25 Romantic Ideas for Couples
Relationships tend to run dry if we don’t spice them up a little bit. Thankfully it doesn’t take that much. As the story goes, many small streams form a river. A bit or romance here, a bit of romance there, and sooner than you know it you have a solid relationship filled with romantic moments.
What’s more romantic than an old fashioned picnic? Bring some lemonade, chicken or cheese, baguette, grapes, your favorite blanket and some romantic poetry, a chess board, or some outdoorsy game the two of you can play (frisbee, croquet, etc.) and head out for a day in the sun. Play some old jazzy tunes on your iPod and relax.
Want to make it even more romantic? Go to a lake where you can rent a rowing boat (for inspiration watch the first Bridget Jones movie where Hugh Grant recites Keats in a boat…or simply read any good Jane Austen novel that makes you think of old fashioned picnics in the English countryside).
In winter/fall bring thick blankets, sheepskins and hot chocolate/mulled wine. If you want to make it extra special, make snow lanterns. An excellent romantic break after going sliding down the hills on sleighs in the snow.
2. Text Messages
Texts are simple ways of letting someone know you’re thinking about them, whether with their pants on or off… In the beginning when we date someone we usually text a lot because we can’t wait to find out more about each other, nor can we wait to see one another again. As time passes by we often get lazy though. So to add a sparkle to your relationship, text more.
3. Love Letters
Old fashioned as it may be, is there anything better than a handwritten letter telling you exactly how much someone misses you?
You can turn a letter into a collage as well, with images from when you first met, little stickers and so forth. Sites like The Graphics Fairy lets you download vintage images for free if you need some.
4. Poems
Maybe even more old fashioned than letters, but there’s something to be said for poetry. If you can’t write it yourself, use well known poems – send them in texts, or emails. Make a habit of it – send one every Friday. It will make your significant other look forward to Fridays…
5. Date Nights at Home
You don’t always have a lot of time (or money) on your hands to go out, but that doesn’t mean that every date night at home should be one where you sit in sweatpants watching Netflix.
When having a date night at home, set the dinner table properly, light the candles, turn on the sexy music and leave a little love note on your date’s plate.
You can have a theme too, like an Italian dinner, with Italian music and wine, followed by an Italian movie (or at least one set in Italy).
6. Spa Nights at Home
Spa nights can be elaborate affairs, or simple pampering nights.
If you want to go big, prepare strawberries and champagne, pour your date a hot bath and follow it with a massage.
If you want something more simple, just pamper your date when s/he gets home – prepare a hot cup of tea and a steaming bath, or pour them a glass of wine and have dinner ready, followed by a massage. Just knowing someone cares is huge in a relationship.
7. Exploring New Things Together
Exploring life together is part of what makes a relationship special. Go new places and do new things together. Explore. Whether you drive to a nearby town and spend a night couch surfing for free (couchsurfing.com), or you go on a luxurious trip to Paris, doesn’t matter as much as exploring something new. Things fast get boring and stagnate unless you decide to make the most of them.
Doing things alone with your partner away from friends and family also gives you time to truly focus on one another.
If you don’t want to go away, simply attend a workshop together in your own town – go to a wine and cheese tasting, learn to make chocolate, or try archery together. Explore. Challenge each other to try new experiences.
8. Make a Wishing Tree Together
Write down all the things you’d like to explore – big and small – and then choose wishes from your tree to do together ever so often.
9. Have a Bake Off (and Other Random Acts of Kindness)
Why not dedicate a day to a fun bake off? Get your hands dirty and bake cookies you put in jars and give away to friends, relatives and the homeless. You can also go volunteer with an organization once month, or do something else that makes you both feel happy. A kind of giving that warms your hearts.
Often we think it’s only the most in need who want our help and encouragement, but usually more people than you’d ever guess would be thankful to receive a surprise act of kindness. Everyone goes through bouts of difficulties and loneliness. And even if you do a kind gesture for someone who is having the time of their lives, they’ll appreciate it.
10. Little Gifts
A rose. A cookie from their favorite bakery. A bottle of their favorite wine. A new book from one of the authors they love.
Gifts don’t need to be pricey. They just need to be well thought through.
11. Hang Out at an Amusement Park or Fair
Rollercoaster rides and plenty of laughter. Or maybe cotton candy and winning a teddybear? Whatever way around, there’s something about amusement parks and fairs that make us laugh and have a good time – from Renaissance Fairs to Disneyland.
12. Be a Tourist
Pretend to be a tourist in your own city. Visit all the landmarks, oh and ah about the sights, try all the food stores…explore the city through new eyes…or the eyes of love. Just as with relationships, we tend to forget what we have next to us when it comes to cities and we can all do with a reminder!
13. Get in a Car and Drive
Don’t plan a destination, just get in the car, drive and see where you end up. Helps to bring a sat nav, water and a first aid kit. Just in case you truly get lost…
Seriously, some of the best trips are the spontaneous ones.
14. Do a Home Swap
Tired of your own place? Swap places with a friend for a week, or weekend. It will give you a change of scenery and feel like vacation.
Want to go further afield? List your place on an actual home swapping forum. There are incredible places people are willing to swap for a vacation far from home!
15. Play
When was the last time you went to the beach and built a sand castle? Or did some finger painting? Created something with clay? It can be incredibly liberating and fun to play around.
If you just want something creative with a more adult feel to it, attend an art class where they serve wine. They’ve become increasingly popular around the world.
For a laugh out loud night, just get some friends together and play Cards Against Humanity. It will leave you with smiles on your faces. And possibly some disturbing thoughts…
16. Get the Adrenaline Flowing
You fall in love faster when adrenaline flows and maybe you fall harder for the person you’re already in love with? Something to do with the fear of losing them… Whether you want to take a trapeze class, go bungee jumping, skydive, zipline, or climb a mountain, you’re bound to get a bit starry eyed and excited afterwards, so it’s best to keep someone around you who you could apply that starry-eyedness and excitement to… (That’s not grammatically correct, but you get my drift – go starry-eyed and get excited with someone you love!)
17. Do Something Posh
I’m the first to admit I prefer beach picnics in flip-flops to dining in fancy restaurants with crystal glasses and silverware, but there’s something to be said for getting dressed up ever so often (including fancy lingerie underneath). You need to feel like the king and queen of your own lives. And let’s face it: seeing each other dressed up is sexy. So long as you get to see those rough jeans and worn out flannel shirts too…
18. Escape the Crowds
Being alone can be romantic, whether you go camping under the stars, rent a cabin in the woods or sneak off somewhere else. You need to be alone. Just the two of you. Truly appreciating each other’s company.
If you like you could even try being silent together for a day. Discover other ways to communicate…
19. Kidnap One Another
Decide that once a year you each kidnap the other and take them somewhere unexpected. Be sure to have a long think about what kind of activities the other loves before you plan it though. Don’t kidnap them to take them to a place only you love, doing what only you love. Rather make it about them.
20. Play Dress Up
Take each other to second hand stores and find outfits you’d like to see each other in. Go home, wash the clothes and the next day go on a date dressed in whatever your partner picked… You can make this as fun, or as sexy, as you like. Of course you can buy things that aren’t second hand too, but there’s a lot of fun to be had in thrift shops!
21. Have a Date in the Library
Go to the library and pick out books for each other to read. Then sit down somewhere nice and read together, or read out loud to one another.
22. Try Tantra
No, you don’t have to have sex to do tantra…but you could. It’s actually all about the connection between the two of you – breathing together, looking each other in the eye and being together. You can read an excellent article I wrote about it here. In my humble opinion and all that…
23. Get Curious About One Another
Spend a night somewhere asking each other intimate questions while looking each other in the eye. Ask about the funny, the absurd, the intellectual, the dreamy, the steamy… From what super hero your date would like to be, to the most embracing thing s/he’d ever done and anything and everything in between.
To spice it up, turn it into a game of truth and dare…
24. Go on a Double Date
Sometimes it’s fun to go out with other couples. You need different energies around you, or you soon get bored. So plan a few nice things with different friends – from nights out bowling and playing billiards, to renting a cabin somewhere. Different friends have different tastes, so it might help to widen your horizons too! It can also help to split costs if you do a road trip, go camping, or simply head to Vegas for the weekend!
Just, you know, choose the people wisely. After all, you don’t want to end up in a new city with a couple whom you have nothing in common with, or who thinks having a romantic time means getting so drunk they pass out every night. You don’t want to have to babysit them!
25. Compliment Each Other
It’s easy to crack jokes about someone once you know them well enough to know all their quirks. Just remember to praise them too. Just because you once said they’re hot, or pretty, doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear it again. Challenge yourself to compliment one another at least a few times a week. Whether saying they make you swoon when they do whatever it is they do, or telling them they’re incredible for handling things so well at work, it will make them feel great. And people who feel great around you, usually enjoy being around you. Which means your relationship just got a whole lot better. Just by remembering to do a little bit of praising!
What’s more romantic than an old fashioned picnic? Bring some lemonade, chicken or cheese, baguette, grapes, your favorite blanket and some romantic poetry, a chess board, or some outdoorsy game the two of you can play (frisbee, croquet, etc.) and head out for a day in the sun. Play some old jazzy tunes on your iPod and relax.
Want to make it even more romantic? Go to a lake where you can rent a rowing boat (for inspiration watch the first Bridget Jones movie where Hugh Grant recites Keats in a boat…or simply read any good Jane Austen novel that makes you think of old fashioned picnics in the English countryside).
In winter/fall bring thick blankets, sheepskins and hot chocolate/mulled wine. If you want to make it extra special, make snow lanterns. An excellent romantic break after going sliding down the hills on sleighs in the snow.
2. Text Messages
Texts are simple ways of letting someone know you’re thinking about them, whether with their pants on or off… In the beginning when we date someone we usually text a lot because we can’t wait to find out more about each other, nor can we wait to see one another again. As time passes by we often get lazy though. So to add a sparkle to your relationship, text more.
3. Love Letters
Old fashioned as it may be, is there anything better than a handwritten letter telling you exactly how much someone misses you?
You can turn a letter into a collage as well, with images from when you first met, little stickers and so forth. Sites like The Graphics Fairy lets you download vintage images for free if you need some.
4. Poems
Maybe even more old fashioned than letters, but there’s something to be said for poetry. If you can’t write it yourself, use well known poems – send them in texts, or emails. Make a habit of it – send one every Friday. It will make your significant other look forward to Fridays…
5. Date Nights at Home
You don’t always have a lot of time (or money) on your hands to go out, but that doesn’t mean that every date night at home should be one where you sit in sweatpants watching Netflix.
When having a date night at home, set the dinner table properly, light the candles, turn on the sexy music and leave a little love note on your date’s plate.
You can have a theme too, like an Italian dinner, with Italian music and wine, followed by an Italian movie (or at least one set in Italy).
6. Spa Nights at Home
Spa nights can be elaborate affairs, or simple pampering nights.
If you want to go big, prepare strawberries and champagne, pour your date a hot bath and follow it with a massage.
If you want something more simple, just pamper your date when s/he gets home – prepare a hot cup of tea and a steaming bath, or pour them a glass of wine and have dinner ready, followed by a massage. Just knowing someone cares is huge in a relationship.
7. Exploring New Things Together
Exploring life together is part of what makes a relationship special. Go new places and do new things together. Explore. Whether you drive to a nearby town and spend a night couch surfing for free (couchsurfing.com), or you go on a luxurious trip to Paris, doesn’t matter as much as exploring something new. Things fast get boring and stagnate unless you decide to make the most of them.Doing things alone with your partner away from friends and family also gives you time to truly focus on one another.
If you don’t want to go away, simply attend a workshop together in your own town – go to a wine and cheese tasting, learn to make chocolate, or try archery together. Explore. Challenge each other to try new experiences.
8. Make a Wishing Tree Together
Write down all the things you’d like to explore – big and small – and then choose wishes from your tree to do together ever so often.
9. Have a Bake Off (and Other Random Acts of Kindness)
Why not dedicate a day to a fun bake off? Get your hands dirty and bake cookies you put in jars and give away to friends, relatives and the homeless. You can also go volunteer with an organization once month, or do something else that makes you both feel happy. A kind of giving that warms your hearts.
Often we think it’s only the most in need who want our help and encouragement, but usually more people than you’d ever guess would be thankful to receive a surprise act of kindness. Everyone goes through bouts of difficulties and loneliness. And even if you do a kind gesture for someone who is having the time of their lives, they’ll appreciate it.
10. Little Gifts
A rose. A cookie from their favorite bakery. A bottle of their favorite wine. A new book from one of the authors they love.
Gifts don’t need to be pricey. They just need to be well thought through.
11. Hang Out at an Amusement Park or Fair
12. Be a Tourist
13. Get in a Car and Drive
Don’t plan a destination, just get in the car, drive and see where you end up. Helps to bring a sat nav, water and a first aid kit. Just in case you truly get lost…
Seriously, some of the best trips are the spontaneous ones.
14. Do a Home Swap
Want to go further afield? List your place on an actual home swapping forum. There are incredible places people are willing to swap for a vacation far from home!
15. Play
When was the last time you went to the beach and built a sand castle? Or did some finger painting? Created something with clay? It can be incredibly liberating and fun to play around.
If you just want something creative with a more adult feel to it, attend an art class where they serve wine. They’ve become increasingly popular around the world.
For a laugh out loud night, just get some friends together and play Cards Against Humanity. It will leave you with smiles on your faces. And possibly some disturbing thoughts…
16. Get the Adrenaline Flowing
17. Do Something Posh
18. Escape the Crowds
If you like you could even try being silent together for a day. Discover other ways to communicate…
19. Kidnap One Another
20. Play Dress Up
21. Have a Date in the Library
22. Try Tantra
23. Get Curious About One Another
To spice it up, turn it into a game of truth and dare…
24. Go on a Double Date
Sometimes it’s fun to go out with other couples. You need different energies around you, or you soon get bored. So plan a few nice things with different friends – from nights out bowling and playing billiards, to renting a cabin somewhere. Different friends have different tastes, so it might help to widen your horizons too! It can also help to split costs if you do a road trip, go camping, or simply head to Vegas for the weekend!
Just, you know, choose the people wisely. After all, you don’t want to end up in a new city with a couple whom you have nothing in common with, or who thinks having a romantic time means getting so drunk they pass out every night. You don’t want to have to babysit them!
25. Compliment Each Other
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