Real-Life Valentine's Day Disaster Stories

These embarrassing and downright catastrophic Valentine's Day gems were too precious not to share!

"We were out to dinner, and my fiance leaned across the table to romantically feed me a piece of dessert. But in the process, he knocked the candle over and onto my freshly gelled hair. I ended up in the hospital after my hair caught fire. However, we did get a free meal out of the deal -- and I only had to endure a minor burn on my neck. I guess there’s literally too much fire in our relationship!" -- Christina


By Brooke Lea Foster

My husband and I arrived at this hot new restaurant in town on Valentine’s Day. We were seated and handed menus. Lovely, right? Until the waiter came over to take our drink order -- and he was my ex. -- Jen

My husband and I spent Valentine's Day in Hawaii a few years after we got married. Sound blissful? Think again: We were with his parents. Since my husband and his dad are history buffs, we decided to spend the actual day at Pearl Harbor. A cultural tour with the in-laws. So romantic, right? After we finished touring the historical site, we headed to the shore -- and soon realized that the four of us were sunbathing together on a gay beach. To make matters worse, my husband later admitted he didn’t even realize it was Valentine’s Day! -- Amy

I decided to go out with a fellow single friend one Valentine's Day. We were ordering $3 "Broken Heartinis" when I met a stand-up comic who was set to perform in the bar that night. We started making out and made plans to meet at another place later on after he finished his act. I decided to stick around to watch his comedy show. He ended up absolutely bombing. He was making racist jokes, and then he got into a fight with a woman in the audience who was offended by his humor (if you can call it that). Valentine’s Day is hard enough for a single girl -- and this turn of events just resulted in a complete (and, in retrospect, kind of hilarious) catastrophe. -- Colleen

I was casually seeing a guy for a few weeks and wasn't sure if I wanted to get more serious. Then he asked me out on Valentine's Day, and I was flattered. I thought, He must be ready to take our relationship to the next level. When we got to the restaurant, the hostess was handing out roses to all of the ladies. We sat down, and a waiter handed us the special prix fixe menu. My date asked, “Oh, is it Valentine's Day?” When I nodded, he seemed genuinely shocked. Then he had the nerve to tell me that he wouldn't have asked me out if he had known what day it was! -- Meredith

One year, I didn't have a date on Valentine's Day, so I went to see the movie "Hitch". With my parents. And I sat between them. On the way home, my mother started singing the “Chicken Dance” song, and my dad joined in. Reluctantly (at first), I started singing too. Needless to say, this was not my proudest moment. -- Sara