10 creative date night ideas

Date night! We all say we’re going to do it, but with work, family, and the fact you can barely keep your eyes open after 9pm … how much of us actually follow through? Well, no more excuses! We challenge you to plan a night out with your partner right now, because you definitely deserve it. And just to make it easier, here are 10 fun and creative ideas to help you along the way …

After living together, raising kids together and building IKEA furniture together, you might think you know pretty much everything about your partner, and that there’s NOTHING that could surprise you any more. But Makana from Texas is For Lovers says it isn’t true! She suggests making a “Things You Don’t Know About Me” jar and filling it with little slips of paper containing random facts, old secrets or thoughts you’ve never shared. We think it could make the perfect catalyst for a date night: Sit down to dinner, open up the jar and see where the conversation takes you!

If your date nights rely on available grandparents or saving up for babysitting then chances are you probably don’t get out much. The solution, of course, is a date night at home – but we don’t just mean ordering a pizza and sitting on the couch, we mean really planning something. Like Trina from Beginner Beans, who keeps up a weekly date night tradition with her husband. They take turns putting together themed nights like indoor camping (complete with a tent in the living room),breakfast in bed (for dinner) or themed movie nights.

Jennifer from Life in the Green House came up with this idea as an antidote to indecisiveness: a jar filled with popsicle sticks, each one inscribed with a creative date night activity. The red ones involve planning and a bit of cash (such as a night away), the light pink ones are less expensive and close to home, and the dark pink are at-home dates that can be done any night. A great way to encourage spontaneity.

“If I had to pick again, I’d still pick you” … that’s the premise behind this idea from Makana at Texas is for Lovers, who proved it by taking her husband fruit picking! It’s win-win … you get a fun day out and at the end you get to gorge yourself on fresh berries (for extra points, add champagne).

If you find yourself missing the heady adrenaline rush of your first dates, it’s time to get that feeling back: extreme sports style! Peer through your fingers and watch other people take their lives in their hands at the Speedway. Or if you’re really brave, go abseiling, bridge climbing, or take a Formula 1 car for a few laps. Your pulse will still be racing when you get home … and we all know where that leads! (Thanks to Tina Grey Dot Me for the idea).

This idea requires access to a projector, but the romance factor is off the charts, so renting one could well be worth it. Create your own moonlight cinema in the backyard and accessorise with loads of comfy pillows, vintage touches and candles, candles, candles. See more inspiring images at Pretty My Party.

It’s teenage, silly, and a little bit naughty – but this one’s good for a laugh and for spicing things up. Send the kids off to Grandma’s house and then get your poker face on. It’s time for Strip Poker! Make it interesting by wearing everything in your wardrobe (and then losing … badly).

Take the ABC Dating Challenge via $30 Date Night. Every week/month choose a date starting with a new letter, making your way through the alphabet. G is for games night, P is for photography night walk, W is for whiskey tasting, and X …? Well, X marks the spot! Hire a metal detector and take it to the beach to hunt for ‘treasures’ that you’ve buried for your partner (just put them inside ziploc bags and add bottle tops or coins so the metal detector can pick them up).

If your clubbing days are over but you still love a boogie, you don’t have to wait for a wedding to find your next excuse to hit the dance floor. Crank up your favourite tunes and have a dance party at home! Or if you’d prefer something a little more civilised, take salsa lessons together or join a swing dancing group. It’ll get you moving, touching, laughing and shaking what yo mama gave you.

Re-live the magic by re-creating your first date (or your most memorable one). You can make it as simple or as creative as you like: go back to the place you first met, or stay at home and take a trip down memory lane. Play the songs that topped the charts the week you first met, pull out old photo albums and laugh at your haircuts and fashion choices (better still, dress up exactly as you would have looked that night). Cook up a meal featuring the cuisine of your favourite holiday destination or watch the first movie you ever saw together. Feel that? Yeah, it’s all those gooey, knee-wobbling emotions flooding back again!

Photo credits:
Brandon Kidd Photography via prettymyparty.com
abdul / yunir via flickr.com
beginnerbeans.com
lifeinthegreenhouse.com
thedatingdivas.com
BlackPitShooting via flickr.com
Ross Elliott via flickr.com
Elizabeth Albert via flickr.com
Freenerd via flickr.com
John Hope Photography via flickr.com