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Personalized Valentine’s Day gifts will show your significant other how special they are

Nothing says "I love you" quite like a customized gift.

Miller Kern

on January 17, 2020

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Valentine’s Day is the one day a year where you have a free pass to be cheesy AF. We are officially granting you permission to indulge in the lovey dovey-ness of the holiday. (But definitely avoid the clichés. Check out 19 romantic Valentine's Day gifts that defy clichés if you need some help.) Go all out with flowers and chocolate hearts. Have a candlelit dinner. Shower your Valentine in romance.

The average American is expected to spend $221.34 on Valentine’s Day this year, according to Finder — why not ensure that money is going toward something special? Nothing says “I love you” quite like a personalized gift. It allows you to show your significant other just how special they are with something one-of-a-kind and unique to them.

Finding the right personalized gift can sometimes be tedious. You have to comb through the cheap looking or overly corny options to get to the good stuff. Luckily, we did that for you, so all you have to do to find the perfect gift is read on. (But hurry: personalized gifts can take a little more time.)

Credit: CAITLYN MINIMALIST

Handwriting necklace

Best For Creating Lasting Sentiment

Become a jewelry designer with this customizable necklace. Send in a photo or scan of a handwritten message or drawing and this Etsy shop will turn it into a necklace pendant. This is a unique gift that your significant other is sure to cherish.

$39.50 ETSY

Credit: HOMESICK

Homesick candle

Best For When You’re Feeling Nostalgic

Scents can take us back to a particular time and place. Reminisce about the good ol’ days with your partner with the help of a Homesick candle. Choose from either the city or state where you two met to be taken back in a cloud of nostalgia. Each candle is created with scents meant to capture the essence of its location.

$29.95 AMAZON

Credit: PET PARTY CO

Face socks

Best For The Couple Who Wants To Keep Each Other Near

Add a little humor to your V-Day this year. These socks allow you to plaster your photo all over the fabric, so every time your partner looks at their feet, they see your beautiful face. So romantic. For added fun, upload a picture of the two of you together for a sweet pair of couples' socks.

$21.99 ETSY

Credit: ORIENT APPEAL

Engraved cufflinks

Best For The Snazzy Dresser

If your partner wears cufflinks on the reg, consider creating a personalized pair. Orient Appeal on Etsy allows you to engrave custom messages onto cufflinks in your own handwriting or from a font list. You’re also able to incorporate logos and icons into the design if you choose. This unique gift will come in handy for any fancy Valentine’s Day dinner plans.

$29.98 ETSY

Credit: ALPHANUMERIC ENGRAVERS

Engraved wine tumbler

Best For The Wine Drinker

Adorn this tumbler with your SO’s name or a personalized message. These engraved glasses have an extra thermal lining that keeps drinks warm for more than three hours or cold for nine. The exterior of the cup is condensation-free and the tumbler comes with a lid so no worries about messes or spilling.

$20.99 AMAZON

Credit: MRC WOOD PRODUCTS

Monogram sign

Best For The Interior Decorator

Turn your house into a home with this wooden sign depicting your last name and monogram. Choose to include the date your family was established or leave it off if you prefer. Your design is printed directly on the wood, so you don’t have to peel off any vinyl once your order arrives. This rustic sign makes for a great piece to tie any room together.

$48.99 ETSY

Credit: CIRCLE CITY DESIGN CO

Engraved cutting board

Best For The Cook

A nice cutting board can make preparing a meal more enjoyable. Give your partner’s cooking space a sweet upgrade with this engraved cutting board. Attach a note to your order with the name you want carved into the board. You can also add a date if that’s applicable to you and your SO. Choose from different sizes and woods to make this cutting board extra personalized.

$27 ETSY

Credit: COLLAGE

Photo puzzle

Best For Creating A Date Night Activity

Date night will be extra fun when you and your partner put this puzzle together and see yourselves. Change the size and number of pieces depending on your desired difficulty level. Once you upload your photo, you’re able to customize the puzzle even more. Collage offers different design, background, and text options.

$29.99 COLLAGE

Credit: LULAH BLU GIFTS

Sequin pillow

Best For Giving An Oddly Satisfying Gift

If your significant other plays with those reversible sequin objects every time you two are at the store, get them their own personalized sequin gift. You’re able to upload an image or type a personal message to be revealed when your SO swipes their hand up this pillow. This is a great opportunity to get funny or sappy.

$25.73 ETSY

Credit: LAUREN ELAINE DESIGNS

Hand-stamped bottle opener keychain

Best For The Beer Drinker

This hand stamped keychain will remind your partner that you love them each time they crack open a cold one. Because this bottle opener is created using hand stamping techniques, it will not be perfect, as each letter is pressed individually. This means your order will be 100 percent unique.

$15 ETSY

Credit: COLLAGE

Photo calendar

Best For Daily Reminders Of Your Love

Keep track of important dates and your day-to-day lives on this customized calendar. Add birthdays and anniversaries when creating the calendar so that they are printed in it when you receive your order. Each month can feature a single photo or a collage of pictures, so feel free to get creative.

$24.99 COLLAGE

Credit: MYNAMENECKLACE

Name necklace

Best For 'sex And The City' Fans

Personalize this necklace with either the recipient’s name or your name to remind them of your love. You’re able to choose from different lengths and metal types to make sure the necklace is perfect for your loved one. As an added bonus, this jewelry arrives in a pouch or gift box.

$29.95 AMAZON

Credit: UNCOMMONGOODS

Map serving tray

Best For Remembering Where You’ve Been

Whether you no longer live where you first met or there’s just a location that means a lot to you as a couple, this tray is a nice way to commemorate a place. The laminate vintage map covers three square miles surrounding your location of choice and places a star on the address provided. This tray is complete with a personalized legend explaining the sentiment of the location.

$65 UNCOMMON GOODS

Credit: SHELLY KLEIN

Cartoon mugs

Best For The Coffee Drinker

These mugs are like caricatures but with functionality. They are personalized through your choices of skin tone, hair, and clothing color and also depict a name. There’s honestly no better way to ensure that your SO’s coffee mug never gets mixed up with someone else’s than putting their name and face on it.

$30 UNCOMMON GOODS

Credit: SHUTTERFLY

Photo book

Best For Keeping Memories Alive

No one has time to scrapbook anymore, but you can still have a personalized photo book with the same sentiment. Shutterfly gives the option to design your own book or have one of their designers curate it for you if you aren’t as artistically inclined. You have seven different sizes of photo books to choose from.

$15.98 SHUTTERFLY

Credit: KASEY AND JUSTIN PEARSON

Four-across game

Best For Couples Who Love Game Night

This gift is for the ultimate cornballs. This personalized game gives Connect Four a love-filled makeover. Heart-shaped slots replace the traditional circle ones and your name and anniversary or a personalized message can be carved right into the middle of the game. The four-across game is great for some friendly competition.

$85 UNCOMMON GOODS

Credit: LENOX

Monogrammed glassware

Best For Classy Drinking

Choose script or block letters for this monogrammed glassware to fit your style. The collection features a variety of glasses and drink accessories, so there’s something for your significant other no matter their drink of choice. Plus, drinking cheap wine or liquor instantly feels classier when consumed out of a monogrammed glass.

$72 MACY'S

Credit: THE PAINTED PRESS

Jewelry dish

Best For The Jewelry Wearer

This dish is minimalistic yet personal, making it suitable for virtually any Valentine. You have a few different personalization options with the dish — choose from initials, a name, phrase, or date. This gift is ideal for anyone who wears jewelry and doesn’t want to misplace it after taking it off.

$15 ETSY

Credit: MIGNONANDMIGNON

Zodiac constellation necklace

Best For The Astrology Buff

Choose from three different metal hues when customizing this zodiac necklace. This piece comes with or without a charm depicting its recipient’s initial, so you’re able to add an extra touch of personalization. The unique design accentuated by crystals will add eye-catching bling to your SO’s neck.

$17.50 AMAZON

Credit: SHUTTERFLY

Photo blanket

Best For Getting Cozy With Your Love

Snuggle up this V-Day with a personalized photo blanket. Choose from two different size options (50" x 60" or 60" x 80") and three different material options (fleece, plush fleece, or sherpa) to create a cozy gift. Add a background, photos, and text to make something special and unique for your partner. 

$59.98 SHUTTERFLY

Credit: ARTSYVOICEPRINT

Sound wave print

Best For The Married Couple

This sentimental gift immortalizes your wedding day by depicting the sound waves of the song you and your spouse had your first dance to. Or you can choose any other song that has a special meaning to you. The song choice can be printed as text on the canvas as well. This would definitely be an interesting focus point to hang up on your wall. 

$34.95 ETSY

Credit: LOVEBOOK

Love story book

Best For Book Lovers

Everyone enjoys a good love story, whether it's Romeo and Juliet or Carrie and Big. So why not write one about your great love? Lovebook is a company that lets you build your own book of reasons why you love someone and you can even customize it to look like you. It's a super unique gift and one thing is for sure: There's no way your significant other already has one! (Unless they have one from an ex and in that case — awkward!)

$44.95 LOVEBOOK

Credit: IMAGE: NUAGEPRODUCTS

Phone case

Best For Flaunting Your Love

With Apple Pay and Samsung Wallet, our phones have basically taken the place of our wallets — which means there's no where to slip that photo of you and your loved one anymore. The new-age version is having the photo covering your entire phone instead. A personalized phone case will be a great pick-me-up for your partner so they can glance down and quickly see those that they care about most. (AKA you and the kids.)

$17.99 ETSY

Credit: THE NIGHT SKY

Star Map

Best For The Night Owls

Whether it's the night your child was born or when you had your first kiss, you can now replicate the stars alignment of any night you choose and hang it up on your wall. We love this gift because not only is it super personal, but the maps themselves are beautiful art pieces that look great. For a super special gift, you could even choose three significant dates and hang them as a triptych above your bed.

$60 THE NIGHT SKY

Credit: M&M'S

Personalized M&M's candy

Best For The Sweet Tooth

For the cherry on top, let them indulge in some M&M's that have been printed with a special, personalzied message or even a photo. Adorable packaging options include heart-shaped tins, champagne bottles and more. 

$24.99 M&M'S

Miller Kern

Deputy Shopping Editor

Miller Kern is the Deputy Editor of Shopping and Reviews at Mashable, where she writes and edits reviews, roundups, deals, and news stories about tech products, including headphones, skincare devices, laptops, sex toys, e-readers, robot vacuums, and more. She's been covering all things shopping and tech, including shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, for Mashable since 2019. Miller can tell you which products are actually worth your money. She also explores trends in the shopping sphere, such as dupes and viral TikTok moments.