Dating is complicated. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been married for a while or have only dated for short period of time. Here are some suggestions and ideas for date night at home.
There are, of course, plenty of options - some of these will resonate and some will not. It depends on your personalities and you likes and dislikes and how long you've been married or have been dating.
If it's a first date some of these ideas might be a bit too intimate.
What are your personalities like – are you outgoing and not at all worried about how silly you can be or are you more reserved and more into quiet types of activities
What kind of space is available - do you have enough space to dance or do you have just enough for your couch to fit in front of your TV?
Hopefully, you will find something on this list that fits you and your date/husband or maybe even more than one - if the night goes well.
1. Cooking Together
If you don’t like cooking, this one might not be for you. But in case you do (and you don’t have to have experience for this, just some enthusiasm) you might like it. Cooking together could be a fun activity, both for people who want to get to know each other and for people who are already well acquainted. It gives you something to do together while you chit-chat, and then your efforts are rewarded with a delicious meal. You can go shopping together beforehand as part of the date, that way you don’t get stuck without the ingredients when you’re home. Its suggested that you check the recipe before the shopping, maybe even consult with your date what kind of food they like to eat / cook, so you won’t be surprised if they don’t like sushi or if they hate making lasagna or if they can’t tolerate peanut butter. If you’re not the kind of person that likes to cook at all, maybe the next idea is better suited for you. Spice things up by turning off the lights and eating by candlelight!
2. Ordering Together
Ordering is the simplest solution for clueless cooks. You can do the order together and enjoy making the decision with your date, or you can order it early so it arrives quickly and you don’t have to wait. Again, I suggest consulting with your date about the foods they like / hate / can’t eat, so you won’t end up with an unpleasant surprise, or not realizing they are allergic to some of the ingredients in the food. Spice things up by turning off the lights and eating by candlelight!
3. Make just the dessert
Desserts are a bit easier and can consist of making cookies from premade cookie batter in tubes, to shortcake, strawberries and whip cream, chocolate fondue with marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pretzels, potato chips, angel food cake, or even Rice Krispy Treats. Feel really adventurous? How about Smores? If you have a firepit you are good to go. No firepit but you have a fireplace? You are still good to go? Neither or those? Have a gas range? Sorta good to go – Just be really careful on that one! Spice things up by turning off the lights and eating by candlelight!
4. Movie Night
Maybe eating isn’t something that you think works for you. Maybe you don’t like to make a lot of effort, you just want to chill with your date, maybe cuddle in front of a sweet RomCom, maybe shiver in front of a thriller, or maybe laugh till your lungs hurt in front of a wild comedy. It’s your call. Choosing a movie together can be fun and interesting, you can learn about each other. Or, again, you can choose beforehand so you don’t waste a lot of time. Make sure you have some popcorn, beverages, and snacks (I love chocolate chip cookies!!).
5. Karaoke Night
These days, you don’t have to go to a karaoke bar in order to sing with your favorite songs. Having a computer - or a phone - with YouTube or Spotify or whatever will do just fine! You can even pick up a cheap Bluetooth microphone or you can just play the instrumental version with the lyrics and sing along. Remember, its about having fun, exploring your musical taste and enjoying each other’s company. If you like music, this can be perfect for you. But if singing isn’t your strong side and you still enjoy music, maybe the next idea will hit the mark.
6. Dancing
Instead of “going out for dancing”, how about staying in and dancing? Again, you don’t need to go to a fancy club these days in order to have a party in your living room. You can
create your own playlist, with only the songs that you two like, choosing exactly how loud the volume is going to be (be mindful of your neighbors!!) and when to switch the mood. You have a wide range of options here as well - you can go for something slow and romantic for a close dance, or for something funky that’ll make you jump together. You can create the playlist together and discover what each of you like, or bring back memories years gone by.
7. Game Night
Maybe you’re not the type to sing and dance, maybe you just want some simple good old fun. Game nights have been around since forever, and the variety is endless. There are tons of board games for getting-to-know each other, that involve personal and funny questions, and there are also just fun games to have a good time, from charades to card games and board games - find what games are best for you!
8. Picnic indoors
This one is a little silly, but that’s the fun of it. Make up a wonderful picnic basket and when the time is right spread out a blanket on the floor and the two of you can set up your indoors picnic right in the comfort of your living room. You can stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer and best of all – very few if any bugs to bug you!! :)
9. Inside Camping
This is another silly idea, for the adventurers among us. Instead of doing this activity in a regular way, why not switching this too to an "inside" mode (like we did with dancing), and have our very own campsite in our house! Again, it depends on the space available in your house - if your living room is big enough, you can build an actual tent (maybe a small one), and if your house is small, a sleeping bag on the floor would do. To add to the mood, you can dim some of the lights, tell ghost stories, eat snacks and play a documentary about nature in the background. You can't lit an actual fire, of course, but some candles would do just fine.
So there you have it. 9 great ideas for your at-home dates. What are you waiting for? Go ask someone to go out with you! Or should we say... stay in with you!
And remember: You might try one idea and realize this isn’t good for you. You can always try a different one, maybe even combine and invent new ones out of this selection. Love is not simple, so why should dating be? It’s good to try and fail and try again, it’s good to experiment and experience what’s a good date for you - and also what is not. Whatever it’ll be, it’s good that it happened.
You’ve got this!
Arthur Ellis, is owner and photographer at Arthur Ellis Photography, in Charleston, SC. He specializes in Family & Children, Portraits / Headshots, and Boudoir photography. He can be reached through his website: ArthurEllisPhotography.com
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