Taking the one you love out for a beautiful meal in a fancy restaurant is always going to win brownie points, but is it your only option for a romantic meal? Here’s how to plan a romantic dinner at home in 5 simple steps.
Valentine’s Day – arguably the busiest day of the year for restaurants – is a great example of when a surprise romantic dinner at home is miles better than going out.
It’s easy to write off Valentine’s Day. Easy to dismiss it as just another Hallmark scheme to guilt you out of your money. But is it really that bad to have a day that’ll motivate people to show their love for each other?
To be honest, we’re not big fans of going to dinner on Valentine’s Day. There are lots of overpriced set menus and you’re surrounded by awkward couples who are just trying to get through their meals.
And if you’ve left it too late, you probably can’t even get a good table at your favourite restaurant now.
The solution is to host a romantic dinner at home – just for the two of you. You can pretend that was your original idea all along (plus you can save money on babysitters as well).
Here are five simple tips to make sure your night at home goes off without a hitch.
How to plan a romantic dinner at home
1. Pick a theme
A theme helps tie the whole evening together. You can base it on your favourite movie, where you met or just your favourite type of food.
2. Take the pressure off the cooking
If you’re not a great cook, don’t try; just order in instead. Should you feel a bit fancy, you can hire a private chef to cook for you.
3. Create a romantic space
If you’ve already outsourced the cooking, you can outsource the cleaning as well. Imagine your partner’s delight to come to a completely clean house. Now that’s a Valentine’s Day worth remembering – you might think that’s not much of a romantic present, but never underestimate the power of a chore-free house!
If your house already looks fine, then just create the mood with lighting. Add candles, and move your lamps to really create a soft, moody space.
Buy some flowers too.
4. Dress up for the occasion
Even though you’re not going out, make an effort to dress up. The whole evening will feel more special. It doesn’t have to be your wedding dress or a tuxedo, but if you imagine you’re going out to a fine-dining restaurant and dress for that, you’ll nail it.
5. Take a photo
If you’re going to all this effort at home, record the romantic moment with a cute selfie or photo with your partner. We often forget to take photos just of ourselves and these are the moments you really want to remember.
Pro tip: Tell your partner just how much you love them before you snap the picture to capture the love.
Although we’re talking about this being your last-minute solution, it can also be a great thing to have in your mind from the start. The more time you put into this, the better it’ll become.
Do you usually celebrate Valentine’s Day? What sort of thing do you usually do?
