Each year men and women across the country plan elaborate Valentine's Day celebrations only to be disappointed when circumstances beyond their control ruin their planned activities with their date. This article will give you a few ideas of how to plan for the unexpected so that you can still have a romantic Valentine's Day with your date.

The most likely circumstance beyond your control will be the weather. If you are planning an outdoor Valentine's Day date you will need to have a backup plan for spending the date indoors. For instance, if you are planning a romantic picnic in the park or on the beach you should also plan ahead of how to move the picnic inside. If you are planning a beach picnic and get rained out, plan on bringing the picnic home to awaiting beach music, beach style cocktails and your picnic food. You will want to create a "beach" style atmosphere for your date.

The second most likely circumstance beyond your control would have to do with your romantic restaurant date. Although you may have called weeks in advance and made a reservation, there is always the chance that the restaurant has lost your reservation or overbooked for the evening, or even had a pipe to break closing the restaurant down completely. You may be left out in the cold, literally, when this happens. Make a backup plan to prevent this. You might double book reservations and have a table reserved at another restaurant, just incase, or your might plan on cooking the dinner yourself. This can be just as romantic or even more so than dinner reservations. You would want to have all the ingredients waiting at home so there is no need to go shopping, it should all be ready and waiting.

There are any number of other circumstances beyond your control which could affect your date. You may have tickets to see your date's favorite singer. One of the performers could get sick and the concert could be cancelled. You could prepare for this by keeping some gifts either at home, in the limo, or your vehicle so they will be available when needed. It could still be a romantic evening, take your date to eat in an appropriate restaurant to carry on the atmosphere of the evening. If it was a Jimmy Buffett concert that was cancelled, go to a beach bar where you can have margaritas and cheeseburgers in paradise. Most likely there would be plenty of Jimmy Buffett selections on the jukebox to help set the atmosphere. After dining, having drinks, and dancing excuse yourself so you can bring the gifts in. You could have a Jimmy Buffett DVD, a Jimmy Buffett jacket or t-shirt, a parrothead can koozie, and a Parrothead beach towel. Get a Jimmy Buffett beach tote bag to carry the items in. After the dinner you could then go home and watch the DVD. If the concert is not cancelled you can give the gifts in addition and score even more points, but, you'll score the most points by saving the evening no matter what happens.

There are so many circumstances that could come up depending on your planned evening that you must have a backup plan. It does not have to be elaborate or expensive, but something to save the evening. If you get in a spot, at the very least, your date will know you took the time to make sure everything would go smoothly and well planned. So even if you have to change to your backup plan your date will be very impressed. Happy Valentine's Day!