We're actually making THIS a date!
Working together, sharing a cup of homemade (dairy free!) hot chocolate,
some lovely, caramel covered apples with toasted walnuts,
cute cute people.... mmmmmm romance!
It is not uncommon for us to get a phone call or a text from some random couple wanting us to give them a good date idea.
Like we're professionals! But seriously, we think we've come up with some pretty fun, budget-friendly, romantic, and even a few kid-friendly, date ideas to keep the flames burning!
We set aside Friday night as our official date night.
Now we can't afford a babysitter EVERY weekend so we usually have chaperones.
Their names are Isaiah and Judah. We make it work.
Bedtime is 7:30P.M. - the night is young!
But we think it is important to keep STUDYING and LEARNING
about the love of your life... before AND after you say "I do."
Anyway... If you are a "dinner & a movie" kind of couple, this probably is not for you.
I think we went to one movie together before we were married.
So here you have it!
Out of the box - not your average - budget friendly - date ideas for all you dating couples out there!
Steal our ideas or use them as creative energy to come up with some of your own unique date nights!
#1: Fondue by candlelight
Ever been to the Melting Pot? Fun. Pricey. And not exactly a place you want to bring your two year old! We were gifted a really cool ceramic fondue set for our wedding. Hey- fondue is cool! There is definitely something romantic about dipping your food into warm sauces by candlelight and sharing it with your favorite man/woman! To add to the scenery, a white-sheet canopy hung across the ceiling, suspended by ropes. Fondue in a whimsical tent with candles? Sign me up.
#2: Camping in the living room
Remember that post a couple months back? Totally set up the tent in the living room for a great evening under the "stars" (Christmas lights!). I think we played Scrabble and roasted marshmallows over the stove for s'mores! Later we watched a movie and even camped in the tent for the night!
#3: Drive-by water-ballooning
Now this is for those of you who are not afraid to live on the wild side! We have done this a couple times and get a kick out of it! This is probably illegal in some way - so please don't turn us in! We did it in a small town both times. That helps. Fill up a couple dozen water balloons and take turns throwing them out the passenger side window (NOT for drivers!) at random targets you spot along the way! Street signs are the target of choice. Very. Fun. Haha. One time we even ordered pizza and ate it out of the box along the way!
#4: Iron Chef @ home
Brittany is a great fan of the Food Network. So for Valentine's Day, I suprised her with an Iron Chef menu, making sure to select items with uncommon ingredients. Since I'm not much of a chef, and Brittany is, it wasn't much of a competition. Instead, it was more of an opportunity to experiment with new foods and work together as a team in the kitchen. Samosas, fried mozzarella, sweet & spicy cucumbers, chicken stuffed mushrooms, & pico de gallo shrimp salad were on the menu for us!
#5: Cowboys
Cowboy, take me away!!!! We wrote songs for each other. Nathan's was silly. Mine was serious. You can make this as hardcore as you want. We made a little bonfire out in the yard and took turns singing them to each other with our guitars. I also prepared macaroni and cheese to eat OUT OF THE PAN (because that's what cowboys do!) - and we had some bottled root beer too! Under the stars... music... food... firelight... we loved it!
#6: Retreat
Brittany planned this one. She selected Scripture & a devotional, from which we took turns reading. At the end there were questions, to which we responded by taking time to write down our answers, prayerfully considering what God was asking of us. To wrap up, we spent time with the Lord and each other, sharing our written thoughts out loud, and asking Him in turn to continue leading our marriage. (Some suggestions for devotional material would be: "The Love Dare", "Wild At Heart", "Authentic Beauty", "Heaven's Song" & of course, the "Letter" from the Author of Romance Himself....the BIBLE!!!!!
#7: Theme-nights
Some ideas...
Trip to Mexico:
Mexican food, salsa dancing, Mexican dice game, and a movie... The Mask of Zorro!
Harry Potter:
Hogwart's food (ideas online!), theme music, LOTS of candles (have you seen the dining hall?!?!), and one of the eight movies!
#8: Restaurant Riddle
This is not so budget-friendly, but WAY fun. You'll want a babysitter if you have kids. Nathan planned this for my 22nd birthday. IT. WAS. AWESOME. He chose 8 different restaurants in one of our favorite areas of Pittsburgh, PA. At each one we would sit down or take-out a "taste" of that restaurant. Something off the appetizer menu - or something small and yummy! I had to figure out why each of the restaurants was chosen. There was a common thread.
Rita's (New York Style Pizzeria)
Ibiza(Spanish - Tapas)
Tom's Bar & Grill (American)
Thai Me Up (Thai)
Ali Baba's (Middle Eastern)
Nikama's (Japanese steak & sushi bar)
Yo Rita's (Mexican)
Can you see it?! I was SOOOOO confused until the very end. I kept thinking that we were going on a culinary adventure AROUND THE WORLD! He did good! So the answer to the riddle of restaurants - was MY NAME! The first letter of all the restaurants added up to BRITTANY.
You could totally do this with any "riddle" you want to create! All you foodies out there will love this as much as I did!!!
#9: Take a trip down memory lane
Simple, but wonderful. One night we grabbed a bottle of sparkling juice and sat down with our boxes of letters and little gifts we had given each other throughout our dating relationship. We took turns pulling items out of the boxes and reading them to each other. Brought up so many good memories and made us love each other all the more! Awwww. In the words of my little sister, "Vomit."
#10: Scavenger hunt
(Nathan says he has to drink his lemonade... so I have to write this one.) Perfect. You can pretty much do this one anywhere, but we chose the mall. Our mission was to find 3 items for under a dollar each that send the message: "I love you." We found a sugar cookie from the Tollhouse booth for Nathan, a large fountain Pepsi for Brittany, and a chair massage for the both of us! (Nathan says his lemonade is so good... drink Newman's.) We also created a list of funny things to hunt for along the way:
"the perfect item for our moms"
"the last purchase we would make if we were dying"
etc.
P.S. Nathan says he has another great date idea. Drink all the lemonade and sniff the empty carton. Ohhhh my husband. Haha!
P.P.S. Nathan also wants to know why we are not including how he proposed to me in this list of date ideas. Sigh. That's a completely different post. We'll share about that some other time. Until then - go date someone!
Love,
Nathan & Brittany
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