You know it’s coming up. You start thinking about it while it’s still months away. You run through thousands of possible scenarios, weighing the impact of each option against its cost. Whether you’re planning an anniversary, a getaway, or a vow renewal, you’re looking for a way to fully express your love in a single weekend or evening.
While romantic moments can beautiful and are important to the relationship, you want this event to be memorable. When dinner just doesn’t say enough, here are ideas to help you craft an unforgettable experience for you and your partner to share.
Let the Relationship Inform Your Plans
There are plenty of clichés when it comes to planning romance. Movies and television are rife with images of smiling couples toasting in an intimate restaurant setting, and loving partners falling into bed in posh hotel rooms.
But if your partner doesn’t care for wine or would rather travel together than stay in, keeping to those clichés will only imply that you don’t understand him or her and fall short of the message you want to convey. Don’t hesitate to break away from the expected.
Here are some ideas to help you brainstorm how your relationship should inform your plans:
For frequent flyers: Make travel plans to a location you’ve always wanted to visit. Or, when you don’t have time for a full trip, book a chartered flight. Many charter companies provide packages that include short scenic flights, champagne and other refreshment, and private service.
For homebodies: Set up your own home theatre, have a sensual at-home spa experience, or have a romantic dinner in the comfort of your own dining room.
For lifelong learners: Special museum events or art gallery exhibitions provide an excellent opportunity to dress in formalwear and spend time with your shared interests. Dressing in your best will make the event feel more significant and special.
For movie aficionados: Tickets to a local film festival or a reshowing of favourite childhood movies can give you and your partner the perfect setting for bonding.
It’s great to get ideas from outside sources. But, in the end, nothing is more important to your romantic event than the romance itself.
Set Aside as Much Time as Possible
Not everyone can take a week away from work for a romantic event. But, as soon as you know when an event will take place, set aside as much time as you can. Though the money you spend on an event can help craft and structure it, it is the time that you and your partner spend together that makes an occasion truly special.
Take Care of as Many Details in Advance as You Can
Nothing disrupts an evening more than waiting in line or finding out that tickets have sold out for your chosen event. Try to deal with as much of the logistics as you can before the big day. For example, you may want to:
Book a private car or limo instead of trying to catch a taxi
Call ahead to check your food order
Check in to your hotel remotely
Make reservations for transportation and dining well in advance
When your plans go smoothly, it will give you and your partner more time to enjoy the experience.
Stay Flexible
Some of the most important components of a romantic experience cannot be planned. So after you make dinner and hotel reservations, buy tickets to a show or resort, and order champagne, leave some of the event to fate.
Leave room for the following elements:
Conversation: Part of the purpose of a romantic event is to grow closer. Choose settings which encourage the two of you to talk, laugh, and deepen your love.
Personal necessities: If you don’t leave time for eating, bathing, and (some) sleeping you and your partner may feel harried instead of happy.
Physical intimacy: Touch expresses affection and releases chemicals that makes people feel closer to each other. Leave time for walking hand-in-hand, cuddling, and touching without an end goal as well as for sexual intercourse.
Unwinding: Back to back events—no matter how enjoyable—can drain your energy. Allow time for relaxing too.
Acknowledge that you can’t schedule each kiss, touch, or laugh. Then, create a flexible itinerary that gives the two of you time to simply enjoy each other’s company.
When you’re planning a romantic event it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You may think it’s impossible to express what you feel through a single act. When you start to feel discouraged, remember that the most important part of your romantic event, is being with your partner. Whether you choose to go big or to stay in your shared home, putting in the effort and using these tips is sure to make your occasion a memorable one.