego proper structure. Your love note should have a greeting, a body with the primary information, and a closing paragraph or a complimentary close phrase. Get a piece of scratch paper, and outline the major ideas you want to include in a format that makes sense. Once your ideas are organized, it will be far easier to find the proper words.
3. Include precious memories.
One of the easiest ways to strike a chord with your partner is to bring up special memories. If you have a long love affair, you’ll have plenty of fodder to choose from. If your love is newer, this might be harder, but you can always refer to the first time you saw their face!
4. Detail what you love about your partner.
Everyone loves to hear their significant other gush about their good qualities. Take a section in your love note to express what you love about your partner. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with a passionate love letter, try to include a few PG traits that you love, too.
Be specific, especially when writing to a woman. Don’t tell her that you love her hair. Take your time to express what you love about it… the smell, the way it feels in your hands, or falls across her face when she laughs. Don’t tell her, “I love how amazing you are.” Instead, tell her, “The way you manage a high-profile job, create a cozy home, mentor our children with grace, and maintain loving friendships, all with fierce devotion, is amazing to me.” The key is in the details!
5. Share how they’ve changed you.
No doubt about it, your S.O. has probably made you a better person in some way. Take a paragraph within your love note to detail how they have improved your life. Again, be specific and use examples.
6. Discuss the future.
If you have a deep love that you’re dedicated to for the long run, take a few lines to express your hopes for the future. This section is best placed toward the end of your letter. It works well as a closing paragraph to wrap everything eloquently. You could try something like:
“Our love has changed the trajectory of my life, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in the future. I’ll never regret choosing to spend the rest of my days with you.”
7. Close it with care.
Just as you opened with a proper greeting, end your letter with a loving closure. Something like “forever yours” or “your faithful hubby.” If you have a long-distance relationship, you might say something akin to “Until I see your sweet face again.” Just like the opening, make the closure short, sweet, and appropriate for your romance.
8. Edit for grammatical errors.
Run your love letter through a grammar checker like Grammarly, or have a trusted person edit it. You don’t want your love letter preserved for the rest of your days with spelling errors.
9. Hold on to it for a while.
Often the written word sounds amazing at first glance, but when reread, it just doesn’t have the same effect. It’s a common phenomenon, especially when writing about something that is heartfelt and emotional. If this note is for a special occasion, write it early, and hold on to it for a couple of days. Reread it after a period of time, and make sure that you’re happy with it before delivering it to your partner.
10. Deliver it with flair!
Take some time to plot your delivery system. It can be as important as the content itself. Go for a surprise attack. Design a scavenger hunt. Place it in the mailbox (or actually mail it). Have it delivered with a gift, or hide it in their lunch bag. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Just make it special.
Love Letter Examples
There are many different types of love letters, and you’ll probably utilize several of them over the course of your relationship. From cute love notes to graveling apology letters, there’s a time and place for each of these. Peruse the list of options and choose a template that fits your current situation.
1. The Love Poem
“Roses are red. Violets are blue…”
There’s something very soothing about a rhyming line. From Robert Frost to Dr. Seuss, some of the best writers on Earth chose to compose their works in rhyming lines. Write your own silly poem, or get more serious by repurposing a famous love poem.
Include a copy of the love poem at the beginning of your letter. Follow it up with a short paragraph explaining to your partner why you chose this poem to express your love. Detail the lines or phrases that speak to you, and connect them to your romance.
2. The List
If nothing you concoct is hitting the spot, stop trying to craft the perfect letter, and switch gears. Try making a list instead. It could be a simple list detailing what you love about your partner. It could be a sexy list lining out your future plans in the bedroom. You could make a list of your favorite memories together, or outline the dreams you have for your future together.
Make it fun and personal. Maybe you include a bullet for every year you’ve been together. Warning: Making a list often turns into a full-fledged letter. Sometimes outlining what you love about your partner leads to expounding on those thoughts, and before you know it, you’ve got a well-written romance novel.
3. The Apology Letter
No matter how strong your relationship is, there will come a time when you need to apologize. While you should never use a written note to escape a proper verbal apology, it doesn’t hurt to tack one on as an additive. When writing an apology letter, it’s important to acknowledge your fault in the situation. Apologize for your part sincerely. Don’t place blame or deflect responsibility, and don’t go overboard with flattery. It will appear inauthentic. Keep to the point, and be genuine.
4. The Invitation
A fun way to interact with your partner is to invite them on a date or a romantic getaway by a formal letter. You can include the plane or movie ticket with your note. These are generally short and sweet and are perfect to slip into your partner’s lunch bag or briefcase.
Hint: If you get a copy of Adventures From Scratch: Date Edition, we’ve created adorable invitations for you!
5. Happy Anniversary
Celebrating another year together is the opportune time to get mushy with your partner. When writing an anniversary letter, take some time to recall your favorite memories together, tell your partner what you love about your relationship, and conclude with the hope that your relationship endures through the rest of your days.
You could also choose to correlate your years together with a list of your choice. For instance, on your ten-year anniversary, list your ten favorite memories together or ten things you want to do with your spouse in the future.
6. The Storyteller
If expressing emotions makes you feel too vulnerable, you could go with the anecdotal approach. This one works best for creatives and those with at least a little writing experience. There are two ways to go about it. You can either tell a true story from your life together that lets your partner in on your world. Seeing a shared event through your eyes adds a whole new perspective for your partner. It intensifies their understanding of you, and strengthens your bond, without you needing to express any mushy sentiments.
Alternatively, you could create a story about two fictional characters and the events of their romance. Creating a character that represents you, but isn’t you, is a tactic that allows shy people to express feelings in a way that feels non-threatening. Your partner is smart, they’ll no doubt connect the dots.
7. Missing You
If you’re in a long-distance relationship, or you and your partner have been particularly busy lately, a simple note expressing how much you miss them is a romantic sentiment. Talk about the little things that you’re yearning for and express hope that you’ll get some quality time together soon. Take this chance to invite them on a special adventure!
8. Compliment Time
While some of us have trouble accepting compliments, we all appreciate them. One of the easiest ways to make your partner gush is to take a few minutes to admire them. Be specific about your compliments, and always be genuine. Don’t compliment a new haircut you hate or a sexual act that didn’t do it for you. Instead, focus on the fundamental aspects of your partner’s character that make you swoon!
9. A Letter of Appreciation
Admiration and appreciation are two totally different things. Usually, partners who excel at giving compliments or admiring their spouses aren’t good at showing appreciation, and vice versa. The problem is that your partner may be craving the opposite of what you’re giving.
A letter of appreciation is the best option for a partner who is feeling overlooked or underappreciated. This is your opportunity to say “thank you” for all the little things your partner does for you. Point out specific ways that they bless your life or make things easier for you. Thank them for the time and effort they put into making your household run smoothly, preparing healthy meals, the acts they do for the kids, or how they provide financially. This letter focuses less on who they are and more on what they do for you and how grateful you are.
10. Letter of Sympathy
When your partner is going through a tough time, finding the right words (and the right timing to offer those words) is difficult territory. Put pen to paper and express your support in a letter that your loved one can pull out when they are in the right headspace. Let them know that you see their pain and that you wish you could take it away. Offer a shoulder to cry on, and reinforce your love and support for them. Let them know that you don’t have the right words to say, but that you are open and available any time they need to talk.
11. Memories
A fun way to stimulate your love is to leave quick notes about funny or romantic memories. This isn’t the story letter, it’s a post-it on the mirror that says “Remember that time on the beach…let’s recreate it soon.” It doesn’t need to be sexual of course, the goal is to bring a happy moment back to life. It can be anything that evokes a sense of joy.
12. Love Quotes
Sometimes, a quick love quote will do the trick. It’s the fast-food version of the love poem. This is another one that works well as a lunch bag note, or mirror post-it. You can also utilize song lyrics or movie quotes. Inspiration is everywhere! Just don’t be too cheesy, unless you’re aiming to make them laugh.
13. The Anonymous Letter
Maybe you don’t have a partner… but you want to! Take the jump and write a sweet love note to your love interest. Having an anonymous admirer is intriguing and kind of sexy. You might be playing the long game with this one, but when the right time comes to reveal yourself, you’ll already have some rapport. Obviously, the reveal could go well, or it could bomb. You aren’t guaranteed to get the prize just because you were inventive, but at least you’ll get creativity points.
14. A Letterless Note
If you’ve read all of this, and you’re still completely lost on where to start, drop the words. For some people, words are too intimidating, and if you force it, it’s going to come off weird. Instead, utilize something graphic to get your feelings across…not that kind of graphic.
Draw a picture, design a card on Canva, or collect mementos that express your feelings. For instance, you could pull out the ticket from your first date, and write on the back of it “the day my life became awesome.” You could pull out an old photo of you together and just scroll the word “Forever” across the top, and leave it on the dash of their car. You don’t always need words to get your point across. Get creative!
15. Repurposed
Did you hit the jackpot with a really successful love letter in the past? It’s time to reinvent it! Sneak the letter away from your partner, and upload it to Etsy. Artists there can turn it into wood or metal art, frame it beautifully, or even engrave it gift for your spouse. They can even take all your love letters and bind them into a book! It’s a sentimental and creative way to preserve your favorite love note! Here are a few amazing options to upgrade your letters.
Closing Thoughts
We hope you found some helpful love letter ideas here to get your creative juices flowing. If you’re struggling with words, don’t worry. Writing is difficult. It doesn’t always come naturally. Remember, the first word is the hardest. Once you get that opening sentence on paper, the rest will come. Take some time to brainstorm your ideas. Make an outline. Make a list of a few keywords that you know you want to use. Then format your ideas into a proper letter. Be true to your feelings and genuine in your words. You got this!
Love letters aren’t just for expressing feelings. They’re also a great way to document your romance. Here are a few “Relationship Milestones Worth Remembering” that you may want to jot down.
The only thing that makes a love letter better is when it’s paired with the perfect gift. Take some cues from “32 Astounding Anniversary Gift Ideas for Her” or “33 Anniversary Gifts Ideas for Him.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Depending on the situation, a love letter may include a poem or quote that expresses your feelings, a funny memory, or a list of reasons you adore your partner.
Love letters should utilize your own language. Don’t say things that you don’t actually feel, and don’t use overly flowery language. If you wouldn’t say it to them, don’t write it.
A love letter should begin with a personal and formal greeting. You can utilize your pet name for your partner or go with something timeless like, “To the love of my life.”
If you’re looking for a romantic gesture for your partner, consider writing them a love letter or investing in your dating future by purchasing a dating adventure book full of unique ideas!
To show your partner some love, write them a classic love letter, take them on a unique and spontaneous date, and make sure you verbalize and display it in acts of service.