Plan A Romantic Date Night At Home

Spicing things up after you’ve been spending 24/7 together for the past 3+ weeks can be difficult. I have been wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt, mismatched socks and greasy hair in a pony tail since we went into quarantine. I’ve maybe worn makeup 3 times and put on a cute outfit 4 times (in 3 weeks…) so I was feeling like maybe doing something to make having dinner together in the evening feel more special (rather than eating in 15 minutes and vegging out on the sofa on our phones until we pass out). 

I’ve put together a list of the things I think are most important in planning and executing a beautiful, cozy and special date night at home without taking a step outside your front door (walk after the meat as your one form of exercise today is optional). 

Have the food delivered or make ahead of time

Plan a food delivery for same day or earlier in the week from somewhere that either delivers the meal already prepared or with minimal work so you can spend maximum romantic time together at the table or on the sofa and with a glass of wine in hand and not futzing around the kitchen trying to make sure all the food comes out on time. I ordered from Nonna Tonda (use code Nonnas Friends for 50% off your first order) an Italian pasta restaurant who have just started doing delivery since they had to close for the health and well-being of their employees and customers (100% makes sense). You can choose what you’d like delivered in terms of pasta type and sauce, and with 50% off, the meal for two only comes to £6.25! Serious steal. 

Appetisers make everything feel fancy

Source beautiful but inexpensive ingredients for a gorgeous appetiser to share that you can make ahead. I opted for a caprese-style salad with beautiful black iberico tomatoes layered with burrata, mint, basil, olive oil drizzle and salt and pepper flakes on top. I prepped earlier in the day and popped in the fridge, but this only takes a few minutes to do so you could easily throw together. Everything I ordered for this was from Natoora, where you can download their app and have everything delivered online. Really high quality ingredients overall and would definitely refer you if I could, pop to the App Store asap. Non-date night related but the spinach bunches are out of this world and my 100% favourite ever tasted. 

Wine (or drink of choice) while you dine

Choose your favourite wine or get some wine delivered and treat yourself, you have the rest of the week to skimp on buying things but this is a treat so make sure you treat yourself. The places I like to order from are Majestic Wines (inexpensive and wide selection), Vinterest (same day delivery), Buonvino (organic) or go big and get my favourite sparkling wine from Ridgeview Wine Estate.

Set the mood

Setting the mood is so so important. Grab any candles or twinkly lights you may have and arrange them nicely so they won’t interfere with your table setting or interaction, but so that they compliment the set-up. I opted for a few candles on the side of the table and twinkly lights around the mirror to add a bit more light so it wasn’t like sitting in a cellar. Grab any additional things like romantic art, cushions for your chairs, wine glasses on the table ahead of the meal, etc so that even before you sit down, the mood is set. 

Play some tunes

Music is key. Have a playlist for getting ready that you both like and play it while you get ready, maybe some pump up music to get you in the mood. Also pre-arrange a romantic playlist for the actual meal. I love this Chilled R&B playlist on Spotify. 

Get dressed up

Wear what you’d wear on a date night. 100% get dressed up, put in all the effort and get ready in a different room if you can, so that it’s still a nice surprise when you both appear without disheveled hair, mismatched pyjamas and can actually appreciate each other taking the time to look nice.

Relax and enjoy

Although this is an at home date night to mirror that of going out, remember you are at home. If you feel more comfortable taking your heels (or nice shoes) off, want to curl up on the sofa after the meal with dessert (we opted for ice cream for easy clean up) instead of sitting at the table, or want to change and go for a walk afterward - do it! Relax and continue the romance way past the meal, in whatever way that is for you. 

This was the loveliest night we have had in a while, and the best thing was that it was all a little bit of a surprise for Josh as he didn’t really know what I had up my sleeve. We try and do one “proper” date night per week and alternate who arranges it so that it’s not me organising every week (although let’s be real… sometimes I end up planning them all). It’s just a fun way to mix things up and even before going on lockdown, we’d do this anyway whether it be at home or going out for a meal together and some drinks. 

If you do have a date night, tag me on Instagram @gemtakesfoodpics so I can re-share!