A Simple Brunch Beat Every Valentine's Day I've Ever Had

This post is a little late, but I promise it's worth the wait.

I’ve always viewed Valentine's Day as an overly expensive holiday for no reason. The fancy dinner, the set menu…if my food is $50, can I not just pick what I want? This year, my boyfriend and I did something completely different. We kept it simple and it ended up being one of the most memorable dates!

We spent the morning wandering through Laguna Beach with zero plans… and he took me to the most amazing corner cafe. Let's be honest with how I spend almost every weekend in Laguna, I'm starting to feel like a local, but he even managed to take me to a spot I didn’t even know of yet.

It all started at Rye Goods. ☕️

If you haven't been, think of this: a cozy organic bakery tucked inside a little corner (that feels like a little French village). My boyfriend clearly knows me very very well because everything they make is from scratch using organic, locally sourced ingredients. When we went they even had fresh sourdough to purchase and all my fav organic brands. Think of it like a farmhouse in the countryside… except you're five minutes from the beach (my dream living situation). 

We sat together, shared our food, and just… talked. No checking our phones and no $200 fixed menu with tiny portions. Just us two enjoying really good food in the beautiful outside courtyard and thankfully it was the most perfect California day. And I think that's what made it so special. It wasn't about the grand gesture. It was about him knowing what I enjoy and taking the time to find something that would make me feel excited. 

I left that day thinking… why don't we do this more often? Well probably because even coffee is $50 these days…but apparently I couldn't stop thinking about it, because I went back a few days later, and this time with my best friend which meant we were going to spend money. We decided to explore more of that area and of course found the cutest little shops. 

The first place we stumbled upon that is a must visit was Nuance.

It is a GORGEOUS little home boutique in Laguna curated by a local interior designer, and let me just say… the second you walk in, you’re going to want to buy literally everything. The real thing that sold both of us were these perfumes made with 100% pure oil and they smelled absolutely heavenly. Now when I say this purchase was justified… I truly mean it because I have been looking for an all natural perfume that actually smells good for ages. I decided on Amber Floral scent and she picked vanilla, but mind you this decision alone took us a solid 30 minutes because we each wanted the other's pick just as badly. But the sales associate (bless her soul) came up with the most brilliant idea: swap our travel samples so we each walked out with two scents. 

Picnic 🧺 was our last stop, and if you are an organized desk girly like me… you NEED to go.

It's this dreamy little stationery + goods shop that carries the cutest journals, cards, notepads, and all sorts of beautiful paper goods. I had to grab these cute notepads for my desk because I probably write 10000 to-do lists a day… even though I only ever get through half of those lists, but at least the notepad matches my desk aesthetic so it felt like a justified purchase. 

My cute new notepads.

Anyways back to my main point…

I think we sometimes forget that the best dates, the best afternoons, the best little adventures… don't require traveling somewhere far or spending $200 on a Valentine's Day dinner. Sometimes all you need is a day to slow down long enough to notice how sweet life already is where you are. 

So if you're ever in Laguna… grab brunch at Rye Goods, pop into Picnic, and if you're feeling wild… do it all alone. Why not take yourself on a date?

From my heart

Hanna