Spring has sprung, and love is in the air! While Valentine’s Day and wedding anniversaries are the designated times set aside to celebrate our love, date nights are important year round. Here are a dozen romantic date ideas. Select one for this month, then use the others throughout the coming year –because every great relationship deserves at least one date night per month!
Photo Credit to donjd2 on Flickr
1. Save up and Splurge! Every once in a while, we may want to splurge with a budget buster kind of date night at the favorite 5-star restaurant with wine, appetizers, and serving food by candlelight with an impeccable wait staff. Do you know your spouse’s true favorite? And have you considered, on big holiday’s like February 14th, you can often feel more like cattle run than leisurely fun, so while dinner out is great, you might consider saving this for a less populated night. Some options that can be just as fun, but not as crowded.
2. Take a Romantic Stroll. Nothing more romantic than a walk by the water….do you live near the ocean, a lake shore or other water, where the soothing sounds of water can wash away the stresses of everyday duties and responsibilities?
3. How about a walk under the stars? In many places, you will still want to bring soft warm comforters to lay on, and to lay under, as you find that secluded spot to search the sky for shooting stars and just gaze in wonder. A thermos of your favorite hot cocoa, coffee or other beverage can be nice to let it linger as you watch the wonder of the night sky.
4. Take a Staycation, Date-Night Style. Rather than bringing the babysitter in while you go out, consider sending the kids to grandparents or friends, and enjoying your house alone together. You can take that bubble bath in the tub, enjoy your bedroom or kitchen, and romp through the house undisturbed and comfortable, surrounded by your favorite things. To spark it up a bit, consider what you would have spent on dinner out, and instead buy new linens for the bed or your table. Or, invest in your favorite, ready-prepared meal to bring home…unless cooking together could add some spice to your evening.
5. Consider a date lunch – most restaurants are less crowded, and the same dish on the lunch menu is less costly than its dinner menu counterpart.
6. Take a walk in the park. Swing on the swings, have a picnic, twirl on the spinning thing, be young again! Laugh. Have fun. Take pictures.
7. A photo night…get out the pictures, find those of just the two of you. Put them in a “couples” album. And don’t forget to snap a few new pictures of this special date.
8. Go to the Gold Crown store together. Scour the card section, searching for and passing to one another the “perfect” card(s)…even if you don’t want to spend $4.50 on it. On your way out, buy a new ornament or stuffed animal for the bed instead of the cards as a more lasting momento.
9. Dress up in your fanciest clothes and head somewhere unexpected. I remember a couple in one of the golden arched fast food place. They didn’t have a lot of money, but they found their fancy wear, dressed up (remember those prom days), and went out and walked the town. They stopped for a burger, had fun together watching the looks, and continued to window shop downtown. You might head to an ice cream parlor or whatever strikes your fancy. Shake things up at the pizza joint in town as you walk in with him in a tie and her in her satin or sequins. Why not?
10. Movies – an old standby date, for sure. Going to the theater can be fun, but not really a relationship builder. You are alone together, but you can’t really talk. Consider renting a movie and bringing it home so you can be comfortable, pause if desired, and relax more.
11. Turn back the clock. Don’t overlook those other date night staples from your early dating years – when was the last time you went bowling? As long as we leave the overly competitive juices at home, bowling can be fun! You can chat, snack, and if your game is like mine, laughter is guaranteed. And with bowling it is pretty easy to be flirty…like the scene from Saved by Grace.
12. Tap into the other person’s passion. Would she love to go dancing? Would he love to be at a ball game or walk around the boat show this weekend? When you go into your date night with a thought of what the other one would really enjoy, rather than what you want, you are on the right track of what love really is about – an action, a gift of yourself for the other person! There is nothing like putting them first to spark true love.
What will your special date be this month?
