Date Night Dos [and Don'ts] is a monthly blog feature dishing up tips and tricks on keeping the romance fun and saucy in your relationship, from five months to five years!
Quick post this month, chickens.
As I’m sure you can tell by the lack of posts on our own blog these past few months (so embarrassing), life has been a bit out of control for us. This doesn’t mean we haven’t been making time for our weekly Date Nights (Rule #1: ALWAYS make time), it’s just that we haven’t had time to blog about them. Life has finally caught up with us and is biting us in the butt…
That said, one of our all-time-favorite types of Date Nights are do-it-yourself theme dates — ones that we set up at home. These are the cheapest and easiest ways to get a Date Night in, and often times involve the most creativity, making for a most memorable experience.
Some examples of Do-it-Yourself Theme Date Nights?
French Night:
Put together an amazing spread of French finger foods – from apricots and brie to dried cherries and baguette. The more cheeses the better. And of course, lotsa French wine. Pair it with a quintessential French film (our pick? Amelie for sure!) and you’ll be sure to have a night to remember.
**Ladies, surprise your man with one of these to add a little something extra to the evening.
Childhood Date Night:
Rent Where the Wild Things Are, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin, or whatever happens to be YOUR favorite childhood story.
Pair it with some comfort food (we chose gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup), build a fort in your living room, and be transported back to childhood with your sweetie.
Paint Night:
Grab some cheap-o finger paints or water colors from your local drug store or Target (or, go fancy and get some real nice oil paint), some tag-board (or canvas), lay down a tarp (we use shower curtain liner) in your living room, and go nuts with a paintbrush.
Paint the city skyline, or a portrait of your lover. If you’re a terrible artist, paint something and make your sweetie guess what it is. Since this date is all about using your hands, be sure to dine on something that follows suit – pizza is the perfect easy dish to pair with this creative Date Night.
Some other ideas? Harry Potter themed date night (prepare a feast that puts Hogswarts to shame; Watch your favorite Potter flick!); German Date Night; Beer and Wine tasting Date Night (this one was a hit!); Italian Mobster Date Night; Blindfolded Date Night; 50s Housewife Date Night.
The possibilities are endless! Bottom line, always make time!
Enjoy, and happy dating!
Date Night Dos [and Don'ts] is a monthly blog feature dishing up tips and tricks on keeping the romance fun and saucy in your relationship, from five months to five years!
Happy summer, lovely ladies! Even though, some days, Mother Nature likes to pretend it’s already autumn… NOT cool.
How are you all doing with you Date Jars? Got them all filled up and ready to go? Good.
Now, you’re probably wondering, “How the heck is a girl like me (you, not me) – full time job, bills to pay, kids to feed, grocery shopping to do… how the heck am I supposed to afford a Date Night once a week/month/or even year?!” … Well, dear readers, fear not. Date Night does NOT have to cost a fortune.
Especially in a city with as many natural amenities as Seattle, and ESPECIALLY in the month of August, which happens to be when Seattle shines.
Why not get outdoors and explore some of the wonderful hikes within a mile of the city? Pack a backpack full of sandwiches, snacks, a bottle of wine, and head up Tiger Mountain (or, if you’re feeling adventurous, Mount Si)! The views, mixed with the adrenaline of the hike and the buzz from the wine makes for a perfect ourdoor Date Idea! (This is how one of my best friends’ husband proposed to her… so don’t try to tell me hiking isn’t romantic!)
Okay… so hiking’s not your thing? No problem. Why not rent a canoe or a kayak from UW WAC for $6/hour! Paddle over to Gasworks where you can set up a romantic picnic and gaze at the breathtaking city skyline.
Or, if you’re wanting to get out of the city but not diggin on an 8 mile hike, hit up Snoqualmie Falls for a half-mile hike to the base of the most breathtaking waterfall in the state (in my opinion) – and hit up some shops in North Bend on your way back, for a full-on Twin Peaks experience.
There are countless opportunities to get outside for some cheap Date Night fun… from ferry rides to flea markets in Bainbridge, to a sake picnic in the Japanese Gardens… creative Date Nights don’t have to cost you a fortune.
And, if you want to save money on restaurants, city tours, trapeze classes, drinks at your local wine bar, or even a massage for two, be sure to sign up for “deal-of-the-day” sites like Groupon, Living Social , and Tippr . These sites offer daily discounts where, if enough people purchase the deal of the day, you get up to 90% Seattle restaurants and experiences! Not only are you saving a fortune, but it also helps you to discover restaurants, excursions, and adventures you otherwise may never have known about! (did you know there is a chocolate tour of downtown Seattle??)
Date Night Dos [and Don'ts] is a monthly blog feature dishing up tips and tricks on keeping the romance fun and saucy in your relationship, from five months to five years!
Hey ladies! It’s me again!
So, have you all had time to think about planning your own Date Night once a week? Or at LEAST once a month?
Yes?? Oh, good!
That’s the first step.
Now, I know that sometimes the hardest part of dating is thinking up fun, creative, and original things to do on your date nights (instead of, ‘Wanna just go to Outback again?’) … which is where I will help you out a little with a brilliant idea that a couple I know invented. The Date Jar.
You know when you hear about a new fabulous restaurant opening and think, “Mmm, that sounds lovely, I’d like to go there sometime!” or a friend of yours tells you about her fabulous experience watching a burlesque show at the Can Can, or your great aunt Mildred regales you with tales of her weekend of scooter and kayak adventures on the San Juan islands?
You know how you always say, “I’d love to try that!” but then when it comes time to think up something to do on Friday night, your mind draws a blank?
DATE JAR TO THE RESCUE!
Get together with your sweetie, and come up with a list of things you both wanted to try (and add to it as things pop up in conversation, or you read about it on Daily Candy, or GPH!): local area restaurants, movies to go see or rent, events to hit up, attractions to visit, firsts to experience together … Put these ideas on little scraps of paper. These scraps go into a cute little jar, and are saved for a rainy day.
When Date Night rolls around, you simply draw an idea from the jar. You don’t like the idea you drew? Well, the rule is you HAVE to do it! … but if, say, your date involves planting an herb-garden outside, yet it’s pouring down rain, well, i think that gives you liberty to draw again.
I’ve provided you with a sample list i found on About.com to get you started. Take some or all of these as your starter dates, and, as a new restaurant opens that you want to try, or you hear of a fun new massage parlor in town that’s open late night, a local burlesque show opens up down the street, or your sweet pea mentions their love for Opera… throw it in the jar, and ENJOY!
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1. Pick up the ingredients you need to create a fabulous meal at the grocery store and then return home and cook it together. (Or recreate the show ‘Chopped’ with 3 randomly chosen ingredients!)
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2. Throw a slumber party for two. Have dinner in bed and have each other for dessert.
Date Night Dos [and Don'ts] is a monthly blog feature dishing up tips and tricks on keeping the romance fun and saucy in your relationship, from five months to five years!
Hello friends!
My name is Mandy. I come to you from my blog Seattle Date Night.
The lovely ladies at GPH have asked that I share with you some wise words of wisdom when it comes to the wonderful wide world of dating (and also to show off my alliteration skills) … Little do they know, I am no expert!
Shhhh, don’t tell. 
But it’s true. I have had follies and flops and bad dates and even worse RELATIONSHIPS just like all of you. Yes, I have learned from these. And yes, I have finally found a sassy Australian who I am lucky to spend many of my waking (and sleeping) hours with.
Which doesn’t mean the dating stops there, my friends. But I will get to that in a moment.
First, I will tell you why I am here.
I’m here because when it comes to dating – whether you are going on a first date, a 15th date, or are celebrating your 367-month anniversary – creativity is key. Spicing it up. Keeping it interesting. And adventurous. But who has the time to think up fun and original date ideas? Or time to research a creative way to ask somebody out? Or where to take your lovely to dinner?
That’s why I am here. I’m here to help you with ideas, locations, tips, advice, antics, personal disasters, and fun foibles to avoid or embrace that can help spice up your date nights.
“Date Nights” you ask? Yes. Date Nights. That is where this whole party started. Here’s where I share a little about myself…
