A special candlelit dinner is something that many people find romantic, and it’s a great way to express your feelings for a partner; you can show them just how much you love them and how special they are by creating something romantic and unique at home. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or you just want to do something nice for the person you love, creating a candlelit dinner can be a wonderful way to make them feel truly cherished. 

The problem is that knowing that you want to create a romantic candlelit dinner at home and knowing how to do that are two separate things, and sometimes it can get confusing and overwhelming. It’s important to remember that you need to enjoy the experience just as much as your partner does, and understanding what to do and how to do it will make it all a lot less stressful. With that in mind, here are some tips on how to create a romantic candlelit dinner that will always be remembered for the right reasons. 

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Plan And Prepare Ahead

Before you can really start anything to do with your romantic candlelit dinner,  you’ll need to do some important planning and preparation. Even though this might take longer than you imagined, it’s wise to do this planning first so that everything else can easily fall into place and the actual meal is as stress-free as possible. 

To start with, you need to choose the right location. In other words, you need to pick a spot in your home where you’re going to serve the meal and eat it. In most cases, you’ll think of a dining room first or a living room or kitchen if you don’t have a dining room (wherever you’re able to fit a table, for example), but what about other places? You might have a balcony or patio you could use, or perhaps you don’t want to eat at a table but want to have a picnic-style meal instead. 

Once you know where you’re going to be eating, it’s time to plan the food. There are many different options here, which is why it’s important to start thinking well in advance. One good option is to choose your partner’s favourite foods and create a menu based around them. Or perhaps there’s something they’ve always wanted to try but never have – you could cook it for them. If that’s the case, you might need to learn how to cook it first to ensure you prepare it in the right way; you wouldn’t want to cook wagyu wrong, for example, especially if it’s something your partner has really been looking forward to. If the food element of the evening is worrying you, planning will help with this too – you can work out what you can cook in advance, and prepare as much of your meal as you can ahead of time. In this way, you’ll have less to stress about and more time to spend with your partner. 

Decorate

Without the right decorations, your romantic meal will just be like any other, and although the food might still be lovely and you might work hard to cook it all, the end result won’t stand out and be memorable. 

If you want a romantic candlelit meal, the one thing you mustn’t forget is candles. These are really going to be the star of the evening, and you can take your time choosing the right ones. Since they come in all different colours and sizes, you’ll be able to find something that matches your home’s decor (or stands apart from it, depending on what kind of look you’re going for). One thing to bear in mind is that although scented candles are great and can really set the mood in a room, they’re not too good if you’re going to be eating, as the smell can make the food taste strange, for example, and even a beautiful candle can become unpleasant if it mixes with the smells from your kitchen. It’s best to avoid scented candles or, if you do want to use them, wait until after dessert and then light them as the food won’t get in the way anymore. 

Music is another way to ‘decorate’ the room for your romantic dinner, so why not spend some time creating a playlist of your favourite songs that mean something to you and your partner? Sprinkle in some romantic classics too and have your music playing softly in the background – it needs to be there to create the right atmosphere, but it mustn’t dominate and be too loud, or conversation will be difficult, and you’ll be distracted by the songs. 

Speak To One Another 

One of the best things about organising a romantic candlelit dinner is that you can get some time to talk to each other. You might think you do this all the time anyway, but do you really? In most relationships, day-to-day conversations are rarely deep and meaningful, and although they might be pleasant, they’re not special – they’ll be about day-to-day things like work and chores and responsibilities. 

Your romantic meal is the ideal time to have some proper conversations with your partner, so make sure you both leave your phones in a different room so you can focus on one another and what you’re saying to each other. It’s a good idea to encourage some open communication by asking thoughtful questions and really listening to your partner’s answers, as this can lead to plenty of revelations that can take your relationship to the next level and bring you closer together than ever before. 

If this sounds like a difficult thing to do because perhaps you’re not used to it, you can start by talking about shared memories you have; reminisce about all the good times you’ve had together and what you’ve been through as a couple, and this can lead to what you’re looking forward to doing in the future. 

Final Thoughts 

A romantic candlelit dinner is a special thing to do for someone, and it’s not something you can do without planning and preparation. Think carefully about every aspect, and it will be a wonderful evening. 

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This is a contributed post