100 Reasons Why I Love You (Copy, Personalise, and Make Them Cry)

“I love you” is easy to say. Saying why is what people remember. A list of reasons is one of the cheapest and most affecting presents there is, for an anniversary, a birthday, Valentine's Day, or a bad week.

Borrow from the 100 below, then swap in your own details. A reason with their name, a place or a date in it is worth ten general ones.

Who you are

1. You are kind when it would be easier not to be.
2. You make people feel comfortable within a minute of meeting you.
3. You are funnier than you realise.
4. You keep your promises.
5. You are curious about everything.
6. You admit when you are wrong.
7. You are brave in quiet ways.
8. You notice when someone is left out.
9. You work hard and rarely mention it.
10. You are honest, even when it is awkward.
11. You get excited about small things.
12. You are gentle with animals and children.
13. You never make anyone feel stupid.
14. You can laugh at yourself.
15. You still believe people are mostly good.
16. You are patient with me.
17. You are stubborn about the right things.
18. You are exactly the same person in every room.
19. You care about doing things properly.
20. You are the best person I know.

How you make me feel

21. I feel safe with you.
22. I can be completely myself.
23. You make ordinary days feel like enough.
24. You calm me down without trying.
25. You make me feel chosen.
26. I laugh more since I met you.
27. You make me feel attractive on my worst days.
28. I never feel judged by you.
29. You make me braver.
30. Coming home to you is the best part of my day.
31. You make me feel understood.
32. I sleep better next to you.
33. You make me want to be kinder.
34. I am proud to walk into a room with you.
35. You make hard things feel possible.
36. I feel lucky every single day.
37. You make me feel like I am enough.
38. With you I am never lonely.
39. You make me believe in the future.
40. You feel like home.

The little things

41. The way you sing in the car.
42. Your morning hair.
43. How you always save me the last bite.
44. The face you make when you concentrate.
45. Your terrible jokes.
46. How you warm up my side of the bed.
47. The way you say my name.
48. Your laugh, the real one.
49. How you reach for my hand without looking.
50. That you remember how I take my coffee.
51. The notes you leave.
52. How you dance when you think nobody is watching.
53. The way you look at me across a crowded room.
54. Your sleepy voice.
55. How you talk to the dog.
56. That you always walk on the outside of the pavement.
57. Your handwriting.
58. The smell of your jumper.
59. How you get competitive at board games.
60. The way you hum when you cook.

What you do for us

61. You show up, every time.
62. You listen to the whole story.
63. You take my side in public and tell me the truth in private.
64. You look after me when I am ill.
65. You apologise first more often than I do.
66. You make an effort with my family.
67. You remember dates I forget.
68. You support the things I care about.
69. You do the jobs I hate.
70. You celebrate my wins as if they were yours.
71. You hold me when I cry and do not try to fix it.
72. You plan things for us.
73. You give me space when I need it.
74. You never go to bed angry without saying goodnight.
75. You tell me I can do it, and then help me do it.
76. You make our home feel like ours.
77. You forgive me.
78. You keep choosing us when it is hard.
79. You check I got home safely.
80. You still flirt with me.

Our story

81. The way we met.
82. Our first date, nerves and all.
83. Our jokes that nobody else understands.
84. The trips we have taken.
85. The worst day we got through together.
86. How far we have come.
87. Our song.
88. The way we can talk for hours.
89. The way we can say nothing for hours.
90. Sunday mornings.
91. The life we are building.
92. The plans we have not made yet.
93. How we make decisions as a team.
94. That you know all of me and stayed.
95. That I get to grow old with you.
96. Every version of you I have met so far.
97. Every version I have not met yet.
98. Because you are my best friend.
99. Because loving you is the easiest thing I do.
100. Because you are you.

Five ways to give them

• A jar. Write each reason on a slip of paper. They pull one out whenever they need it.
• A deck of cards. 52 reasons, one stuck to each card.
• A letter. Pick your best ten and expand each into a sentence or two.
• One a day. Text one reason every morning for a month.
• Sealed for later. Write them now and open them together in a year. See how to write a time capsule letter.

How to write your own

Finish these sentences and you will have ten that nobody else could have written.

1. I knew I loved you when...
2. You are the only person who...
3. I love the way you... when you think I'm not looking.
4. Nobody else makes me laugh about...
5. The day you... I will never forget.
6. You are better than anyone at...
7. I love that you still...
8. When I am sad, you always...
9. My favourite memory of us is...
10. In ten years I hope we are still...

Want a new reason every day? Answer one question together and you will keep finding them: BloomingPairs, free on iPhone and Android →

Frequently asked questions

How do you answer “why do you love me?”

With something specific and recent: one thing they did this week and how it made you feel. Specifics are believed. Generalities are not.

How many reasons should I write?

Ten heartfelt ones beat a hundred copied ones. Use the list above for ideas, then make them personal.

Is a list of reasons a good anniversary gift?

Yes. It costs almost nothing and it is often the present people keep longest.