Let's be honest—date night in long-term relationships often devolves into scrolling through streaming services for 45 minutes before settling on something neither of you really wants to watch, followed by falling asleep on the couch with takeout containers balanced precariously on your laps. Romantic? Not so much.
But before you resign yourself to relationship autopilot (we've all been there), I'm here with some date night inspiration that might just save you from the "what do you want to do tonight?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" loop of doom.
The Great Outdoors: Not Just for REI Models
Remember when dating involved activities? Like, actually leaving your house and experiencing things together? Let's bring that back!
Try a sunset hike at your local nature preserve. Bring a small backpack with mini bottles of wine, fancy cheese, and chocolate (basically a charcuterie board that's survived a mild earthquake). There's something about watching the sky change colors while perched on a rock that makes even long-term couples get all mushy and philosophical.
Pro tip: Check the weather first. Nothing kills romance quite like unexpected flash flooding or being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Ask me how I know. (Spoiler: I spent our anniversary looking like I had chicken pox because I forgot bug spray. My husband still brings it up.)
Food Tour Your Own City
Remember how adventurous you were when you first started dating? You'd try that weird fusion restaurant just to impress each other with your culinary bravery. Recapture that spirit with a DIY food tour of your own city!
Pick a neighborhood and hit 3-4 spots, having just one course at each. Start with appetizers at that fancy place you can't afford a full meal at, move to a hidden gem for entrees, then finish with dessert somewhere indulgent. The walking between venues helps with digestion and gives you time to debate the important things in life, like whether cilantro tastes like soap (it doesn’t!) and if your neighbor is actually running a secret cat circus (they might be).
Recreate Your First Date (But Better)
Remember that first date when you were trying so hard to seem cool and collected while internally freaking out about whether you had spinach in your teeth? Why not recreate it—but this time without the anxiety sweats?
If you went to a restaurant, make those reservations again. If you saw a terrible movie, find it streaming and laugh at how bad it was. The beauty is in the nostalgia and the inevitable "I can't believe you ordered a salad on our first date when you literally never eat vegetables" revelations.
The At-Home Chef's Table Experience (With a Scent Symphony)
Here's my favorite date night hack: transform your home into the most exclusive restaurant in town, where the wait list is nonexistent and you can wear sweatpants if you want to.
Step one: Ban phones. I'm serious. Put them in another room.
Step two: Transform your space. This doesn't require Martha Stewart-level skills—just clean up the clutter, dim the lights, put on actual music instead of letting YouTube autoplay decide your romantic soundtrack.
Step three: here's the secret weapon—set the mood with a Havilah & Co. candle.
Let me tell you about my personal date night game-changer: Desert Bloom & Saffron. This isn't just a candle; it's basically a time machine to the most romantic evening you've ever had. With warm saffron, subtle jasmine, and a hint of bergamot, it creates this cozy-but-sophisticated atmosphere that immediately signals "this is not our regular Tuesday night pasta dinner in front of the TV."
Step four: Cook together! The key word here is together. Even if one of you has the culinary skills of a toddler (I see you, people who burn water), find small tasks for everyone. The person who can't cook can still open wine, arrange a cheese plate, or be in charge of the playlist. It's about the experience, not Food Network-level execution.
Here's a perfect pairing: If you're making something hearty (think steak & mashed potatoes), the Desert Bloom & Saffron candle complements those flavors perfectly - don’t forget to serve a bold cabernet sauvignon! This multi-sensory experience is way more interesting than scrolling TikTok.
For Italian night, the Forever Summer & Bergamot candle brings those citrus notes that make you feel like you're dining on the Amalfi Coast, even if you're actually eating spaghetti in your kitchen in suburban Ohio.
Making a seafood dish? Sea Salt & Santal creates this incredible fresh, coastal atmosphere that makes your living room feel like an oceanside restaurant.
The best part about this whole setup? When you light that same candle again months later, you'll immediately be transported back to that special evening. It's like relationship time travel, but without the paradoxes.
And knowing that 50% of Havilah's profits help entrepreneurs around the world? That warm fuzzy feeling isn't just the wine talking—it's the satisfaction of your date night doing double duty as a force for good.
The Competitive Date (For When You Need to Settle Who Actually Takes Out the Trash More)
Channel that passive-aggressive energy into something productive with a game night! But make it interesting—keep score across multiple games and multiple date nights, with the overall champion earning a ridiculous prize (like being right in the next disagreement, no questions asked).
Try games that reveal how well you actually know each other. The "how likely is your partner to..." game almost ended my marriage when I had to admit how likely my husband was to stop and help a turtle cross the road (100%, even if we're late to a funeral).
The "Remember We Have Hobbies?" Date
Remember those things you used to do before Netflix existed? Dust off those interests! Take a pottery class, or go rock climbing. My husband and I recently went to one of those paint-and-sip classes, and while my artwork looked like it was created by a particularly untalented kindergartener, we laughed more in those two hours than we had in months.
The key is trying something slightly outside your comfort zone—it creates that slight nervousness that mimics the feeling of early dating. Plus, you get to see new sides of each other.
In Conclusion: Date Night Is About Creating Fresh Memories
The secret to keeping your relationship feeling fresh isn't grand gestures or expensive trips—it's consistently creating new memories together. Whether you're cooking an elaborate meal with a Havilah candle setting the mood or failing spectacularly at an aerial yoga class, what matters is that you're fully present with each other.
And remember: the best date nights aren't Instagram-perfect. They're the ones where you laugh until your face hurts, have a meaningful conversation, or simply enjoy comfortable silence together. So put down the remote, light that Havilah candle, and remember why you fell for each other in the first place. Future-you will thank present-you for making the effort. And if all else fails, there's always takeout!
