Romantic dinner ideas

There are so many awesome parts about romantic dinners!

• It's fun to dress up, look good and have the chance to impress your dinner date. (It's also a good excuse to shop!)
• It's nice to feel rich for a night
• Treat yourself with good food

There are also so many occasions to enjoy a good, fancy dinner, whether for dances, dates, family, anniversaries, or even just friends. You can try a variety of different restaurants for a change or you can stick with what you know and love.

Read my ideas for how to make dinner with your beloved very special.

Make it fancy and don't skimp on what's important

It's a special occasion, so why not make it apparent? Once-in-a-blue-moon occasions can be savoured and thus seem all the more important. Order the wine, get that appetizer that looks delicious, and don't feel guilty about getting dessert.

Learn about your date's favorite things... or try something new!

What's his or her favorite foods? Places to go? Show that you listen and that you care by learning what they like and incorporating it in the dinner. If you know what your date likes to eat, you can even try ordering beforehand and having it served when you are seated for dinner (though I usually like to order for myself!).

Or expose your date to something different (but not too different or extreme - be sure to check what it's all about first so that something unexpectedly bad doesn't happen!).

Surprise, surprise

A fancy dinner can be even more fun when you're not expecting it! Get a good recommendation for a dinner spot (far enough in advance), make a reservation, buy some flowers, and pick up your date for a night to remember!

For one dinner, my date had picked up flowers and brought them to the restaurant beforehand so that they were sitting on the table when we arrived. I was thrilled!

Go somewhere exciting...

It might be distracting, but the allure is catching at a restaurant overlooking the beach, on the top floor of the great skyscraper downtown, at the quaint town a bit of a drive away, or even at the Rainforest Cafe (well, maybe not the Rainforest Cafe). It's fun and new and often beautiful or enchanting and different. Different is romantic and daring.

...Or try someplace commonplace

You can go outside on the apartment balcony, have a picnic in the park, or go to In-N-Out (that's where my friends and I went for prom). It might seem like no fun, but it really is; that way you can focus on your date and on conversation, and not worry about your pocketbook.

Making dinner yourself can be a great option! Just make sure to have the right décor... and also make sure you know how to cook! Find romantic dinner recipes here.

Don't forget to be a good date

Remember your manners! Pull out the chair for your date, put the napkin on your lap, and so on. And be sure to listen and be good company - put the cell phone away! Nothing makes me happier than having all of the attention on myself :)

Make after-dinner plans

Why should the night end after dinner? Plan on a movie, take your date out for an ice cream cone, go for a walk (somewhere safe and lovely)... or whatever floats your boat...!