Having a family do anything special, is special enough I think. I reckon my wife was most happy that she woke up and I had cleaned the bathroom (like a real proper clean) during the night while she was asleep.
I feel that a lot of the events now have to be instagrammable - if they aren't worth the picture and post, it was a failure.
Effort put forth is so much more valuable than money spent. Like you say, the photo ops are tops on some folks list lol.
That being said, you are a true keeper and I bet your wife knows your worth!