Surprising your partner with a romantic dinner at home is one of the best things you can do to celebrate the love you have for one another. Although going out to a fancy restaurant might be fun, there is something just so special about staying in and making a big effort to create something memorable and enjoyable.

However, the problem that many people face is that they feel overwhelmed by the idea, and it becomes something stressful and pressurized. Even if everything turns out just how you wanted it, you won’t enjoy yourself because of the work it took and the exhaustion it has left you feeling. With that in mind, here are some ideas about throwing a romantic dinner at home that will help you de-stress and have a great time.

Cook Something Easy

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when cooking a romantic dinner at home is to pick a complicated recipe that involves a lot of ingredients, unless, of course, you enjoy this kind of cooking. For the most part, it’s far better to have a straightforward recipe that you know you can cook – perhaps something you’ve made before or that you can prepare in advance and simply put into the oven when the time comes. Tasty food doesn’t have to take hours to make, and it doesn’t need to be overly complicated either.

If you do want to do something a little fancier, then save it for dessert. There are plenty of dessert recipes you can find online that will give you something truly memorable, and this is an especially good idea if you don’t usually have a dessert as it’s a treat that everyone will enjoy.

Talking Points

No matter how much you might like or love the person you’re making a romantic meal for, sometimes the conversation can become stilted, especially if you’re tired after a long day at work or you live together and talk all the time. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of discussing your family or your job or anything else that is happening instead of taking the opportunity to talk about more in-depth things that will allow you to get to know one another even more (even couples who have been together for decades can find out new things about one another in this way, and that’s exciting).

If you’re worried that you might stray into boring or ‘normal’ conversational topics, prepare some questions in advance so that you can steer the conversation back on course.

Music

Adding music to a romantic meal will make it even better, and, if there are any silences in conversation, they won’t feel quite so awkward if there is music to fill the gap. Although you should ideally turn your phone off altogether so that you aren’t distracted, if you need to use it to play music, then leave it away from the table and set up a playlist in advance so you don’t have to keep finding new songs to play. If your partner has a favorite singer or you have a special song between you, go the extra mile and include them on your playlist – this is a romantic evening, after all, and showing your partner that you’re thinking of them is a good way to go.