About a week before

Pick the menuChoose something you've cooked before, or close to it. Valentine's night is not the night to debut a recipe with six unfamiliar steps.
Check your calendars and lock the date and timeEspecially if kids, pets, or roommates need to be elsewhere.
Book a babysitter or pet-sitter if if neededSitters get snapped up fast on the 14th.
Order flowers ahead if you want fresh, good-quality onesFlorists' best stock and delivery slots go first, and prices climb as the day gets closer.
Buy any non-perishable ingredients, wine, and candles this weekSo you're not fighting crowds later.
Buy or borrow a meat thermometerIf steak, chicken, or any meat is on the menu, this is the one piece of kitchen gear that matters most — looks can lie about doneness, a thermometer doesn't.
Clear a surface for a nicer-than-usual table settingTablecloth, good plates, cloth napkins if you have them.

Two to three days before

Confirm the flower delivery window or pickup timeIf you ordered ahead.
Buy perishables no more than a couple of days outMeat, fish, dairy, fresh produce — so everything's fresh on the night.
Chill the wine or champagneReds can sit at room temp, whites and bubbly need fridge time.
Write out your cooking timeline backwards from serving timeWhat needs to marinate, rest, or come to room temperature, and when.
Check for food allergies or dislikesA surprise reaction or a plate someone can't eat is a bad note to end the night on — ask before you shop, not after you cook.

Do any prep that holds well overnightChop vegetables, make sauces, marinate meat, bake dessert.
Set the table (or at least stage everything)So the day-of list is shorter.
Set a playlist and charge your phoneDon't leave the music to chance at the last minute.
Do a trial run on any new techniqueIf there's one step you're unsure of (searing, a sauce, plating), practice it now, not for the first time on the night.

Pull meat and anything that needs to come to room temperature out of the fridgeAt the right time per your timeline.
Tidy the kitchen and the eating areaA messy counter undercuts the whole effort.
Put drinks on ice or in the fridge
Light candles only once you're sitting down to eatA candle left burning for hours unattended is a real fire risk.

Cook meat to a safe internal temperatureUse a thermometer rather than guessing by color. Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source, and cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F. Ground meat needs 160°F.
Rest meat for at least 3 minutes before servingFor safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.
Never leave a lit candle unattendedNever leave a burning candle unattended, never place it near something that can catch fire, and keep burning candles out of the reach of children or pets.
Keep raw meat and its utensils away from ready-to-eat foodCross-contamination is the fastest way a nice dinner turns into a bad night later.
Serve courses at a relaxed paceNobody's timing you, so don't rush the kitchen to keep up with a restaurant's clock.
Plate before you sit downSo you're not jumping up mid-meal.

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cookingTo keep them safe to eat later.
Blow out and check any remaining candles before bed
Jot down what worked and what you'd changeNext year's you will thank you.