At Home Valentine's Date Ideas

Oh, Valentine's Day... It's funny to me the reactions this day can have. I feel like people either love it or hate it. I've always kind of liked it. Even when I've been single it's been fun to get some girl friends together and go see a chick flick or have a night in with some wine. And when I've been in a relationship I've never minded an excuse to shower my honey with some extra love and get some in return. I think the key to Valentine's Day is low expectations haha. That sounds bad but it's not meant to be. Valentine's Day isn't always going to mean an ABC's The Bachelor style date complete with fireworks and your favorite band serenading you. And that is NOT a bad thing, am I the only one who thinks those dates are so awkward sometimes? Keep it fun, keep it light, and just spend some extra time with someone you love! If you're like me and you got way too busy this year to plan a Valentine's date for your special someone, here's some last minute fun date ideas that don't require dinner reservations or hotel bookings... and some are even great to do with your friends! They might even be more fun than those traditional Valentine's day plans because they're low stress and most of them you can do in your PJs (or that sexy lingerie you paid way too much for and will probably only wear once but it'll be the best hour of your partner's life RIGHT?!)

1. Themed Dinner & a Movie- the part of this that makes it a step above your normal date night is the THEME. As an event planner, you know I love a theme. So cook some spaghetti and watch Lady & the Tramp or make grilled cheese sandwiches and watch Benny & Joon (if you've never heard of this movie it's adorable, and he makes grilled cheese with an iron, I'm not sure if that's safe, so I'm not condoning that method in this blog post). Other movie dinner themes include Julie & Julia (beef bourguignon), Big Night (omelettes), Pulp Fiction (cheeseburgers and milkshakes), When Harry Met Sally (apple pie), Chocolat (spiced hot chocolate), Mystic Pizza (pizza), Ratatouille (ratatouille), Forrest Gump (any delicious shrimp recipe), Goodfellas (spaghetti with meat sauce), Annie Hall (lobster with corn and potatoes), Fried Green Tomatoes (LOVE THIS movie... and of course fried green tomatoes), Tampopo (ramen).
2. Game Night- if it's just you and your honey there are tons of two player card games. Battleship, Stratego, Scrabble, and Ticket to Ride are all great options for two players as well. My boyfriend and I  like to play the old game Guess Who but instead of doing physical characteristics like "does your player have black hair"? We ask questions like "Does you person drive a prius?" "Did your person go to Harvard?" "Is your person a parent?" Silly questions and of course it involves mind reading and stereotyping haha but we feel very in sync when we get one right. Videogames are also an option. 
3. Painting & Music- Have your own sips n strokes night. Get some paints (watercolor or acrylic) and paper or canvas. Set the mood with some music, candles and wine and just have fun painting whatever you want. If you don't feel very artistically challenged that's Ok, just call it abstract art. 
4. Pizza & a Scary Movie- Two Valentine's ago I did this with my good friend. We ordered pizza, bought some break n bake cookies, and watched like three horror movies on Netflix. It was so much fun! And if you do this with your significant other you'll have yet another excuse to get as close as possible on the couch. 
5. Fancy Living Room Picnic - If you can't cook, take out is a great option, just put it on actual plates so it LOOKS like you cooked it. Set up a little floor space with pillows and blankets and use a coffee table or crate etc as a table. Light all of the candles and play some sexy music. Maybe even wear just that fancy lingerie you bought to dinner. 
6. Spa Night- This is not just one for the girls. My boyfriend and I both love being pampered. Valentine's day massages can be expensive and get booked up fast. So have your own spa night at home. Buy a mud face mask, massage oil and some bath salts. Do the face masks first (the least sexy part, but I've found men secretly love them haha). Run a bath (candlelight is key, wine doesn't hurt) and if you can both fit, take one together! Then take turns giving each other massages. We all know how this ends...
7. Fire & Gourmet S'mores- If you have a backyard and a fire pit (they're not too expensive at home depot) build a fire for your sweetheart. This also could work if you have a wood burning fireplace (do not do it over gas). Nothing is more romantic than a starry night sky and some campfire conversation. Take your s'mores up a notch by using reese's cups, banana slices, dark chocolate, cookie butter, oreos (instead of graham crackers), strawberry slices, etc. The options are limitless. We also suggest campfire cider (apple cider with a dash of whiskey, we warm our cider up over the fire first in our kettle).