For men, Valentine’s Day is a day to show their significant other how much they truly mean to them and bring out their inner Casanova.  

According to the National Retail Federation 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions study, the average person celebrating the holiday spent $126.03, with a total of $17 billion being spent all together.

In the study, it was expected that $1.8 billion would be spent on flowers, while $1.5 billion would be spent on the purchase of candy.

“Valentine’s Day is a day to be a gentleman and put her on a pedestal,” said Koby Wortman, sophomore in interdisciplinary studies.

Wortman thought back to his Valentine’s Day last year with his girlfriend. Wortman said he had her come up to Ames from their hometown of Shenandoah, Iowa.

“I think I spent close to $1,000 last year; I like Valentine’s Day,” Wortman chuckled. “I bought a new suit, and I told her to bring a dress up; I said I had a surprise for her. When she arrived at my dorm in Willow, I stood at my door with flowers in my hands.”

“I had decorated my room; there were rose petals on the floor and on my bed.  I then took her out to eat at Centro, a four-star restaurant in downtown Des Moines.”

Wortman said he did all of that because he wanted her to feel appreciated and important.

Jordan Lenway, sophomore in mechanical engineering, also highlighted his Valentine’s Day experience last year with his girlfriend.

“I had ordered flowers for my girlfriend and had them delivered in the morning to me. I then went and surprised her at her dorm before she went to class,” Lenway said.

“We both had a busy night that night, so that weekend I took her to Des Moines and we went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, and then I took her to a movie.”

Lenway pointed out that women do have expectations of what they think their guy should do for Valentine’s Day.

“You want to make them feel cherished,” Lenway said. “It is a really important day, though, because even though you may not have a lot of time together very often, it is always good to have a day together to do something special.”

Both Wortman and Lenway offered advice for other guys about how to go about Valentine’s Day.

Lenway said that guys need to make it a day about their significant other, and that surprising them is always a great tactic.

Wortman went the hopeless romantic route.  

“Guys, don’t be afraid to be cheesy with it,” Wortman said. “It is the one day of the year you can be cheesy and get away with it.”