5 at-home date night ideas

Stuck at home this Valentine’s day? Or want to change up your regular Friday night routine? We tried out some at-home date night ideas you will LOVE!

1. Game Night

Natalie was looking for a way to relax and spend time with her husband that wasn’t just scrolling through Netflix. They dusted off some old games (Yahtzee, Blokus, and Backgammon) and popped a bottle of wine! They hadn’t played a board game since dating and loved bringing it back!
Renée and her husband have also been playing games to reconnect their relationship! Some of her favorites are The Ultimate Game for Couples (also great for double dates) which is a laid back game to get to know your partner better and Our Moments, which is perfect for when you want to dive a litter deeper with more thought provoking topics and questions (great for long car rides too)! She also really enjoys playing Unsolved Case Files which is great for anyone that loves mystery documentaries!

2.  Homemade cocktail hour

Cocktail hour on Friday nights have been a hit since last March, trying everything. from spicy margs to whiskey smashes. We finally put our bar tray to use from our wedding registry, found recipes from The Craft of Cocktails and The Ultimate Bar Book, did a little shaker dance and broke out the bar tools and fancy glasses. The drinks turn out SO GOOD! These coupe etched glasses were passed down from my great grandmother, but these are really similar and have that same vintage flair!

Spicy Traders Joe’s Marg:

• 1 shot of Tequila or Mezcal
• splash of Triple sec
• splash of Chili liqueur
• splash of agave
• 2 splashes of TJ margarita mix
• fresh squeezed lime
• Top it off with a lime and TJ’s Chile Lime Seasoning Blend

*make it virgin by adding sparking water (my favorite is grapefruit sprindrift) or this non-alcoholic tequila!

Alternatively, you could try a blind tasting. My husband’s new ‘hobby’ is bourbon. We have been doing blind taste tests, setting up post-it notes on the bottom of the taster glasses. I admittedly fail in guessing every time, but it has been a lot of fun trying! Try it with wine or if you are not able to drink, try this non-alcoholic red wine.

3. Solo date night

Deema’s husband works long hours at the hospital, so she often treats herself to solo date nights. Her go-to is a mug of tea and Amy Schumer’s comedy special Growing.

When she has a night to herself, she also loves doing  adult coloring books. A friend gave her one when she was pregnant, and it was a great way to relax! She also enjoys the occasional personality quiz, especially the enneagram or she likes to journal. Deema also loves the more common relaxing evening of a face mask, a foot mask and a bath soak.

5. Personalized puzzles

Lauren just surprised her husband with a personalized photo puzzle! Admittedly, he was not thrilled at first, but it ended up being a great date night, mostly because it provided the perfect avenue to sit across from each other, drink some wine (with our favorite carafe and wine purifier) and talk, while completing a (mostly) mindless task. It’s the little things 🙂 Although adult puzzles are harder than they look!

4. Dinner, popcorn and a movie

This one may seem obvious, but it can be hard to plan sans-kids. Once a week (or so) my husband and I wait to have our dinner after we put our daughter to bed. We order our favorite date-night dinner (like sushi), pop some popcorn (with my favorite Whirley-pop popcorn maker, canola oil and seasoning). This popcorn maker makes PERFECT popcorn in under 3 minutes and it’s so much healthier than microwavable popcorn! I love adding truffle oil and sprinkling parmesan cheese to mine! Next time I am going to try one of these movie theatre candy boxes since my husband and I miss going to the movies and indulging in this candy!

Pro tip: choose the movie ahead of time, so you’re not scrolling all night 🙂

If you’re not in the mood for a movie, my friend and her husband started a new weekly tradition  where they each watch the other’s favorite show they would typically watch apart. For her, it is The Bachelorette. Typically, she would watch this alone, but watching with her husband has become extra entertaining seeing his reactions to all the ridiculous drama! In turn, she watches his favorite 30for30 episode and they have loved switching it up!

Bonus Ideas

• Cook a fancy meal together. If you can hold off on dinner until after bedtime, or are able to find some time in the kitchen, picking a three or four course meal to make together is another favorite at-home date activity that is more rewarding and delicious! My go-to cookbooks for date meals are True Comfort by Kristin Cavallari, Cravings by Chrissy Teigen and anything Half Baked Harvest by Tieghan Gerard.
• Make a playlist for each other. If you are able to listen to music during the day, or even your lunch break, it makes a sweet surprise for before your date.
• Start your own bookclub. Pick a book you can both read or even listen to an audio book. Then make some time to sit and talk through it. My favorites have been The Nightingale (for a great novel) and The 5 Love Languages (for relationship growth).

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