Whether you’ve been together for a month, a year or a decade, spending a romantic night at home with your significant other can be a great way to add some intimacy to your love life. Here are a few steps to planning a romantic date night that will keep those romantic fires burning.
Setting The Mood
It’s important to set the mood in your home to get things heated up for you and your significant other. If you don’t set the mood, you run the risk of it seeming like any ol’ dinner at home. Taking a few simple steps can transform a regular dinner into a decadent date.
Lighting – There’s a reason so many love songs include the line “turn off the lights and light a candle”…it’s one of the first things you can do to start setting the mood. Turn off all unnecessary lights, especially overhead lights. They tend to have the brightest bulbs in a room. Light a few unscented candles. If you’re on a budget, you can buy a pack of these at the dollar store. You want unscented candles because they won’t compete with whatever delicious meal you’re preparing. Low lighting and candles adds ambiance and sensuality to the experience.
Music – In my experience, music can be a fantastic way to amplify the romance in any setting. Adding a bit of background music, via your favorite app (Pandora, Spotify, YouTube Music, etc). Is a great way to set a mood and potentially impress your date. My partner and I love sharing new music with each other and also finding old favorites that we didn’t know we both love. It doesn’t even need to be “romantic” music, just the music you and your significant other can connect with. Play it softly, as background to your conversation and it’s instant romance.
Start a Fire – Okay, okay, we know you’re not likely to have a fireplace, but that doesn’t mean you can’t “start a fire”. Both Netflix and YouTube have fireside movies/channels. Either set a real…nice cozy fire or put one on the big screen. Even if it’s funny to both of you, after a while, it will help get you both in the mood. *trust me on this one.
Planning the meal
What’s one of your significant other’s favorite food? Could you recreate that food at home? Most likely you can recreate most of your favorite foods that you would get in a restaurant. But…you might need some special planning.
There are so many fantastic food blogs available online. Not to mention the thousands of YouTube videos. Once you’ve decided on a meal plan, find a great recipe that fits you and your partner’s needs and hit the kitchen pantry and the store. Our favorite for go-to romantic meals is anything Italian…we even have a few links on our site.
You might find that you’re not interested in cooking (or don’t have the skills to cook) a romantic meal, but you can order in or buy a ready made meal from the freezer section at your grocery store. Those “meal in a bag” options have come a long way and can be plated up to impress.
While you’re shopping, don’t forget about appetizers and desserts. Is there a new type of cheese or fruit you have been wanting to try? Use the time before the meal to indulge in a little tasting menu. It’ll give you time to do your final meal preparations and to have some pre-dinner conversation.
Entertainment Options
You may have been thinking that a date night at home is likely to be boring…but we beg to differ. There is so much fun to be had at home! Of course there’s the end of the date “fun”, but we’re not just talking about that. Staying in and playing a game of cards or doing a puzzle or watching one of those campy 2 star Netflix movies can be a ton of fun and far less stressful (and cheaper) than a night on the town.
Of course, you can simply get your date night started at home and then head out on the town for entertainment. We won’t judge either way, but consider how fun it would be to just spend some time with each other and enjoy each other’s company, far from the hustle and bustle of a busy life.
Enjoying a Nightcap
Whether your entertainment will be at home or on the town, consider wrapping up the night with a romantic nightcap. We suggest a nice warm beverage, such as a coffee, hot chocolate, a hot toddy or a snifter of brandy. Any of these would go quite nicely with the Squeeze ‘n Easy Gourmet Cannoli. Our kits will allow you to whip up a homemade sweet treat to go with your nightcap in just a few minutes. And it’s just that, a treat. They’re small and lightly sweet and taste quite indulgent.
I hope we’ve convinced you that planning a date at home doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It can be a fun way to change things up and gain a bit of intimacy with your partner. Whether it’s a typical date night or a special Valentine’s day at home, have fun and relax with your loved one. Enjoy setting the mood, planning the food and entertainment, but most of all spending precious time with the love of your life.
