The pressure of planning the perfect date for your special somebody ahead of Valentine’s Day can be nerve-racking. Fancy dinners and grand romantic gestures are great, but aren’t they a bit overrated? Besides, it's completely fine to not succumb to the pressure from social media to live up to the sky-high expectations set by rom-coms because that’s not what Valentine’s Day is all about.
It’s about spending quality time with your special someone and letting them know how much they mean to you. Love is present in all the mundane activities of everyday life. Comfortably staying in, snuggled in a blanket together, with cosy PJs on, holding cups of warm hot chocolate may be the way to go. Fellow house plants, here are simple, yet thoughtful date ideas that don't drain your purse, but send your feelings across!
Phone-free candlelight dinner
Go all out and wear your finest suit or gorgeous gown to look your best, as these are the quirky little things that liven up the mood. Set up a table either indoors with a night view, or outdoors on your terrace with some candles, flowers, and wine on a preferably white tablecloth for that classy look, along with hot food and fancy home cutlery. Without further delay, switch off your phones, light those candles, and spend some quality time with your partner.
Make each other's favourite desserts
A complete dinner calls for some scrumptious dessert and what’s better than challenging your partner to an ultimate bake-off? Compete with your partner and make their favourite dessert. In the end, there is no real winner, it's all for the sake of a good sweet time.
Create a playlist together and have a relaxing spa day
Be it Bruno Mars or Elvis Presley; create a playlist with all of your favourite songs. Snack-the-code in a cute game to try out: Print out the Spotify codes of the songs that remind you of them. Get a box of chocolates or bite-sized snacks and hide a code note under each one. That way, they get a song for each chocolate. Select the playlist, turn up the volume, grab a sheet mask, and relax while all your worries melt away.
Have a karaoke night or a dance party
Set up the place with some lights and refreshing drinks. A karaoke kit is not necessary, just find karaoke versions of your favourite songs on YouTube and sing your hearts out. Not much of a singer? Then blast some peppy dance music and showcase your signature moves. A wholesome alternative would be slow dancing to romantic songs. “Alexa, play Perfect.”
Build a living room fort for a movie marathon
Use blankets, clothes pins, chairs, and ropes to build a comfy blanket fort in front of the projector screen or TV. Place cushions and more blankets in it and finish off by adding fairy lights for an aesthetic look. That’s it, you’re all set, switch off the lights, pick a movie, and don't forget the popcorn!
Paint together: switch painting every 20 mins
Gear up to get artsy with your paints, pens, brushes, and canvases. Set a timer for 20 mins, and summon your inner Picasso. Switch canvases every 20 mins until your art pieces are complete. Don’t peek into their canvas until the timer goes off. To make it more fun, you can completely use your hands to create your masterpiece. Leaving it all up to your imagination.
Barbecue under the stars
Spread a picnic blanket on your terrace or a place where you can get a good view of the stars. Prepare the barbecue grill and arrange plates, cutlery, beverages, and flowers along with some good music to set the ambience. Go ahead and devour some sizzling BBQ while gazing at the sparkling diamonds of the night.
Do a romantic photoshoot
Choose a location with good lighting, preferably a place with a lot of natural light, or go for a dark place where a ring light or sunset lamp can be used. Decide on a theme and pick outfits that complement the background and lighting. Set up a digital camera or phone camera with the timer option and fix the angle with the help of a tripod or set it up on a table in standard or selfie mode.
Now, all that’s left to do is pose and click some memories. An adorable gift idea: Once the pictures are all captured, they can be edited into a photobooth picture using templates and vintage filters. Print them out, write a sweet message, and give them to your dearest.