on 2/14? Instead of giving chocolates and flowers (lol) is it weird just to invite her to dinner or something?

No.

is it weird to ask her out on dates before 2/14?

Depends on how well you know her...and more importantly, how you suggest it

Either the stupidest question ever or the most poorly worded.

If you plan on taking a girl out for valentines day, ask her beforehand, not on the exact same day.

not at all. probably better even. and after dinner, you give her your banana for her desert.

well, wait a minute. Let's get some basic principles out of the way?

During the rest of the year, what makes it the right time to ask a woman out to dinner? Do you try to build her interest in you first, or do you ask her right away?

And then, how does the impending day of February 14 affect those odds?
possibility #1: if she's single, she might not be thrilled about being alone that day, and be more receptive to being asked out of the blue.
possibility #2: asking on February 14 has serious connotations, and she'll be creeped out if there's not some kind of buildup.

and if you say "depends on the girl", well, then depends on WHAT about the girl? What's the difference between the one who'll go out with someone she barely knows, and the one who needs to run into you a bunch of times before you can get her away from her friends?

regardless, the restaurants are going to be booked solid all weekend, in addition to the 14th which falls on a Thursday this year. So I would think that something other than dinner should be done.