Underwood, Ingram, Otto + More Plan Perfect Valentine’s Day

"I want Valentine's Day every day," declares Carrie Underwood, who says she's "anti-Valentine's" because she thinks you should celebrate love 365 days per year, not just one day. But the country cutie does admit she has a vision in her mind of the perfect Valentine's date: "I'm more of a stay-in kind of girl. And I've never had a guy cook for me," she says. "So I think it'd be really awesome if the guy put a lot of thought into it. Light some candles and make me a home-cooked meal. I'm a vegetarian, too, so it'd be like he went through some thought and looked up a recipe that he figured I would like -- complete with dessert, of course!"

Pat Green says he's both romantic and spontaneous when it comes to Valentine's Day. "I don't want to overdo it, because I don't want it to be what's expected. I'd rather it be very special," he says, going on to recall a particularly sweet date he had with his better half. "When my wife was eight months pregnant, I took her to the top of a mountain. I hired a chef who took a portable kitchen up to the top of Aspen Mountain. He put rose petals all down the path to where he had a table made of logs set up. It was just one of those memories that you have forever."

Jack Ingram says his plans for Valentine's Day will be the same as always -- he will take his wife, Amy, to dinner and bring her flowers and chocolates. And hopefully those chocolates will bring him better luck than when he was a love-struck little boy in the second grade. "I got a box of chocolates for a girl named Christy that I had a crush on. She accepted the candy, but didn't talk to me for the rest of the year," Ingram recalls. "At the same time, a girl named Elizabeth that I hadn't planned on talking to for the rest of the year gave me chocolates and a bag full of 'Will you be my Valentine' candy." Unfortunately, the gift didn't motivate Jack to be any nicer to Elizabeth, and Christy kept giving him the cold shoulder, causing the singer to muse, "Love is cruel and always keeps us guessing; that is it did until I met my Valentine Amy."

Heidi Newfield received a great Valentine's gift when she found out earlier this week that she has been nominated for five ACM Awards. The singer plans to celebrate the end of an incredible Valentine's week with her husband. "We are going to a big Valentine's party thrown by his business partner and his wife. They know how to do it up right, so it's sure to be a gorgeous evening. I'll get all dressed up with a great place to go and a really handsome man to go with."

Neal McCoy will take his wife to a nice Valentine's dinner, and then he'll lose her to a one-armed bandit! "We are going to the casino, and after 28 years of marriage she finds the slot machines much more fun than me," the singer jokes. He continues on a more serious note, "Because the business takes you away so much, any Valentine's Day that I get to spend at home with my family is good."

Jason Michael Carroll and his family enjoy an unusual Valentine's Day tradition. "There's nothing like lighting a few candles, cooking dinner and then sit down with that special someone, turning the lights down low and pushing play, and up on the screen pops Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,'" Carroll says with a laugh, admitting this wasn't as well received by his wife the first time he did it. "I love that movie, and I tried to convince my wife that it was more a love story, and we have now watched it every Valentine's Day for the last three years."

David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers has one of the more unusual stories about a Valentine's to remember. After he and his wife were told there would be a wait of several hours to get a table at one of their favorite Thai restaurants, their luck turned around. "Out of the blue, the lady told Susan that they had a sidewalk garden and if we didn't mind eating outdoors they would set up a table for us out there," he recalls. "The garden turned out to be covered in blooming orchids and burning candles were everywhere. There was a trickling fountain and romantic Thai music playing. We had our own private waiter -- it was just the perfect setting for a romantic evening."

Adam Gregory will be on the road for Valentine's Day. This year, he says he's promised Shelley, the only female on the bus, that she will be his sweetheart for the day. "We will spend an intimate dinner at Taco Bell with the other 11 guys in the band and management crew," he says with a laugh.

Duane Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys got a surprise when he asked his wife, Norah Lee, what she wanted for Valentine's Day, which is also her birthday. Declaring that she didn't need anything, Norah Lee told him she wanted to give instead of receive. Allen explains, "Norah Lee has already picked out two people who need some help. She also sent another contribution to Feed the Children in their efforts to get relief to people still hurting in Kentucky as a result of the recent freezing storms. So, this Valentine's Day may wind up being one of the best, ever. It will be a special day of giving."

James Otto and his wife are also giving as part of their celebration this year. "Amy and I are celebrating by hosting a black tie fundraiser in Nashville called the Sweethearts for Scholarships Gala. We agreed to be the celebrity Sweetheart couple for this year's event, because the funds raised for Nashville State Community College are earmarked to help provide scholarships to single, working mothers. My Mom fell into that category, so I know first-hand how difficult that can be. Also, the party is gonna be a blast - I love to see my sweetheart all dressed up!"

Jake Owen offers a light-hearted take on the subject of love. "I'm very romantic," he says. "I mean, it oozes out of me. Seriously, I buy t-shirts in the shapes of hearts. That's the only thing that fits me. I'm one big heart. I give love."

Exile drummer Steve Goetzman says his best Valentine's Day ever is happening this year. "I'm getting married!" he announces. "My bride to be, Beverly, and I were trying to decide on a date. She looked at a calendar for a suitable Saturday. We saw that February 14 falls on a Saturday, and we made the decision. A good friend accused me of being a sa
ppy SOB, but I've been called worse!"