Photos by L.G. Patterson

Illustrations by Lilyann Hames

Love is in the air … maybe that’s just allergies.

Are you single? Taken? Telling people “it’s complicated?” Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so we’re giving you a guide to romance in the region. For readers already in love, we’ve prepared a roadmap to local date nights and florists’ picks for arrangements that astonish. For our single readers, we’re listing tips and tricks to meeting your person without the apps (with a few first-date horror stories to remind you it can always be worse), plus our town’s best true love stories.

Consider this our version of a box of chocolates: a variety of romance for everyone.

It’s a Date

Whether you have a new fling, a spouse or a long-time partner, here’s some quick date-spiration for any CoMo couple.

For Music-Lovers: Stop into one of Columbia’s record shops (Hitt Records, B Side Records or King Theodore) and pick out an album on CD or LP to surprise each other with. If you’re not into the physical mediums, catch a show at The Blue Note, Rose Music Hall, The Penguin Piano Bar or any other venue for some live music. Still not your speed? Challenge each other to karaoke at Eastside Tavern.

The Special Occasion: It’s a big night, maybe an anniversary, and you want to step it up. We suggest enjoying steaks and wine at CC’s City Broiler to add a bit of upscale flair to your date night. (We also suggest you order your steak rare, but no one asked us).

The Artsy Edge: Feeling more creative than a dinner date? Take a woodworking class at Sawdust Studios or unwind while painting your own dishes at The Mud Room. For the extra-artsy couples, take a stroll through Orr Street Studios, Serendipity Salon and Gallery, Artlandish or any of our city’s beautiful art galleries.

The Traditional: Who doesn’t love dinner and a movie? Give the long-beloved tradition a local spin by taking your date to a movie at Ragtag. Comfy couches, a big ol’ screen, buttery popcorn — what’s not to like? Pop next door for dinner and drinks at Uprise while you’re in the neighborhood.

Meeting the Parents: Where should we take your parents?” you ask your partner for the ninth time. You get a shrug or an “it’s up to you,” and you’re stressed. Whether your partner’s parents are visiting Columbia for the first time or no one can agree on a spot, there’s something for everyone on the wide-ranging menu at Murry’s. Plus, there’s live jazz to fill any awkward silences.

The Realist: Even those with a wider budget can’t resist the allure of a hot slice of pizza. For a date that won’t break the bank, pick up two slices from Pizza Tree, Shakespeare’s, Gumby’s or any of our local pizzerias, sit with your special someone and enjoy the company. It’s short, sweet and simple — running you about six dollars in total.

Love & War: Give your night out some healthy competition. Challenge your partner to a pickleball match at The Kitchen or Trail Stop Brewery, or a game of pool at Booches or Billiards. For the less sporty, Level Up, The Tokyo Club and Silverball are just a few of the arcades in town, with tabletop gaming also available at Hexagon Alley. Loser buys dinner?

The Language of Flowers

Not sure which flowers to pick? Local florists weigh in.

Now that you’ve got your date planned, it’s best not to show up empty-handed. Luckily, florals are always in season in Columbia with our town’s fantastic florists.

Stephanie Whitman, owner of Blooms & Wishes Flowers, suggests shoppers design around a feeling. Bright bouquets like gerbera and market arrangements are a great way to express platonic affection. Colorful, springy flowers for a friend say, “I love you, but don’t get any ideas.”

For a romantic partner, Whitman suggests a red panther rose with streaks of hot pink. Garden roses are another option: multi-petaled, rounder and more fragrant. Not a rose fan? Whitman says ranunculuses and lisianthuses are popular alternatives for the holiday.

At My Secret Garden, design and operations manager Jessica LaHue-Spherex says peonies are a popular choice alongside their long-stem, high petal-count roses, but they’re able to customize any arrangements. While their florals come from all over the world, you can opt or a local touch with dahlias, heliconias, sunflowers and tithonias, which are grown on their farm in Millersburg.

Over 250 million roses are harvested worldwide for Valentine’s Day every year, but at Tiger Gardens, supervisor Lesleighan Cravens says shoppers gravitate toward designer options like snapdragons and orchids over roses. She also notes that you’ll get the highest quality roses outside of the holiday, since high supply and demand may skew the quality of the flowers. Cravens’ underrated favorite is the bicolored carnation, which blends hues of purple and indigo. “People see them as grocery store flowers,” she says, referring to carnations’ typically lower price point. “But these new varieties are just so beautiful.”

Insider Tricks to Florals that Last

We’ve all seen it: your flowers look marvelous on Monday, then they’re wilted by Wednesday. Cravens gives her expert advice on making sure your floral arrangements last. Know your roots: A grocery store bouquet won’t last as long as an arrangement from a florist.

Know Your Roots: The dehydrating, handling, rehydrating and refrigerating process should have a professional arrangement looking fresh for seven to 10 days. Knowing your flowers’ history will help set reasonable lifespan expectations.

Careful with the cut: If you’re trimming the flowers yourself, a 45-degree cut optimizes the stems’ water intake rather than cutting horizontally. Avoid using scissors; knives work much better and won’t squash the stem. Then trim off the foliage to avoid mold in the water.

Eat good: You know the plastic packet that comes rubber-banded to the base of our flowers: the “food?” Those packets are made up of bactericide, carbohydrates and citric acid to preserve the flowers. Don’t dump the entire packet in the vase; that’s overfeeding. Instead, sprinkle a little each day, like feeding a fish. Change the water out, too — murky water is a sign that your flowers need the bactericides in their food! If you’re running low on flower food, a few drops of Sprite and either vodka or bleach work as a remedy to keep your flowers perky.

As for the rumor that a penny in the vase prolongs the flowers’ lifespan? Cravens says you’re better off keeping the coins in your wallet.

Find Your Match Without the Apps

Okay, single readers: you’re looking for love in Columbia. You’re ready to ditch the apps. How hard can that be?

Fed up with the dating game? You’re not alone. In a 2025 study by Forbes, 91% of male and 94% of female survey participants said they believe the modern dating scene is more difficult than ever. If you’re sick of swiping, give speed dating a spin.

Since August, Just Love Coffee Cafe has been hosting speed dating events at their location on Broadway, separated by age group and sexuality, giving everyone in Columbia a shot at love. They host LGBTQ-friendly events for men seeking men and women seeking women along with events for straight singles.

“You know in about 20 minutes or less if you’re going to click or vibe with the human across the table,” owner Bill Watkins says. “It’s an inexpensive, fast, no-pressure way to meet people.” Attendees reserve tickets online for $27, which includes appetizers, dessert and drinks. You’ll mingle with other attendees through guided conversation, then the staff collects your match sheet and uses it to send you your matches. If you leave an event without any romantic prospects, there’s a “friendzone” option on your match sheet, which allows you to match platonically.

If you’re not feeling speed dating, try meeting people in shared-interest spaces. Hexagon Alley hosts board game nights for players of varying skill levels, themed trivia events and movie nights. Whether you’re looking to find your nerd-of-afeather, make new friends or show off your gaming chops, Hexagon Alley is a great space to find community.

Book clubs, such as Twain or the ones at Skylark, can introduce you to fellow readers. Columbia Track Club and other run clubs bring runners together and can help you get to know people who share your love of fitness. But this isn’t about going somewhere solely to meet someone you’d like to date; it’s about connecting with the community. Diving into your interests and making connections increases confidence and is proven to be beneficial to your mental health. And who knows? Maybe you’ll meet your match.

Sleepless in Columbia? The Radio and the Dating Scene

How tough is the dating scene in Columbia, really? It depends on who you ask, but we asked the hosts of Y107’s “Hook Up or Hang Up.”

For those out of the loop, Hook Up or Hang Up is an ongoing segment on The Cosmo & Kat Show, where callers can seek advice, sympathy or shock for their dating woes. For callers haunted by the ghosting phenomenon, Cosmo and Kat will give the ghost a call for you. Sometimes, the couple reconnects and they live happily ever after on a second date put on by Kat and Cosmo. “Still waiting for the first Hook Up or Hang Up wedding invitation,” Cosmo says. “It hasn’t come in yet.”

But in most cases, it’s a dating disaster. Here’s a handful of hang ups for a look at the worst of the dating scene.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker…

Professional matchmaking is a billion-dollar industry worldwide. Yes, billion with a “B.” We reached out to Midwest Matchmaking founder Courtney Quinlan for a look at the industry, which is becoming more and more popular each year.

ICM: Tell us a little bit about how you got started with matchmaking as a career.

Quinlan: It sounded fun and up my alley — I’m definitely a people person, I’ve always loved love and I’m a romantic. So I got started in the industry in 2005 before I started my own agency in 2009. The rest is history; matchmaking’s what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years of my life.

ICM: So, what exactly is professional matchmaking?

Quinlan: It’s kind of like a friend setting you up with a friend. Except for the fact that you’re not friends, so there’s no personal biases there, and you have a lot more available dates.

ICM: How does your process work?

Quinlan: First, they’ll fill out their information online, which goes directly to me. Then I get to know the potential client during a consultation to determine if the service is a good fit for them. If so, we build them a profile and match them with clients. When two clients say yes, we facilitate the date for them. They don’t have to chat, swipe or any of that. Then they go on the date and give us feedback. Ideally, they leave the service in a relationship. And, you know, never need us again.

ICM: How do matchmaking agencies like yours compete with the apps?

Quinlan: Business as a whole just keeps getting better. The apps are easy — anyone can download that on their phone. So many people try (the apps) and they don’t like them for a number of reasons: the ghosting phenomenon, the swiping culture. They just keep swiping and swiping and swiping. People who are trying to find their person get sick of that, which draws a lot of people to us. These apps can be extremely draining, so they let us take the lead, which has increased the industry as a whole.

ICM: What advice would you give to singles trying to navigate the modern dating scene?

Quinlan: Be open-minded. I feel like a lot of singles I talk to will miss out on good opportunities because maybe somebody doesn’t look ideal on paper. You have to remember that when you’re looking at a profile, it’s one dimensional. You can’t get to know somebody until you sit down and spend some time with them.

Love Lives Here

Here are three of the sweetest meet-cutes in town, along with their advice for building relationships that last. Together, these couples have a combined 72 years of marital bliss!

Amanda Rainey & John Gilbreth

Then: Amanda met John while working for True/False after booking his band, The Onions. John was also just starting to get Pizza Tree off the ground at its original location, which Amanda frequented. “She had this always-sunny, glass-half-full personality,” John says. “She loved music and her family, which are important to me.” “We fell in love pretty quickly,” Amanda adds.

First Date: Bowling at AMF Town & Country Lanes, where they recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. The couple bowling next to them that night is also now married.

Now: They own three restaurants, all while raising two young children and making music. Amanda runs Goldie’s Bagels, John is at Pizza Tree and the two recently bought Main Squeeze. Working together has its good days and bad days, but they say they are grateful to be each other’s support systems. “Amanda’s very creative,” John says. “I help get her ideas into words. I’m also the handyman.”

How do you make it work when life is chaotic?
“Recognize the privilege of just spending time together,” Amanda says. “Set the time aside once a week and be intentional.”

Lisa & David Bartlett

Then: In 1983, David Bartlett was working the soundboard during a The Bel-Airs concert at The Blue Note when he spotted Lisa in the audience. Immediately, he left his post, headed into the crowd and invited her to dance. The rest, as they say, was history. “We were pretty inseparable from that point on,” Lisa says.

First Date: “Oh, God, one of those pancake breakfast fundraisers,” Lisa says. “That was our first ever date. I still give him crap for it.”

Now: The couple has been together for 42 years and married for 37. Both artistically inclined, David does audio work for all three Mizzou arenas and Lisa owns Artlandish Gallery. “As two people in the arts, David has supported me wholeheartedly,” Lisa says. “When things get crazy, he makes me feel like everything will be fine.”

How do I make sure my love lasts?
“People should accept their partner for who they are,” Lisa says. “It’s not all bliss and rainbows. You have to be flexible and understand people change and grow, and you grow with them.”

Rebecca & Jason Miller

Then: Rebecca and Jason met in the basement of the Arts and Science Building in an international relations lab. Jason sought out Rebecca for homework help, leading them to spend the semester together — then the rest of their lives. In fact, three other couples in that lab ended up getting married.

First Date: Dinner at the now-closed Blue Cactus, a Mexican restaurant off Providence Road. This was also (somehow) the first time Rebecca had ever tried Mexican food.

Now: After marrying, they settled in Kansas City before Rebecca pivoted from pursuing law to pursuing pies. “I asked him, ‘You know that law school debt?’” she says. “I said, ‘I wanna make pies with mom instead.’” Rebecca is now running Peggy Jean’s Pies fulltime, slowly taking over the three-generation family business. Jason works part-time, keeping the behindthe-scenes finances in order. “I never envisioned a life centered around pies,” Jason says. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Alongside pies, they have also raised two children.

What’s the secret ingredient to 25 years of marriage?
“Communicating through the good and the bad, not dragging out arguments with a cold shoulder,” Rebecca says. “It’s also important to know what the other person needs and try your best to give them that. It’s all about being thoughtful and putting in effort.”

Whether it’s the best day of the year or just another Saturday, happy Valentine’s Day, Columbia.

May the flowers be fresh, the first date go perfectly, the chocolate be sweet and the wine keep flowing.