So, you want to do something a little different this year for Valentine’s Day? A romantic dinner for two sounds just like the thing – but why not recreate your favorite restaurant right in your very own home!

The first thing every romantic dinner needs is a location that provides atmosphere. So, stop right here and pull out your imagination. Take a look around your house – inside and out – and begin to imagine what kind of restaurant you can create using any room in your house other than the dining room. Expand your imagination to include all possibilities – a porch, the driveway, hallway, foyer, garage, back yard, den, storage room – some place where your creative imagination can run wild.

Now that you’ve chosen your location, begin to consider what “kind” of restaurant you would like. Will it be an Italian Bistro, a French café or country diner? Begin to plan how you will decorate your restaurant as a reflection of the theme you have chosen and look around for items within your home that can be acquisitioned for decorations, props and accents. Make a list of inexpensive items you might find at a yard sale or dollar store – this doesn’t have to be expensive and $20.00 should be all you would need to spend to buy, borrow or make to use as decorations. Consider hanging a curtain or making some kind of a screen to enclose your restaurant space from view and make it more cozy and intimate.

You will want to consider what things you will use for a table – including the floor for a picnic or Japanese style dinner – and for table settings and table arrangements that coordinate with your theme. Include things like candles, tablecloth, napkins, placemats, baskets, flowers, confetti, balloons, ribbons, potted plants – or whatever else you have handy and whatever your imagination allows. This is the time to pull out your good dishes or fine china – or purchase some inexpensive table ware in colors that lend to your chosen theme.

A little background music would be nice to include during your dinner – and how about taking a spin around the dance floor afterwards? A cozy fire place for a cool climate or tiki torches in a warmer climate are things you can add for ambiance. You may want to retire for a bubble bath or sit in the hot tub together – be sure to have those things prepared in advance including candles, bath bubbles, rose petals, chocolates and beverages. Even sitting quietly on the porch or taking a stroll through the neighborhood are enjoyable after-dinner activities. This is your romantic moment, and you should consider every possibility for using the time to reconnect in your relationship.

Have children? Not a problem. Enlist them as entertainers, waiters and kitchen help. Ask them to serve each course of the dinner without speaking – to maintain the illusion of being in an actual restaurant. Have older children entertain the younger children in a back room or at a friend’s house – or have someone babysit the children for a few hours if they are too young to participate.

With a little love, creativity and imagination, make this Valentine’s a day to remember!

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