Sean and I have been newlyweds for just over a month now and we’re still glowing from our special day (more about that here!). A big chunk of that time was spent either in the hospital or recovering from surgery, so I can’t say we’ve had exactly the most… normal newlywed period. But we still try to make our time together special, so we’ve embraced staying in and having a date night at home. This post isn’t exactly like… earth shattering with suggestions, but I thought you guys might still appreciate knowing what we do to make the night special. I also love this entire idea because it’s budget-friendly and easy to put together at the last minute.
How to Set the Scene for the Coziest Date Night at Home
Set the mood
Ambience is EVERYTHING, so I always start here when setting the mood for our nights in. That means music during dinner, soft lighting, and lots of candlelight. But we all know I’m already obsessed with candles, so that’s a given! I also really wish we had a fireplace because that is literally the epitome of hygge. But we don’t… so I’ve been known to put on Fireplace For Your Home on Netflix for the crackling fire vibes.
Make a delicious meal
There are definitely times when I make more elaborate meals, but usually I don’t do that for date night. I prefer to instead make something special but easy… and definitely comfort food. I would just rather spend time with Sean than in the kitchen making specialty recipes, ya know?
Check out these comfort food recipes, perfect for date night:
- Roasted White Wine Chicken Recipe
- Tri-color Potato Gratin
- Spiced Sweet Potato Soup
- Greek Chicken and Potatoes
- Fudgy Brownies Recipe For Two (with Blood Orange Buttercream) — this dessert is just perfection!
Sip some cozy cocktails
Booze is definitely known to loosen things up and get you a little more comfortable, if you know what I mean — especially fall inspired cocktails! For nights in, I love to make toddies or mulled wine. They are especially nice because these libations will warm you from the inside out.
These are some of my coziest cocktail recipes:
- Spiced Mezcal Apple Cider Cocktail
- A Mulled Wine Old Fashioned
- Aromatic Chai Hot Toddy
- Fig Manhattan
- Spiced Apple Old Fashioned
- Quince Hot Toddy
- Spiced Rye and Jam Cocktail Recipe
Dress in snuggly pajamas (and maybe something cheeky underneath)
I mean… I’m self-employed, so I spend most of my time in my pajamas or loungewear. But for a cozy date night in, I bust out the cuter versions! And, you may not know this, but I have an affinity for beautiful lingerie and underwear. To me, there’s something so special about it. I was once on the team that designed lingerie and womens sleepwear at Nordstrom, so I think that’s where my love began. But for a cozy day night, I always recommend donning something special and a little bit sexy (here’s my list go-to sources for bralettes you might like).
Here are some cozy and cute pajamas that I am eyeing to add to my collection:
Put on a rom com
Not gonna lie, I know Sean hates romantic comedies, but for date night… they just seem right! Mostly, we just like to put one on and then make fun of the characters. It’s like a bonding activity. I don’t really have many good ones to recommend because we usually just navigate to Netflix and put on whatever one they recommend first that we haven’t seen yet.
We have one rule: no tech
Nothing kills a date night like text messages and calls from other people. So whenever we have a night in just to ourselves, we leave the phones in another part of the house and try to go tech-free. It’s a really nice and easy way to connect!
What else do you and your partner do on date nights at home? I’d love to know. Leave a comment — and tell me your favorite rom com!
