Marriage Help Ideas

When it comes to planning a romantic dinner at home, there are no hard and fast rules, but there are a few basic things to take into consideration. The most important thing is to know your dinner date. Knowing their likes and dislikes will go a long way to knowing what to serve and how to set the right mood.

Let’s start with food

Does your dining partner love seafood? Is he or she allergic to any certain food? Do they like Italian? French? Asian? It’s obvious that the food you choose to serve is important and possibly deadly in the case of food allergies.

I would assume that if you have been married for some time you already have a pretty good idea what your spouse likes and doesn’t like to eat. For you newlyweds or single people who have stumbled upon this site, my suggestion is to consult with your partner’s family members and friends for clues as to what he or she likes. This tip holds true for the other topics in this article also.

Lighting and location

Often the place where you dine will have a lot to do with the lighting. For instance, you may chose to keep it a formal affair and enjoy your meal under a black chandelier in the dining room. Conversely, you may want to have it informal, such as sitting on cushions around a coffee table in front of the fireplace. One interesting idea, weather permitting, is to dine outside on the patio, either at sunset or under the warm glow of patio umbrella lights.

The first thing that comes to mind for most people when it comes to lighting for a romantic dinner is of course candles. Candles are a great idea. They are classic and seem to breathe romantic whispers with every flicker. Candles have the added advantage of being portable and can be found in a wide variety of scents.

Decorate for love

Ah, the ever-popular rose petals. Try spreading some around the table or use them to create a pathway from the door to the table, or perhaps from the table to the bedroom door. Do not forget to have a nice bouquet in an attractive vase for a centerpiece.

Get your hands on some silk scarfs or some similar fabric to drape over some of the more unattractive items in your dining space. It’s subtle but does make a difference.

Another way to decorate for the evening is to decide on a theme. The theme could be based around the food you are serving or it could be based around a personal interest or perhaps a special place, such as the place where the two of you first met. You can find all sorts of props, place mats, napkins, etc. that can fit in with your theme. Think about decorations for kids’ birthday parties and then adapt it to an adult level and you’ll get the ideas flowing.

Soft music in the background

The most important thing about the music is the volume level. Keep the music at a low volume so as not to interfere with your conversation. After all, the conversation is the most important part of this whole evening. The choice of music may depend on your theme, if you have one, or on your dining partner’s preferences. If you aren’t sure, you can always stop at the local Hallmark store and peruse their selection of romantic music CDs.

As I stressed near the beginning of this article; knowing your partner’s likes and dislikes is imperative to creating a night to remember. Show him or her how much you care by putting forth the effort to make them happy. The thing to remember when you plan a romantic dinner at home is: attention to detail is the key.