At-Home Date Ideas

A fun and memorable date doesn’t require a fancy restaurant, spa day, or tropical vacation. But it does require some creativity.

We argue that you can get even more romantic with these at-home date ideas. All you need to do is roll the dice.

We spent the week brainstorming unique, non-corny, and meaningful at-home date night ideas that you could do to celebrate your relationship for Valentine’s Day, or, any day.

As we compiled the list, we thought, “Wait, this could be a game itself.”

These epic date nights are made up of several categories, including activities, location, theme, supplies, dinner, and ambiance. With six in each category, all you have to do is roll the dice and see where the night takes you.

at home date ideas for couples

Quarantine or not, adding stay-at-home date ideas to your roster is an easy but important way to strengthen your relationship.

Let’s all be honest, the “traditional” date night of a dinner and a movie seems blasé after awhile (unless you follow our five tips for a memorable movie date night at home).

Besides, fitting in extravagant date nights causes stress for those of us with limited time, busts our budgets, and ruins our diets. What’s so special about that?

Instead, embrace these at-home date night ideas for couples that you can plan from your kitchen table and fit easily into your schedule. That’s not to say that there’s no planning involved.

However, to keep things easy but exciting, we created a date nights at home “menu.” It’s like ordering at a restaurant: pick the main protein along with 3 sides!

Our date nights at home “menu” consists of activity, food, drink, and accessory ideas to spice up your date nights. Mix and match as you’d like, or roll a dice to keep it unpredictable and fresh each time!

How do you plan a perfect date night at home? With our below PDF. 

At home date night Main Event

The “Main Event” column consists of movies, games, and other activities. If you want to be spontaneous, roll a dice. Each category contains a list of six ideas that will elevate your romantic date night at home.

While most take minimal preparation, we recommend checking out the list a few days in advance to make sure you have all of the things you need (especially for your home-cooked dinners!)

While we’re all for unique date night activities like couples yoga or massage, we also include more traditional activities like movies and board games.

Movies

Before you write them off, consider this fact: watching certain movies as a couple is as effective can cut divorce rates in half.

According to studies performed by the University of Rochester psychology professor, Dr. Ronald Rogge, watching movies mimicking real-life problems was as effective as couple’s therapy. So, we include some of the recommended movies.

For the full details on the study, list of movies, and sample questions, head on over to our article, “Best Movies for Married Couples.” We recommend the following movies on our at-home date night menu:

Date Night

Steve Carell and Tina Fey want to mix up their boring and routine date nights once they learn their good friends are divorcing.

Without a reservation at a swanky Manhattan restaurant, they pretend to be another couple to get seated — and then get held at gunpoint.

This is a funny, all-star cast misadventure that shows how much you can spice things up!

Couple’s Retreat

Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell seemingly have it all, until they share with their best friends (Vince Vaughn and John Favreau included) that their marriage is on the rocks.

In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, they want to spend a week at a tropical marriage retreat but the price is too high… unless they get a group rate with their best friends.

Ryan and I enjoyed this comedy and it touches upon a lot of different relationship topics amongst the four, all-star cast couples who head on the retreat.

Hope Springs

Empty nesters Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones haven’t slept in the same bed since their last kid went to college.

At a breaking point, they sign up for a weeklong marriage counseling program with psychiatrist Steve Carell.

This romantic comedy-drama is one of our favorite movies on the list. Hope Springs is deep, thoughtful, but still lighthearted. It’s a great choice for your movie date night at home.

Meet the Fockers

The sequel to the hilarious movie, Meet the Parents (another great one to watch!) Meet the Fockers is one of the funniest ones on this list.

Ben Stiller’s hippy-dippy parents (Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand) are the exact opposite of his fiancée’s uptight parents (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner).

But, it’s time for them to finally meet, and as you expect, it doesn’t go so well.

I Give It a Year

Have you ever been in a relationship where all of your friends and family think it will fail? Hopefully not, but that’s the position Rose Byrne finds herself in.

This rom-com follows the first year of her marriage with Rafe Spall while mixing in old and new flames (Anna Faris and Simon Baker). Plus, one of our favorite comedians, Stephen Merchant, plays a part!

This is 40

A spin-off of Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, Leslie Mann and her husband Paul Rudd are in the ruts. They hilariously grapple with common marital issues — the need to spice things up, exercise, and deal with extended family and two wild kids.

As a couple in our 30s, we found this comedy slightly terrifying but wholly entertaining.

Board Games

Did you know that your body releases the “love hormone” oxytocin when you play board games with your partner?

A study out of Baylor University found that the increased interaction, communication, and even competitiveness of a board game increases the bond between partners.

Ryan and I share award-winning couple’s board games — both relationship games and great games for two — below. For the full list of our favorite games, check out our article, ‘Best Board Games for Couples.’

Off Topic

A seriously fun game. It’s like Scattergories but much more mischievous.

Amp up your stay-at-home date night by answering questions like “terrible baby names” that start with certain letters.

Play with your partner or a group of friends… even your kids!

Azul

A 2018 Game of the Year winner (Spiels de Jahre), Azul is a competitive game where you arrange beautiful Portuguese tiles to maximize your points while minimizing your partner’s.

If this game doesn’t get you talking about a dream trip to Portugal, nothing else will!

Talk Flirt Dare

Okay, okay. This is a card game, not a board game, but it’s a good one.

The cards come in three sets: one for talking questions to get to know each other. One with flirtatious prompts. And finally, dares that can get as dirty as you’d like.

Keep this game away from friends and family! It’s a rather steamy date night idea.

Pandemic

Tired of competing against your partner and would rather work together?

Pandemic, another Spiels de Jahre game of the year nominee, has you and your partner racing to treat, cure, and eradicate diseases around the world.

And if you’re wondering, the game’s first edition came out in 2009, but it’s been wildly popular this year for some reason…

Love Language: Card Game

If you don’t know your love languages, you don’t know what you’re missing.

This card game isn’t corny but asks meaningful and deep questions about your aspirations, life, relationship, and intimacy.

Even after being together for a decade, we still learn so much with this game!

Codenames: Duet

If you’re familiar with Codenames, you’re in for a treat: they have a couple’s version!

Instead of competing against your partner, work with them to identify and fight assassins.

The best part? This at-home date idea will keep on giving because Codenames: Duet comes with campaign maps to make tournament-style, multiday games together.

Card Games for Two

Or, if you’d rather play cards together. Here is our list of the best couples card games.

Activities

Want to do something a bit different than movies and board games this date night? Are you wondering, “What else can couples do for fun at home?”

Here are six more at-home date ideas to strengthen your relationship’s health.

Couple’s Yoga

It’s sexy, it’s intimate, and it’s great for your overall health. 

We share our favorite couple’s yoga poses from beginner to more advanced acroyoga poses. Roll out a mat and get bendy… and see where it leads!

If you love it, sign up for our 6-Week Couples Yoga Program.

DIY At-Home Marriage Retreat

This is our most popular at-home date idea during covid? We created a DIY marriage retreat that you can do right at home.

We researched the top marriage retreats out there so you can get the full experience without spending all the money.

While our hour-by-hour schedule encompasses a full day, why not incorporate sections into your date nights?

Write Your Bucket List

While there’s a mixed vote on the effectiveness of bucket lists, many psychologists think having a couple’s bucket list increases creativity and aligns relationship goals.

So, why not spend a night not just daydreaming but writing down the things you want to do together as a couple?

We share 50 adventurous couple’s bucket list ideas to get you started. The best part is, you can do a few right from your couch!

Start a New Hobby

We are firm believers that all couples should have a few hobbies they do together.

Whether that’s hiking or even starting a business together, a shared hobby makes it fun to invest the time and effort together.

Plus, it means you’re spending loads of quality time together and will make you appreciate your partner even more.

Declutter Challenge

Believe it or not, decluttering can be sexy. It’s a release and a rush to get rid of unused things while making space for the things you love most.

We recommend that instead of just trashing the items, sell them or donate them. Having been minimalists for a while, we share how we tackle decluttering the house and how we’ve made thousands of dollars doing it.

For a printable calendar, head on over our 30-day declutter challenge page.

MasterClass

One of our favorite at-home date nights ideas is to take an online class. While you can find free classes on YouTube, we found that the best platform for us was MasterClass.  

In total, we’ve taken 20 classes from Emily Morse’s Sex and Communication to James Suckling’s Wine Appreciation to Gordon Ramsey’s Cooking 1.

Each class comes with a workbook and you learn from the masters. Whatever you do, get creative with it and keep on learning!

Bonus #1: Take an At-Home Couples Massage Class

Learning how to do couples massage makes for an incredibly fun and romantic date night. Plus, the benefits of massaging your partner are incredible. 

Ever since Ryan and I enrolled, it’s like love at first sight all over again. It’s almost laughable how bad and inefficient we were beforehand! We recommend taking the online class called Melt: Massage for Couples. 

It’s an online couples massage class that teaches you and your partner how to give deep, therapeutic, professional-quality massages at home. We discuss the benefits of couples massage and share our class review below. 

Or, get started for free with this article (including video GIFs) titled, ‘How to Give a Good Massage.’

Bonus #2: Take the Adventure Challenge

The National Marriage Project found that the secret to a happy relationship is strong communication, novelty, romance, commitment, and the ability to de-stress.

The same study also found that when you have “couple time” at least once a week, each partner reports being 4X happier with the relationship than those who have it less frequently. (“Couple time” was defined as one-on-one time spent talking or doing an activity.)

With The Adventure Challenge book, you have your next year of date nights already planned.

High-quality, spontaneous (and affordable or free) dates with the perfect mix of adventure and sentimentalism are awaiting you right now with The Adventure Challenge.

We highly recommend The Adventure Challenge: Couple’s Edition (with the camera).  It’s a journal with 50 scratch-off dates/adventures/experiences. The premise is that you don’t know what the date is until you scratch it off, and then you’re committed.

We’ve done 21 of the 50 dates so far, and they’re all fantastic with some seriously special ones in there.

As Dr. Eli Finkel, the renowned relationship psychologist and director of Northwestern University’s Relationships and Motivation Lab, puts it, “If we’re trying to rekindle a sense of passion, one good option is to pursue novel, exciting activities together.”

An Adventure Challenge is not a good date night. It’s an EPIC date night! Read our full Adventure Challenge review to decide if it is right for you.

Date night At Home Dining

The “Dining” column consists of dinner, dessert and drinks, and location. If you want to be spontaneous, roll a dice. Each category contains a list of six ideas that will elevate your romantic date night at home.

Again, most take minimal preparation, but we recommend checking out the list a few days in advance to make sure you have all of the supplies. 

Dinner

Date night dinners are synonymous with date nights. How can you make a romantic night at home without great food? Plus, we wouldn’t want your partner getting hangry!

What’s the most special dinner you’ve had? Recreating epic dinners at home is a fun way to bring back old memories and likely add to your cooking repertoire!

To put an extra special twist on your date night at home, we share some meaningful and creative dinner, dessert, drink, and even location ideas. Bon appétit!

Wedding Dinner

If you’re married, do you remember what you had for dinner?

Ryan and I got married in San Antonio on a beautiful October night in 2017. In true Texas fashion, he ate the ‘Texas filet mignon with a cabernet sauvignon demi-glace.’

In true vegetarian fashion, I ate the ‘stuffed portobello mushroom with Italian fresh herbs, spinach, and mozzarella.’ And yes, I scoured my email to find our wedding menu cards to share that!

Honeymoon Dinner

Where did you honeymoon? Was there a signature dish that encapsulates the whole trip?

Ryan and I honeymooned in Cuba and one of our favorite meals was at an organic farm. There must have been a dozen dishes set out just for the two of us, and I most remember the fried sweet plantains, fresh mango, and a black bean stew. Yum!

I’d do just about anything if Ryan cooked that for tonight’s date night!

First Date Dinner

Can you recreate and cook up your first date dinner? Even better if you can add in the awkward conversation and steamy tension!

Ryan and I were friends for a year before we started dating. So when we finally moved from friends to dating, he went all out.

Ryan took me to a quaint and homey restaurant called the Hillside Fish House (since 1855), where he ordered the most expensive thing on the menu.

The Hurricane Platter (for two) came with king crab legs, walleye, shrimp, scallops, and a carafe of house wine. Talk about him trying to knock my socks off!

Imagine if I could pull off this dinner for him on date night?! I’d win some major brownie points!

Dream Trip Dinner

With this pandemic, we are all feeling the travel crunch. Big time.

So instead of moping, why not take your taste buds on a trip to your dream destination?

I know Ryan has always wanted to go on a safari in Africa. What better way to plan for a future trip to Kruger National Park than with biltong and bobotie? Oh, and don’t forget that Stellenbosch wine!

Of all these coronavirus date ideas at home, this one tops our list!

Hometown Dinner

There’s no place like home. Ryan and I both live far from our hometowns, so it’d be a sweet treat to cook something from our native homelands.

For Ryan, a Minnesota wild rice and mushroom bake should do the trick. For me, some Boston clam chowda and a lobstah roll!

Cooking Competition

This one is fun. Just like on the Food Network, make a competition out of it! Pick an unknown ingredient and duel it out without using any phones, cookbooks, or computers.

Another idea is to make the same recipe and see who wins the cake!

Desserts & Drinks

What at-home date night idea doesn’t pair well with something sweet or alcoholic?

Wedding Cocktail

Did you have a signature drink at your wedding? Or, something that reminds you of your wedding venue?

As we shared earlier, Ryan and I got married in Hill Country outside of San Antonio, Texas. And of course, we had a margarita machine! Now, anytime Ryan whips up a margarita — especially a tamarind margarita — it’s a guaranteed fun date night.

Honeymoon Drink

If there is one drink that would take you right back to your honeymoon, what would it be?

For us, nothing feels more romantic or more like a getaway vacation than a freshly made mojito. Whenever we drink it, we think of the small cabin we biked past in Cuba with a sign that said “bebidas!” on it.

The owner, Mario, picked limes straight off the tree and mint right off the vine. About 15 minutes later (there was a lot of grinding!) we had mind-blowing mojitos served to us.

Wine/Beer Tasting

Pick up a few bottles at the local liquor store to find your favorite drinks. Hide the bottles inside bags so you can’t see which bottle is which.

Or, for the overachievers out there, make a multi-course dinner and pair each with a wine! For this, we definitely recommend James Suckling’s wine appreciation MasterClass!

Wedding Cake

To top off the night, try your hand at baking your wedding cake flavor. Bonus points if you try to decorate it, too!

Ryan and I choose a classic red velvet cake from our favorite cake store, Nothing Bundt Cakes. We’re lucky enough that they’re a chain and can pick up a red velvet cake anytime. But for many (my sister had a lavender wedding cake), it’s tough to buy… so make it yourself!

Family Recipe Dessert

Ask your parents and grandparents for some special family recipes. Learn the history of the dessert and asked how the recipe has been passed down.

In our family, we have a dessert called a “war cake.” It’s like an eggless raisin cake that never spoiled, so my family shipped it overseas to soldiers during WWII.

No obvious family recipe? No problem! Take some time to perfect a recipe of your own. Document it, and share it with your family.

Restaurant Dessert

We all have the favorite restaurant with that delicious dessert we order every time. Try to find the recipe and surprise your partner! Just don’t tell them how much butter goes into it!

Location

Another way to level up these at-home date ideas is to be creative with the location. 

Bathtub

Dinner with bubbles?

Nothing is sexier and more romantic than being spoiled in a bathtub. Bring in the food and turn up the heat.

Backyard

Unless it’s raining or snowing, make a backyard picnic spot for two.

Even in the winter, bundle up and light up a fire. We guarantee there will be a spark after the meal!

Front Porch

There’s something so homey about enjoying your front porch or front yard. Enjoy a new view for a change and watch the world go by, together.

Blanket Fort

Who says forts are for kids? For those of us forever young, get silly and create a cozy and snuggly blanket fort. It’s like an indoor picnic, without the ants!

Rooftop

Whether you live in an apartment or a house, think of how you can get up on the roof (safely!)

Watch the birds and the stars and feel like you’re atop a penthouse.

Fireplace

Light your date night fire… with a fire. It doesn’t get much more hygge than this.

Even if you don’t have a fire, turn on Netflix and search for a “fireplace.” Yes, they have it! Enjoy the remote-controlled ambiance and ham it up!

At-Home Date Accessories

Looking for easy things you can do to amp up your date night at home? The “Accessories” column consists of supplies, themes, and ambiance.

If you want to be spontaneous, roll a dice. Each category contains a list of six ideas that will elevate your fun and romantic date night at home.

Here’s our arsenal of supplies, date night themes, and ambiance tips to have the most fun, romantic, and memorable stay-at-home date night together.

A little thought and planning go a long way, and our cheap date night at home ideas won’t break the bank!

Supplies

Here are a few of our Amazon favorites to bring in the romance. Get creative, and pick a few to add to your at-home date night ideas!

Massage Oil

Self-explanatory. Few actions are as romantic and intimate as a massage. We like this massage oil’s relaxing scent and low price.

A couple’s massage tops our list for the most romantic date night ideas at home. 

Bath Bombs

You’ve heard of 12-packs of beer and 12-packs of underwear… but what about a 12-pack of bath bombs?

First off, bath bombs are awesome. They’re fizzy, colorful, and scented, and it shows that you put a lot of thought into your romantic bath date night.

We also love that there are twelve, so you’ll have something to look forward to monthly!

Matching Robes

No matter what, wearing a robe makes you feel luxurious and fancy. This is a great gift on date night, and every time your partner wears it, they’ll think of you.

Ryan and I have these matching waffle robes in black (for him and her). They’re lightweight but still cozy. Since we all know matching couples are adorable, this is a very cute stay at home date idea. 

Men’s Sizes Waffle Robe

Women’s Sizes Waffle Robe

Blindfold

Have you ever heard of those sensual restaurants that serve you dinner in the dark? We’ve never been to one, and frankly, it sounds messy.

But, we love the idea of taking away one sense to heighten others. So why not incorporate a blindfold into your date night at home ideas?

Bathtub Caddy

Our final suggestion to level up your bathtub experience? A bathtub caddy! This one is built for two (or, at least, two wine glasses for one person!) There are also slots to hold candles, drinks, a book, or an iPad.

Spa Face Masks

Don’t knock it until you try it, guys! Few things make you feel as pampered as a spa face mask.

Even if your partner has never tried it before, all of our faces deserve this kind of self-care! It makes a movie night at-home work double-time if you’re wearing a face mask.

Themes

We’ve all heard of themed parties, so why not themed date nights at home?

Whether you want to morph this into role play or simply recreate a favorite event or vacation is your choice.

Just know that you can get as wacky and crazy with this one as you’d like. You’re in the privacy of your own home so don’t hold back!

James Bond

Instead of dressing up formally for your date, why not through in some added sex appeal with a James Bond theme? Tuxedos, ball gowns, or some good old shaken martinis are called for.

Favorite Movie

I’ll just put it out there: we’re in the middle of a Harry Potter movie marathon. So pick a movie, dress up like the characters (I’m always Dobby), and play the part!

Beach

Turn up the thermostat and close the shades… we’re turning our at-home date night into a beach party! While our neighbors don’t have to see us walking around in our swimsuits and Hawaiian shirts, they’ll be jealous as soon as they hear the Bob Marley!

Masquerade

If you’re wearing a masquerade mask, you have permission to get naughty. It’s a well-known law of the universe.

Burning Man

Let your creativity fly (and once again, close the curtains!) Find an outfit from somewhere deep in your closet that you’d wear to Burning Man, Coachella, or some other music festival. Rate your partner on their ingenuity and reward them appropriately!

Halloween

What was the best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn? And… do you still have it?

Ryan is convinced that everyone has a Halloween costume box at home. We have two. While I didn’t realize this was a rule, use it to your advantage and get silly!

It’s impossible to have a boring at-home date night if one of you is dressed as a bumblebee and the other is Batman.

Ambiance

Now that you’ve got your main event and dining, how can you set the mood? Here are our best ambiance and mood tips for your quarantine date night at home.

Candles

Simple and classic. While you can pick your partner’s favorite scent, we have a better idea.

Try this Kama Sutra massage candle. As the wax melts, use it as a warm, luxurious massage oil.

String Lights

These string lights can be hung both inside and outside, to set the stage wherever your at-home date night takes place.

Nothing sets the mood quite like warm twinkle lights.

Flowers

Public service announcement: you can now buy flowers on Amazon! They usually take a week, even with Prime, but with a little advanced planning, you’ll dazzle your partner!

The beautiful thing about flowers is that they’ll be a reminder all week of your special date night at home.

Jazz

What’s sexier than smooth jazz background music? Not much.

Whether you love jazz or instead have a wedding playlist, turn the speakers on low and feel all the feelings.

Printed Menu/Agenda

Adding a printed (or handwritten) menu or agenda for your stay-at-home date night speaks volumes. It shows you were intentional and gave a lot of thought to the date.

We got this idea from two chef friends who love to cook at home for date night. They print out a menu every time they make an extravagant multi-course meal and keep the menus as a memento.

Handmade Card Say “I love you” with a handmade card. Even if you can’t draw and only have a yellow crayon, sketch something up! Receiving unexpected and thoughtful cards is so touching, and something you can keep and treasure forever.

We hope you enjoyed our at-home date night ideas! Print out the menu and a memorable date night is just a few dice rolls away.

Utilize the main event, dining, and accessory at-home date night ideas list to wow your partner, take the stress out of planning, and elevate your date nights at home to rival any that you’ve had elsewhere.

At-Home Date Ideas Menu

With our at-home date night ideas menu, a memorable date night is just a few dice rolls away.

Utilize the main event, dining, and accessory at-home date night ideas list to wow your partner, take the stress out of planning, and elevate your date nights at home to rival any that you’ve had elsewhere.

Closing THoughts

We hope you have an epic and memorable date night. If you have any questions or recommendations for other readers, please share in the comments.

For more helpful resources for couples, such as the best books for couples to read together or thought-provoking would you rather questions for couples, head over to our Healthy Couples page.

If you’re like us and thrive when following a plan, check out DIY Marriage Retreat in the bundle below.