Romance is really just a way of expressing your love. Think about that first sentence, as being romantic is not just one thing you do, it can be anything you do, but the point is, that it should express your love.
Especially at Valentines day, the act of doing *something* together expresses that you would like to spend time with that special person on a day linked to romance. Some couple buy presents, and it's easy to try and buy something big or expensive to try and express your love through money, but it's masking what is really romantic.
It may seem obvious to say that one man's rubbish is another man's treasure, but this applies for all gift giving. Give the same gift to two different people and one may love it, one may hate it. How do you avoid it being a present that isn't romantic? The answer is to think about the person you are buying the present for. Really think about them. What do they like? What do you remember them talking about? What are their favourite things? What things do you both have a connection to? What shows you have been listening? What shows that you actually care?
Let's illustrate this with a crazy example... you could buy your partner a bottle of wine. Maybe your partner loves wine, that is great, they will love drinking it. But what if you remembered something they said about their favourite wine? If you gave them that it would be much better! In fact if the first time you had their favourite wine was when you first went out with them, then even better! These days, a lot of people see the price tag as the scale of what is a better and better present, but really when you look back across your life, what were the presents that you loved the most? Usually it is something personal that someone gave you.
I'm not saying you shouldn't spend money on that special someone, but just make sure that you're spending as much thought.
Also- see our guide to buying presents that say 'I love you'