Not only is celebrating Valentine’s Day at home a frugal option if you want to save money, but there’s also the added bonus that you don’t have to travel anywhere to go on your date, which is an environmental win. And, at the end of the night, you’re already at home so there’s no tedious journey back to your house!
These ideas aren’t limited to Valentine’s Day; the suggestions in this blog post might be ideal for an at-home birthday or anniversary celebration too. Here’s how to create your dream Valentine’s date from the comfort of your own home…
1 Set the scene
The first step for celebrating Valentine’s Day at home is to create a romantic atmosphere. You can give any room in your home a makeover for the big day with the addition of a few cosy essentials.
These don’t have to cost much – in fact, you may already have all the things you need to create that cosy space for you and your significant other.
To begin with, you’ll need to make the space comfortable. Whether you want to snuggle up on the sofa or create a cosy bed, adding a few cushions and fluffy throws will make the space all the more comfy for your night in.
Another important factor is the ambience, which can be achieved by adjusting the lighting. Switch on lamps or dig out the Christmas fairy lights to add a cosy warm-white glow around the room. If you’ve got LED or real candles, pop those on too – just don’t leave lit candles burning unattended.
Now that you’ve got the home looking and feeling snug, decide on an activity to do together and settle in for a cosy, romantic evening.
2 Romantic activities
There are many options for your at-home date; films, games night, settling down to listen to old vinyl LPs on the record player. Food-wise, you could enjoy breakfast in bed, or prepare a home-cooked meal, complete with candlelight and resturant-ready soundtrack, or you could even arrange a secret bed picnic that you pull out of the storage section of your ottoman bed.
What do you enjoy doing as a couple? If you usually like to go to the theatre, why not watch your favourite musical film on Netflix or Prime? If a comedy show is your go-to night out (like it is for me and my husband) there are plenty of live performances you can stream online from the Frog & Bucket or The Covid Arms comedy club.
A cute activity that also doubles up as a virtual gift for your loved one is to create a romantic photo slideshow. Gather some digital photos of you as a couple and compile them all together with the help of a Valentine’s Day slideshow maker.
SmartSHOW 3D would be a suitable program to help you create a special slideshow to surprise your other half. Using user-friendly slideshow software like this not only lets you organise your photos and display them beautifully, but it also allows you to subtly add professional slideshow effects, interesting backgrounds and even overlay the whole slideshow with some music.
You could choose a tune that means a lot to you as a couple, such as ‘your song’ or the first dance music from your wedding. This also gives you a good duration for the slideshow – anything longer than one track might feel too long, and anything shorter would be a little too brief!
If you’ve been together for a long time, go right back to the beginning of your relationship to find photos of you as youngsters. These photos will prompt you to relive those happy memories and you’ll probably spend a good few hours reminiscing over the things you’ve done together.
This activity is also a great option for couples who can’t be together to celebrate Valentine’s Day as you can share your slideshow video with your loved one online via email or their social accounts – you could post it directly to their Facebook profile as a surprise! Then you can watch it together while chatting through Zoom or Facetime, and it’ll help you to feel connected even if illness or distance is keeping you apart on Valentine’s Day.
3 Personalised gift ideas
I always like to create personalised gifts rather than buying something new, so why not have a go at making something for your other half this Valentine’s Day? Over on my YouTube channel, I’ve shared some easy DIY gifts you can make yourself, such as my handmade personalised phone case, a custom slogan jumper and this felt device cover sewing project:
Honestly, these projects are super-easy to make and it will mean so much to your loved one that you’ve gone to the effort of crafting something just for them.
In the past, I’ve created a memory box for my husband, packed with photos, love notes and sweet treats. This is like a physical, keepsake version of the photo slideshow and I’ve shared how I did it via my YouTube video here:
I hope some of these ideas will help you to make your at-home celebration a special, personalised event that you’ll both enjoy. Let me know what you’ve got planned if you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day from home like I am. I’d love to hear your romantic ideas in the comments below.
Bonus tip: Pack up a romantic floral picnic basket and head to a park to enjoy a beautiful day together. If you don’t have fresh blooms in the surrounding area, you can order a Valentine’s Day bouquet online and add it to your picnic basket. Enjoy! 🙂
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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
