In February, you can’t turn on the television without being reminded to sweep your sweetheart off her feet – preferably with expensive, extravagant, and—let’s be honest here—fairly ridiculous gifts. This year, give her a Valentine’s Day she’ll really love.
Let’s start with dinner. Conventional date night wisdom dictates that you should drive to the nicest restaurant within a 50 mile radius. You’ll eat your meal surrounded by dozens of other couples, and are sure to be interrupted at the most inopportune time by a waiter wanting to refill your wine.
You can have a nicer evening, burn less fuel, and spend less money celebrating closer to home.
Step One: Ambience
Forget about the scented candles and mood music. The first thing you need to do is pick a room. Where will you dine? If you have a formal dining room, wonderful! If not, be creative. Set up a cozy dining spot in the living room or even in the bedroom. Any area can be transformed into a romantic dining space. Start with a folding table and two chairs. Set these up in your space to be sure you have enough room. If the space feels cramped or claustrophobic, choose another room. Try setting the table at a diagonal angle to the walls to open up the space.
Once you have decided on a room, check out the horizontal surfaces. Are they full of random clutter? Clear them off, and dust. Nothing ruins ambiance like clutter and dust! Vacuum or sweep the floors last.
Next, set the table. Cover it with a nice cotton or linen tablecloth. Add matching cloth napkins, dishes and silverware. Nothing fancy necessary. Add all-natural, unscented soy tea light candles or floating candles in a bowl of water as a centerpiece. Add several pillar candles around the room or a soft corner lamp to add just enough light without being too bright.
If you’re eating in a room with a TV, load photos of you and your date in a slideshow, with romantic music (whatever that means to you!) playing in the background.
Come back later this week for Valentine’s Day Goes Green – Part 2: The Food!
In the meantime, do you have questions about setting up the perfect mood for your at-home date night? Just ask!
