Resuscitate the romance in your life and show your partner you're still feeling them. There are so many options to make your partner feel special. Not only will you feel lifted by lifting them up, but it might just inspire them to do something special for you too. Whether it's a night out or a night in, you can plan the perfect encounter. We happen to lean towards a night in, but would recommend some variety. In this post, we will give some pointers on making date night just right.
Set the Mood Right for Date Night (Rose Petals Optional)
So many people make romantic gestures in a new relationship, which is great. But don't let your relationship down just because it isn't brand new. Valentine's Day is not enough romance and if you're only offering romance on Valentine's Day, it will have certainly have the opposite effect.
Date nights are inherently sweet even if the activity itself isn't traditionally romantic. You don't need to sprinkle rose petals in anticipation of every step your partner takes. An adrenaline fueled date night might be even more memorable. A bouquet of flowers works for some, a thoughtful gift for others, but we think an experience is the way to go. A date night experience can include a wide range of things, but don't feel like you have to go out to make it special, staying in might be the perfect way to spend the night.
What about a home-cooked candlelit dinner (oooh, the smell!), a living room floor picnic, a candlelit starlight bath, or even just a cozy night snuggled on the couch? These are relatively easy to do and not just for the hopeless romantics. They are all good ideas for keeping the love warm, especially when it's cold outside.
Candlelit dinner
Nothing says romance like candlelight, which makes it easy to set the mood for a romantic dinner. Just bring out your best china and silver, select a good wine, light a few candles and you’re all set. When it comes to candle selection, we actually recommend steering clear of any scent until dinner is done. A big part of the romance of the dinner is the food. When you have a scented candle lit, it can take away from the delicious smell of dinner. So don't waste a luxury candle when it's taking away from other romantic scents (yes, the food), wait until after to deepen the romance of the evening.
Candlelit starlight bath
Another favorite of ours for date night, though less widely known, is a candlit starlight bath. The starlight can come from different sources, but with just a little planning you can buy something inexpensive that will project some stars on the ceiling. For a great candle option for this magic moment, try a memory candle that will bring back a special experience you shared. While we do like the idea of the candle light (because who doesn't love the flame), a reed diffuser in the room also works well. Bathrooms are generally smaller spaces, so a diffuser shouldn't have any issues filling the space with fragrance. Either way, scent can really enhance this experience. We tend to steer away from incense just because it can be overpowering, but if that's your thing, go for it.
Aromatherapy Led Romance
Aromatherapy can be a perfect partner for date night. What better way to set a romantic mood than with candles laden with a romantic fragrance?
Finding the right scented candles with the right fragrance that feels romantic for both of you might seem like a challenge, but just making the effort will go a long way. We can give a long list of notes we think would be good candidates for romantic candle scents, but at the end of the day, finding the right scent that works for you and your partner is up to you. If you insist, a few scents you may want to start out with on your search would be: jasmine, amber, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla, rose, and maybe even a musk or patchouli.
While a lavender candle scent might do well in providing a relaxing aroma, that might not be the right mood for the moment; although, we do like it for the candelit starlight bath option. Likewise, certain vanilla and rose fragrance can be too sweet or cloying. Just know, there are plenty of romantic candle scents for date night, it just depends on your mood and what effect you're looking for. And remember, while certain vanilla or rose notes in certain candles might be too much, different blends with different notes (a soft floral, a creamy sandalwood, a deep patchouli) could be the perfect scent choice for the evening. A patchouli, musk or other deeper base notes would work to offset a sweet vanilla or rose and provide a more versatile aroma.
Once you do find a beloved scent, definitely have it on hand at home, but remember there is no perfect fragrance, just the best fragrance for the moment, so don't be afraid to try out other romantic candle scents to switch up your romantic evening for date night.
Romantic Candle Scents - Our picks
Still not sure which scent direction to head in? Here are some of our picks. If you want to get a few options at a discount, you can try out a candle bundle here.
First and foremost, sandalwood is just perfection. It's warm creaminess blends so well into so many fragrances and is so widely loved it would be tough to go wrong with sandalwood in the candle. Tonka bean is another that would sit at the top of our list when choosing candles.
A floral fragrance can be so many things, but we tend to like a greener smell like jasmine versus roses for our floral. Jasmine comes across as cooler and cleaner floral whereas roses are warm, which could be a good thing.
We prefer a musk to a patchouli to spice things up a bit. Both great scents, but musk gets our vote for date night.
Vanilla would not be at the top of our list for our candle, but people do love it. In small doses it can really add to the warm texture of the fragrance in a great way, but we don't want the vanilla to be an easy read in our date night scent. We just dont like anything too sweet, so just a hint of vanilla is all we want to smell.
A fruity scent or a citrus scented candle could work, but it might be too energizing for the mood, so we'll save fruity for getting ready in the morning.
Takeaway
We all love scented candles with their beauty, aroma and warmth, but even the best home fragrance is not enough to keep the romance alive, though it can certainly help boost a date night to something more special. There is no limit to all the things you can plan for your partner to enjoy a special night together. We are fragrance lovers so we love to have scent involved, but as long as you are trying, you are succeeding. Your care and concern for your partner will shine through one way or another, lighting up their hearts and that is what romance is truly made of. That is the real gift. Ahhh, how sweet!
