This Man Wants to Plan Your Next Date

Neal Holmes' event planning company, Designing Love, plans the perfect outing for you and yours.

Neal Holmes is a man on a mission — a pretty unique one at that. Through his one-of-a-kind event-planning company, Designing Love, Holmes strives to give local couples dream dates that are catered to their individual tastes and relationships.

Whether it’s finding an unexpected way to spend a 50th wedding anniversary or crafting an over-the-top method for popping the question, the company has all the romantic bases covered.  
While you could get the impression that Designing Love is just for couples, Holmes says he is looking to work with singles as well.

“I don’t believe in matchmaking in the traditional sense,” he says. “Our goal is to consult with singles and help them develop a strategy for loving themselves before finding love elsewhere.”

Holmes doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to events of the heart. He puts weeks of research and consultation into each client’s event — and in one case, a little undercover work as a store clerk.

While no two occasions are the same, every experience ends with the same touch: receiving a personal gift from Holmes — one that’s definitely more meaningful than a fruit basket. Recently, a female client received a vegan cookbook, and her Star Wars-loving partner (who’s in the medical field) received an illustrated book that dissected the anatomy of his favorite villain, Darth Vader.