20 men share the most romantic things women have done to make them feel loved

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 11, 2022. It has since been updated. 

The old adage claims that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. While food might certainly be a factor for some, there are a lot more ways to win the heart of a man. One user asked Reddit: "Men, what's the most romantic thing a woman in your life has ever done?" and the answers that followed were eye-opening. While films often highlight grand romantic gestures, these heartfelt responses reveal that true love often lies in life's smaller details. From nursing a sick partner to traveling great distances to reunite, these stories illustrate how everyday actions embody deep love. Here are some of the most touching replies:

1. Paid for my higher education

"My girlfriend paid for a maritime course that I couldn’t afford so that I could get a higher license and a better-paying job. We’re married now and I’m a Captain." -u/Slymee_Remington

2. Trip of a lifetime

"On my birthday a few years ago my girlfriend told me to pack my bag and some warm gear. I thought she was taking me on a surprise camping trip, but instead, we hopped on a train to the airport and flew to Norway. We ended up going husky sledding, spending the night in a yurt at the husky lodge, going snowmobiling up to a canyon, staying in an ice hotel, and going on a northern lights tour (lucky enough to catch a particularly awesome display too). Truly a special holiday. We’re now engaged." u/MrDannySantos 

3. Die Hard fantasy

"In the movie 'Die Hard' a girl runs and throws herself into the arms of a guy she is meeting, who is getting off of a plane. She jumps up and into his arms. Ever since I saw that, oh so many years ago, I've wanted someone to be so thrilled to greet me that they threw themselves into my arms like that. It took me 40+ years, but it did eventually happen, and the girl had no idea it was something I'd always fantasized about. It became a thing for us - when we hadn't seen each other in a while, she'd run and just jump into my arms." u/heteroflexiblek

4. Holy hillbilly

"When me and my fiancée were dating, I always joked about visiting a place called Hillbilly hot dogs after seeing a post about it online. Well a year or so after I first started talking about it, my boss called me and told me to head home early (this was about a week after my birthday). I asked him what was up and he just said the other guys will finish the day out. I got home and my GF told me to pack 3-4 days of clothes but she wouldn’t tell me where we were going. We hopped in the car and sure enough, a few hours later we were in front of hillbilly hotdogs. I couldn’t believe it. We just had the best time eating there in the section that’s an old converted school bus. After that, we ended up driving down to NC to stay at her cousins near the beach for a few days and just enjoy each other’s company. On the way back she said we would stop at any stupid roadside attraction I wanted to since she knew I loved them. Honestly, it was the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received." Reddit

5. Traveled 7 hours to see me

"My girlfriend (now wife) spent 7 hours using public transportation to surprise me at home. Imagine this coming home from a full 8-hour shift starting at 6 am. Lifting heavy displays/TVs. I come home, my bedroom door is locked. I dead ass think it's my younger brother pulling a prank on me. I knock just wanting to go sit on my computer and watch some videos or play some games. When the door opens to my surprise there is the love of my life standing there telling me to be patient. My eyes tear up from a combination of feelings mostly joy. We hadn't seen each other physically in over a month just by Skype. It totally made my day and weekend. Happily Married 5 years." u/Dargonite193

6. Took care of me for a month

"I broke my leg 3 months into a relationship (unrelated to the relationship). My family had just left town that day. I had emergency surgery; she drove me to the surgery, picked up my meds during the surgery, picked me up when I woke up, drove me back to her place, and took care of me for a month there. This included sponge baths, waking up to give me pain killers in the middle of the night so I wouldn’t wake up in agony, having food for me during the day when she went to work, and making sure I was happy overall. 4 years later and we are still together. If all that shit ain’t romantic, I don’t know what is. We’ve been looking at engagement rings for the past few months. The timeline is to elope next summer!" u/ringadingdinger

7. Love is in the details

"My girlfriend remembers every detail of when we first started dating. On a long drive together one of our songs came on and she described the first night we listened to it and when she fell in love with me. She didn’t even finish the story because it just broke me. I was leaking tears and it wouldn’t stop. I rarely get someone who remembers something I did for them and for my gf to tell these back, filled my heart. Get a partner who appreciates your efforts." u/hapakappaboy

8. Being there for me

"I was running a fever and slept on the couch outside. Throughout the night I would wake up to see my girlfriend kneeling on the floor, using a wet handkerchief to sponge me down. I love her so much." u/mostibuspo

9. Helped me move

"I never felt more loved than when I was flipping the hell out trying to get packed and figure out how I was going to get everything to my apartment and my very organized girlfriend drove out from an hour away several nights in one week to help me make it happen." u/CaughttheDarkness

10. Pet my head until I slept

"I was having a rough day and she simply put my head on her lap and petted my head and gently scratched me until I fell asleep." u/Kenivider

11.  Stood on a chair and danced  with me

"Pulled me to a dance floor dragging a chair behind her, standing up on the chair and we danced. I'm quite tall." u/buscamares

12. Made me my own escape room

"My birthday was the 9th and since we can't go out she made me my own escape room in our house. It made me feel so loved I almost cried. I lucked out with the greatest girl in the world." u/LanikM

13. Sweet gift

"I dated a girl who decorated a matchbox with the message 'We're a great MATCH!', and filled it with edible 'matches'; little pretzel sticks dipped in colored chocolate at the end to look like a match. She clearly put a lot of thought and effort into it, which was really what meant the most to me." u/howlincoyote2k1 

14. Smooth

"A girl I knew, knew I had a thing for her so she pretended she couldn't find her phone, then asked if someone could call it. I said sure what's your number? We got married a year later for 15 years." u/omegaweapon

15. Danced with her

"My son had a girlfriend in high school who has cerebral palsy. She could walk for short distances, but it was hard. He took her to a school dance. He dragged the chair that she was sitting in onto the dance floor and danced with her. My kid is the best thing I ever did." u/Mamadog5 

16. That's love

"My wife cut my hair tonight cause I can't go to the barber and she knew it was bugging me." u/HumptyThe21st

17. Sweet kiss

"We had only just been dating a few months. I don’t know why but I couldn’t shake this feeling that she just wasn’t into us. But near the end of one of these dates, we were on her couch just chatting with my arm around her like I usually do. And then she got up to roll herself a cigarette as she was still in the middle of quitting at the time but still smoked when stressed. And as she got up off the couch, she leaned back down to me to give me a kiss. This was our first kiss that didn’t feel like a mandatory goodbye kiss, as that was the only kind of kissing we had done before this, and for some reason, it kind of just melted away those doubts I had. A little while later I asked her about it and she told me “I know you’re disgusted by my smoking, so I wanted to kiss you before I smoked.” The fact that this felt like our first genuine kiss together and that she thought of me and my feelings in that way just kind of reassured me of the relationship. And we’re still together today a year later." u/Moonlight150

18. 'It'll be okay'

"After a particularly bad day, laid my head on her chest, pet me and told me everything would be okay." u/Teknosqurl

19. Surprise party

"Threw me an unbelievable surprise 50th birthday party that had 75 attendees including friends from out of state and kept it a complete surprise from me. Absolutely blew me away the amount of work, months of coordination, and care that she put into it. One of the best nights of my life. This was just this past January. I got her a calendar with pictures of dogs pooping on it. Pretty sure we're even." u/fluffy_butternut 

20. Paid off my debts

"'My wife paid off all my debt and student loans with a smile and hugged me after she did. She didn’t have an inch of sadness parting with all that money. I have autism and she continues to support me and all my strangeness. I’m extremely fortunate to have her." u/javajuicejoe