Tag Archive for: Date night

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30 Romantic Fall Date Ideas For Couples

It’s that time of year! The leaves are changing colors and falling. There’s a cool breeze in the air. Pumpkin spice is the flavor of the season. We’ve moved past the laid-back summer and now it’s FALL, the season of football, fun… and romance.

Here are several romantic fall fun date ideas that bring out the best in the season and in your relationship!

(Be aware that there may be limited availability due to social distancing constraints. Have fun, but be safe!)

  1. Go to a pumpkin patch. Select a pumpkin. Take it home and carve it.
  2. Bake seasonal goodies (pies, cakes, cookies) together.
  3. Go antique shopping.
  4. Take a carriage ride.
  5. Go to a drive-in movie.
  6. Listen to your favorite old songs and dance around your home.
  7. Take a scenic walk.
  8. Go camping.
  9. Go apple picking in an orchard.
  10. Take a scenic train ride.
  11. Take a scenic drive to see fall foliage.
  12. Go to a Fall Festival.
  13. Go for a hike.
  14. Watch a scary movie.
  15. Go for a bike ride.
  16. Host a game night with friends and family.
  17. Take a day trip.
  18. Have a picnic either in a park or your backyard.
  19. Go for a wine or cider tasting.
  20. Go horseback riding.
  21. Stargaze and see who can find the most constellations.
  22. Rake the leaves, like adults. Jump in the leaves, like kids.
  23. Sit in front of a fire and read a book out loud together. 
  24. Go to a high school football game.
  25. Movie marathon/binge watch your favorite TV series.
  26. Go on a local history tour.
  27. Take a painting class.
  28. Have a bonfire in your backyard and make S’mores.
  29. Go on a fall getaway weekend.
  30. Take part in a First Things First Virtual Date Night!

Conversation Starters:

Check out this list of 200 questions for couples to get the conversation started.

1. What makes you the happiest?

2. What’s worse? The barista getting your order wrong? Or finding a motorcycle in a parking spot you thought was empty?

3. What food best describes your personality?

4. What are your five most important personal values?

5. What kind of physical touch best says “I love you” to you?

6. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

7. Who is the person, currently alive, that you most want to meet right now?

8. What is your favorite type of romantic gesture?

9. What crazy thing do you want to try someday?

10. What’s one thing I can do to improve our relationship?

Now is the perfect time to get adventurous by exploring your community and creating quality time with each other. Play and fun builds intimacy in your relationship. 

Now, go have some romantic FALL FUN as you try out these date ideas!

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6 Exercises to Strengthen Emotional Intimacy in Your Marriage

Have a more fulfilling marriage by doing these things.

When your relationship has a high level of emotional intimacy, you share your feelings, needs, fears, successes, and failures knowing you will continue to be loved and cared for by your partner.

Building strong intimacy in your marriage can give your marriage the satisfying fulfillment you desire. 

Here are 6 exercises to strengthen emotional intimacy in your marriage:

1. Do something new and engaging together. 

  • Prepare new, exotic meals together from beginning to end. Search recipes for some cuisine the two of you would like to try. Together, buy the groceries, prepare the meal, and of course, eat together. 
  • Learn a new language together. Focus on learning relationship-specific words that will help you express appreciation, be affectionate, and flirt.
  • Create a marriage bucket list and then get started on completing your list.

Research shows that doing new activities can reignite the passion in your relationship. They help the two of you experience challenges, successes, and failures together. You’re able to see each other’s authentic self without the pressure of being perfect. 

2. Show affection. 

  • Each day, give each other a deep, passionate kiss for at least 20 seconds. Your body will release chemicals in your brain helping you to increase the connection between you. (We aren’t responsible for whatever happens next.😉 )
  • Each day, give each other a great big hug for a minimum of 20 seconds. This has a similar effect of increasing the bond and connectedness. Just good, old-fashioned affection.
  • Cuddle. Yes, that simple. Cuddle and rest in each other’s presence.

3. Do marriage enrichment together. 

All are good ways you can invest in your marriage to help you share, grow closer to each other and strengthen emotional intimacy.

4. Make time to talk.

  • Practice focused, uninterrupted talking and listening. Take 15-30 minutes each day to share whatever is on your heart. Your one goal is to make sure that each of you feels heard and understood. Some days the conversation may be a rundown of the day. Other days you may each reveal deeper levels of transparency and vulnerability. 
  • Be curious. Ask each other questions. Be vulnerable and transparent as you share your thoughts. Increase your intimacy with these 200 conversation starters for couples. 
  • Set aside regular time to connect. Dr. Linda Duncan, a marriage researcher and Professor Emeritus at Tarleton State University, shares that couples can build intimacy by intentionally connecting at four distinct points throughout their day: 1. When you wake up. 2. Before you depart for the day. 3. When you reconnect after work/school. 4. As you go to bed. 

How you connect at each of these four moments can have a tremendous impact on the intimacy within your relationship. “Connecting” can be as simple as getting your spouse a cup of coffee and saying “Good morning,” giving them a kiss goodbye, and saying “I love you,” giving them a hug when they get home, and some pillow talk before saying “goodnight.”

5. Celebrate your togetherness.

  • Stroll down memory lane, revisit memorable date nights, or look at pictures and videos while reminiscing on the experiences you’ve shared. 
  • Take 15 minutes to exchange genuine compliments or express appreciation for each other.

6. Make the most of pillow talk.

  • Eliminate the tech devices and potential distractions. Invest that time into one another. 
  • Give kids a bedtime or at least a quiet time when they are in their rooms for the night leading up to bedtime.
  • Share with each other how they can make you feel safe, cherished, and valued.
  • Talk about what arouses each of you.

Each of these 6 exercises on their own may not strengthen your emotional intimacy. However, if you do these with a heart of gratitude and appreciation toward your partner and you make them a habit, you’ll begin to feel closer and more connected. You’ll find yourself sharing more of yourself and getting to know your partner more fully. 

***If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, contact the National Hotline for Domestic Abuse. At this link, you can access a private chat with someone who can help you 24/7. If you fear that someone is monitoring your computer or device, call the hotline 24/7 at 1−800−799−7233. For a clear understanding of what defines an abusive relationship, click here.***

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DIY Date Night: The Newlywed Game – Stripped Edition

Note: You don’t have to be a newlywed to play this game!

If the phrase “distance makes the heart grow fonder” is starting to make a whole lot of sense to you, this date night game just might be what you need! Now’s the time to get comfy with your love and place this list of questions in between the two of you. Warning: Things may get steamy…

Supplies Needed:

  • Two white boards or two notebooks/large pieces of paper
  • Two writing utensils

Instructions for The Newlywed Game:

  1. Take turns reading each of the questions below out loud.
  2. After the question is read, both of you write down your answer on your own piece of paper.
  3. Once you’ve both finished writing, count to three and reveal your answer!
  4. If you both got the answers right, give each other a kiss! If you got the answer wrong, lose an article of clothing.
  5. Go through the questions for as long as you can! 😉

The Questions:

  • I feel closest to you when we…
  • What’s my favorite type of kiss?
  • What kind of music gets me in the mood?
  • What color underwear am I wearing?
  • On an average day, how many times do I think about sex?
  • What’s my biggest turn on?
  • What’s my biggest turn off?
  • What would be the easiest thing for me to give up for a month: TV, coffee or sex?
  • What color looks the best on me?
  • What’s my favorite body part to be kissed?
  • What body part am I most proud of?
  • What’s one thing you’ve done this month that makes me proud?
  • What attracts me to you the most?
  • What scent do you wear that I absolutely love?
  • Where is the craziest place we’ve had sex?
  • What’s my best foreplay move?
  • How often do I wish we had sex?
  • My favorite thing to do together is…
  • What am I thinking about right now?
  • What’s my favorite thing you do for me?
  • Do I prefer to take the lead or follow your cues?
  • Do I like shower sex?
  • Have I ever skinny dipped?
  • How old was I when I had my first kiss?
  • Do I enjoy sex more with the lights on or off?
  • What’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever done for you?
  • What’s my favorite physical trait of yours?

Looking for some more date night ideas? Check out all of our at-home dates here!

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5 Dates Every Engaged Couple Must Do Before the Big Day

Pursuing each other for a lifetime starts now.

You’re in love, you’re engaged, and you don’t want the butterflies you’ve had all this time to fly away. I mean who would? But sometimes, in the midst of wedding planning and preparing for marriage, you can forget to do the very thing that brought you to this relationship milestone: Date! And that’s what this blog is all about: dates every engaged couple needs to do before the big day!

You’ve probably heard it before and you will likely hear it again when you get married: date your spouse. The romance and wonder for each other doesn’t magically sustain itself; it needs fuel and your attention.

“Dating can be extremely beneficial toward keeping romance alive, and making a practice of going on regular dates can be a great way to jump-start that habit,” says Denise Limongello, a licensed psychotherapist based in Manhattan. In an article by The Knot, Limongello points out that lack of romance is a common reason for breakups or divorce.

If you want to make a habit of something, you have to go out of your way and make time for it. A habit you’ll want in your marriage is dating each other, so while you’re preparing for marriage let’s jump-start this habit!

Dates Every Engaged Couple Must Do Before the Big Day:

1. Try a restaurant you’ve never been to before.

It’s easy to get comfortable with doing the same things over and over. It’s great to have your favorite spots, but oftentimes just switching up the location to a place you’ve never been will prompt fresh conversation. When you get married, it can become tempting to fall into a routine and not challenge it. Routines are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. However, it can be problematic when your routine becomes “going through the motions.” When you don’t even have to think about doing or saying something, life can feel monotonous. A simple way to practice getting uncomfortable, if you will, is trying something new!

2. Couple’s Massage.

There’s a lot of stress when it comes to wedding planning. Everything seems faster paced, small decisions have bigger implications, family and friends ask questions you don’t know the answers to and let’s face it—that can cause tension. Maybe the tension is physical, or maybe it’s between you and your fiancé. Whether you book a couple’s massage (Groupon always has a deal going!) or set-up a spa-like shop at one of your places and give each other a massage, taking the time to decompress and slow down together can do you some good. Release the tension, rest and relax. Trust me—you need it.

3. Quality time date.

Engagement season: when suddenly everyone needs your attention or wants to be best friends again. No wonder it’s easy to get distracted. All of the planning and excitement seems to creep in to every conversation and fill your phone with notifications. On top of that, anyone else guilty of sitting beside your significant other (for a time longer than you care to admit) on your phones without having so much as a full conversation?

To keep this from happening, this date has two rules:

1. Turn the phones off and turn your attention toward each other, and 2. Don’t talk about wedding details. 

What you do/how you spend this date is up to you. I suggest whatever it is, you give yourselves the opportunity for great conversation (so maybe not a movie night). You could picnic, make dinner together and set the table fancy, go on a hike or bike ride or to your favorite ice cream place. Whatever you decide, make your time together quality time.

4. Sing karaoke.

I know, I know. Not everyone’s cup of tea. BUT hear me out. You can do it in the comfort of your own home or if you’re feeling up to it, grace some strangers with your voice. The point of this date is to teach or remind you of some of the most important lessons that are essential to a happy marriage: Don’t take yourself too seriously, laugh at yourself and together …often. What better way to humble yourself than trying to reach a note Mariah Carrey invented?!

“There is growing evidence to suggest that one of the secrets to a long and happy relationship is to laugh together often,” according to an article by Conscious Rethink. There’s going to be some truly difficult times in your marriage and circumstances that will be out of your control. In those serious moments, if you haven’t practiced taking yourself less seriously when nothing hard was happening, it could be much more difficult to switch gears and be positive under pressure. So pick your favorite song and get to singing!

5. Plan a date night surprise.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of someone who intimately knows you choosing a curated experience for you both. The time it takes to think about what you want to do shows your fiancé they are worth your time, energy and effort. Then the date itself is a gift. It’s a win-win! You could set up a little fort in your living room with tea lights, favorite snacks and a movie queued up. You could blindfold them and drive to a destination—could be a historic site with a picnic packed if they’re a history buff, or maybe a drive-in movie and the back of your car is already equipped for ultimate coziness with blankets and pillows. Or perhaps you move the furniture out of the way and have a dance tutorial pulled up and a glass of wine poured. 

You don’t need a birthday, anniversary, or holiday as a reason to surprise the love of your life. Loving them is reason enough. Taking this date into your marriage is a sure fire way to keep the romance aflame. 

Dating before “I do” is a great way to prepare yourself for the lifelong pursuit of each other. Keep it interesting, try new things, carve out time to be solely with each other—even if it’s not much! You’ll thank yourselves for it later.

If you need help figuring out a creative date night, we have tons of free virtual and DIY date night ideas here!

Additional Blogs You May Like: 

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DIY Date Night: I Totally Give A Flip

Coming up with a great date night idea can be as easy as a flip of a coin! And sometimes, date night can be even better without a plan! All you need is a penny (or any coin) and your car. Check out the instructions below to see if you’re up for this unique, fun date night!

Instructions:

  1. Get dressed in something comfortable.
  2. Pack some snacks, a picnic, or dessert in the car to munch on while you’re driving and/or after you’ve arrived. (This step is optional!)
  3. Grab a coin and get in the car. (OR you can obviously walk if that’s more convenient for you!)
  4. Let your partner choose a number between 10 and 20. This will be the number of times you flip the coin.
  5. Before you turn out of the driveway, BEGIN by flipping the coin! If it lands on heads, turn RIGHT. If it’s on tails, turn LEFT!
  6. Every time you come to an intersection, flip the coin, and turn the corresponding direction.
  7. Once you get to the number your partner chose from Step 2, look around and start your date!

Take It A Little Deeper:

Once you’ve arrived at your destination, take some time to ask and answer these questions! (Each spouse should have a turn to answer.)

  • Did the lack of planning scare you? Or stress you out? Why or why not?
  • Is this a date that you’d want to do again? Why or why not?
  • Do you have any fears or anticipations about what life may bring our way? If so, what are they?
  • Is there anything I can do or say to help to ease those fears and provide some comfort for you?
  • When you think about our future together, what excites you the most?

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10 Date Nights Every Couple Must Do Before Summer Ends

Dating your mate can help your summer get even hotter!

I value my friend who reminded me that summer doesn’t end just because we start talking about our children going back to school. In fact, we are just one month into summer! Summer means different things for different people. For some, summer is about being footloose and fancy-free. For others, summer is composed of trips to see family and friends. To me, summer is a time when my husband and I can do fun things together while our children spend quality time with their grandparents. And that means summer date nights!

Here are some fun dates that every couple must do before summer ends:

Date Nights On the Town:

  1. Dessert Date. (Go get ice cream or cheesecake… and feed each other!) Start off by sharing your favorite desserts during this summer date! It can be anything from ice cream, cakes, pies, cupcakes, candy or delicious juicy fresh fruit (peaches, grapes, cherries, etc.). Or take it up a notch—once you have your dessert, use a sight inhibitor (blindfold) and feed each other. You have to guess what you are eating.
  2. Outdoors Date. (Hike or walk in the woods, paddleboard, kayak, fish or go tubing!) Whether you like the beach or mountains, a steady lake or a flowing river, getting in the great outdoors will bring you closer to nature and to each other. 
  3. Recreate Your First Date. Remember your first date? Think about the ambiance and the food. Try to recreate it at home. 
  4. Town Tour Date! Learn more about your community and each other by taking part in a walking tour in your hometown or somewhere nearby. Or create your own tour. Are you sure you have explored your town and each other?

At-Home Date Nights with A Meal:

  1. Have A Picnic. (In your backyard or a local park!) It can be a meal out of your kitchen or purchased from a local gourmet shop. Grab what you like to eat and drink and put it in a basket. Get a blanket or old comforter, then head out to your backyard, to the beach or to a national or state park near you. Find the perfect spot and have your meal together.
  2. Breakfast Date. (Or dinner for breakfast… or breakfast for dinner!) Get together and create the menu for your favorite breakfast meal and have it for dinner. Or your favorite dinner and have it for breakfast. Think about it—breakfast for dinner, after DARK…

At-Home Date Nights without A Meal:

  1. Twinkle Twinkle Date. (You’re not too old for this one..)  Awake that inner child and create a fort in your living room. You know the drill—place a blanket in the middle of the floor. Put chairs around the blanket. Use sheets or blankets to create the top covering. If you have some twinkle lights or a flashlight around, use that to light up your space. (You can play a fun questioning game like Never Have I Ever or 20 Questions to learn more about each other.)
  2. Virtual Summer Date. (Click on some romance! Virtual Date Night or DIY Date!) Check out some of our virtual dates where you can learn to dance Salsa and Merengue or make crêpes together. (Go to FirstThings.org or Facebook!)
  3. Game Night. (You don’t have to ever be board…) It’s time to dust off your favorite board or card game. Agree beforehand on what the winner gets…
  4. Home Concert Date! (You don’t have to go to an arena to rock out…) For this date night, create a playlist of your favorite artist or your musical memories on a music streaming platform. It can be in your living room or under the stars in your backyard. Dance the night away in the arms of your honey. (You could even watch a concert on television and pretend that you are in the front row.)

No matter what is going on in the world, couples need to spend quality time having fun with each other. Play and fun build intimacy and adventure in your relationship. 

Now, go have some FUN!

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DIY Date Night: Baby, You’re A Firework

This 4th of July is one for the books, no doubt. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a date night with your honey! If you’re stuck in your hometown without your annual fireworks display, check out this DIY date night to set off some fireworks of your own (if you know what we mean)!

Supplies:

  • Fingerpaint (red and blue preferred!)
  • Water
  • 2 Super Soakers or water blasters
  • White/light colored shirts (bathing suit underneath is a good idea!)
  • A large open space (back yard, park, etc.)
  • Sun glasses or goggles (optional)
  • A picnic & blanket (optional)
  • Paper towels (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Head to your back yard or a local park with all your supplies. (Be wearing your light=colored shirt!)
  2. Carefully pour a small amount of fingerpaint into each Super Soaker. Red in one and blue in the other.
  3. Pour some water into the Super Soaker and shake until well combined.
  4. Keep adding water/fingerpaint until the mixture is runny enough to come out but colored enough to see.
  5. Stand back to back, each with a Super Soaker, and count down from 3.
  6. Then… It’s on! Have a water fight with your honey!
  7. When one person has had enough, or your soakers are out of water, enjoy a picnic together!

Want more DIY date night ideas? Check out them all here!

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DIY Date Night: Truth Or Dare (With A Flair!)

Need a DIY date night but aren’t sure what to do? Stop the never-ending scrolling on Netflix and enjoy an intentional, fun night together! Truth or Dare is a classic, but this one has a twist! So grab a deck of cards, a cozy space, and a snack and get ready to have some fun!

Supplies:

  • A deck of cards
  • A snack
  • A cozy space
  • Something to drink

Instructions:

  1. First of all, take it easy! Light a candle, turn down the lights, look your partner in the eyes, and breathe for a second.
  2. Now get ready to play some Truth or Dare for your DIY date night! 
  3. Shuffle your cards.
  4. Take turns pulling a card from the deck.
  5. Each card is representative of either a truth or a dare. See the list below to find what your card means!
  6. Your partner has to complete the card that you drew.
  7. Take turns pulling cards until you’re too tired to keep going or you run out of cards!

Spades: (Loving Dare)

  • Ace: Kiss me for 30 seconds like we haven’t seen each other in a month.
  • Two: Give me a shoulder rub for 2 minutes.
  • Three: Try to get me to laugh by using pick-up lines.
  • Four: Go live on a social media account and declare your love for me.
  • Five: Find a couple’s yoga pose and do your best to recreate it.
  • Six: Kiss me for 30 seconds without either of us using our hands.
  • Seven: Draw a self portrait of me using the closest paper and writing utensil.
  • Eight: Make out in a room you’ve never made out in for 1 minute. (Closets count!)
  • Nine: Reenact our first kiss.
  • Ten: I’ll close my eyes, and you kiss your favorite part of my body for 30 seconds.
  • Jack: Try not to kiss me back for as long as you can while I’m kissing you.
  • Queen: Whisper something sexy to me.
  • King: Dance with me to our favorite love song. Have as many parts of your body as close together as possible for the whole song.

Clubs: (Hard Dare)

  • Ace: Open the back door and bark like a dog for 30 seconds.
  • Two: Read the first news article you can find to your partner in a romantic tone.
  • Three: Pretend you have won a Grammy and are giving an acceptance speech.
  • Four: Impersonate one of your in-laws.
  • Five: Send a random GIF to the 5th person you’ve texted most recently.
  • Six: Place ice cubes in the palms of your fists and keep them there until they melt.
  • Seven: Put makeup on me.
  • Eight: Try to juggle three eggs.
  • Nine: Imitate your five most commonly-used emojis.
  • Ten: Dance like a toddler to your favorite song.
  • Jack: Text a bad joke to your parents (or mine)!
  • Queen: Come up with 5 different stylish ways to open the refrigerator.
  • King: Recite your favorite poem backward.

Hearts: (Loving Truth)

  • Ace: What’s your favorite thing I do for you?
  • Two: How have you seen us grow most as a couple?
  • Three: What’s your biggest turn-on?
  • Four: What was your first thought when we met?
  • Five: What’s your favorite thing about me?
  • Six: How do you see our relationship changing in the next 5 years?
  • Seven: What were your exact thoughts on our first date?
  • Eight: How would you spend an entire week without me?
  • Nine: What’s your favorite outfit on me?
  • Ten: What animal do you think I’m most like?
  • Jack: If you had to describe our relationship in three words, what would they be?
  • Queen: What’s the best thing I’ve ever done for you?
  • King: What’s one thing I could do more often for you?

Diamonds: (Hard Truth)

  • Ace: What’s the first thing you’d do if you were me for an hour?
  • Two: What’s your least favorite thing about me?
  • Three: What’s one thing I don’t know about you?
  • Four: What level of PDA are you comfortable with?
  • Five: Have I ever done anything to embarrass you in public?
  • Six: What’s one of the habits you wish I would break?
  • Seven: Are there ways I’ve changed over the past two months?
  • Eight: What do you think is my best feature?
  • Nine: What was the hardest thing you had to adjust to in our relationship?
  • Ten: What’s one thing you regret in life?
  • Jack: Do you think our relationship is as healthy as it can be right now?
  • Queen: What would you say was the best year of your life so far?
  • King: How can I be a better support for you day-to-day?

Jokers:

  • Take off an article of clothing for the rest of the game.

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