Stay-At-Home Date Night Ideas

Whether you live together or apart, lockdown has certainly presented us with a challenge when it comes to dating. With all restaurants, bars and entertainment venues closed across the country, it has left many couples wondering how to keep ‘date night’ as fresh and fun as can be. Bring a touch of personality to your date night with these simple, yet thoughtful, lockdown date ideas. Even if you live apart, there are still many ways which you can get involved over video calls such as FaceTime and Zoom. Read on to discover our top stay-at-home date ideas and tips to treat that special someone this year, whether near or apart.

Create Your Date Night Décor

Your stay-at-home date night all starts with your décor. Regardless of your plans, it’s important to get the setting right first. We recommend creating a comfortable and warming environment with soft ambient lighting, such as fairy lights and candles. The warm glow provides a truly romantic setting, fit for any couple – even if your date is virtual over a video call!

Bring a touch of personality to your at-home date night setting with a collection of your favourite photos together. Retro Prints are the perfect option to pin up around the room or in the background of your video call. They give a nostalgic feel and help you both reminisce on the good times you’ve shared so far.

Top tip: If you are living apart and having an online date night via video call, send your loved one a scented candle and a selection of your printed memories in the post to contribute to their date night décor.

If your stay-at-home date night will be spent in the kitchen, from cooking together or enjoying your favourite takeaways, bring a touch of love and personality into the room with heart-shaped Photo Magnets. Perfect for sticking to the fridge and other metal surfaces, you’re sure to pull at the heartstrings with these cute additions to your lockdown date night. Plus, they make an ideal gift and keepsake for your loved one whatever the occasion.

The Classic Movie Night Set Up

For a fun at-home date night idea, make your own cinema experience for two. Perfect for couples that live together, bring all your home comforts into one room, such as blankets, duvets and pillows – think all things cosy! Remember to create a romantic ambiance in the room with cute photos, candles and fairy lights too. For the full experience, you can order a mini projector for as little as £30 online to complete your at-home cinema date night.

If you live apart, you can still get involved with this classic date night idea. Create a comfortable set up in your own home and connect virtually via Zoom, FaceTime, Houseparty or any other video calling app, then start your movie at the same time. If you’re streaming content from a browser, CNET suggests using Teleparty (formerly known as Netflix Party), a great add-on for Chrome where you can stream and view at the same time.

Dinner Date For Two

With bars, cafés and restaurants closed across the country, it’s most certainly been a difficult time to physically go on a dinner date with that special someone. However, setting up a romantic dinner date at home is easier than you think! Firstly, start with your table settings to make your other half feel like a king or queen, including neatly-folded napkins, stylish Personalised Place Mats and wine glasses ready to be filled. Just like in a restaurant, create your own menu cards out of Fine Art Photo Prints and add to your table for a truly authentic feel.

For those that live apart, take your dating life virtual and set up a dinner date over video call. We love the idea of cooking together, so why not send the ingredients and recipe direct to their door and cook together over your call. It’s a great bonding experience and will also show which one of you is the most competitive!

If cooking is not your forte and is at the bottom of your list of date night ideas, you can still enjoy a dinner date at home with your favourite takeaway. Create your own Personalised Table Menu that lists both of your favourite takeaway dishes to choose from and place your order at the same time. Alternatively, if you know exactly what your partner loves, surprise them with their favourite takeaway dish delivered straight to their door.

Personalised Date Night Drinks

Keep your stay-at-home date idea simple with a catch up over a tea or coffee – but make it special. Drink from your very own personalised Photo Mug, featuring treasured memories you share together. It’s a great gift idea too! Arrange to have a Photo Mug made for your other half that matches your own and have it delivered to their home if you live apart. It’s a great way to feel connected and reminisce on your time together every time you take a sip. Plus, you can use your personalised mugs for any drink, not just tea or coffee!

Game Night for Date Night

For a relaxing game night activity to do with your loved one, piece together your own special Photo Puzzle. If you live apart, send your other half their own personalised jigsaw made up of the same number of pieces, but also featuring a treasured photo of the two of you. Ask them to open their custom puzzle on date night so you can complete it together on a video call. A bit of healthy competition to see who can piece their puzzle together first won’t go amiss! Feel connected to your partner in this unique way as you piece together the special bond you share.

Top tip: Do you have something you wish to ask or express to your other half? Add a special hidden message or question to their personalised puzzle that will be revealed once completed. Whether you have a funny inside joke, want to ask them to move in with you, or are planning to pop the big question, simply add text and Clipart to your photo puzzle for a fun and unique surprise.

Get Creative!

Does your other half love art and being creative? Set up an enjoyable evening of painting or colouring with your own art class. Choose to follow a tutorial online to learn from scratch or invest in a paint-by-numbers style canvas for a romantic and fun at-home date night idea. Alternatively, you can create your own colouring-in book using your own photos of your favourite moments together – ideal for sending to loved ones who live separately. While creating a4 photobooks online has its perks, we recommend you take on this kind of project using our award-winning CEWE Creator Software instead, as you will need some of the photo editing features it has to offer.

Once you've added your photos to your photo book, edit all your internal pictures in the free Creator Software to the style setting ‘Weak Contours’.

Fill your personalised CEWE PHOTOBOOK with your favourite memories together – but with a twist. Edit all your internal photos in the free Creator Software to the style setting ‘Weak Contours’. To do this, double click on your photo to open our Photoshow in-app editor. In the left-hand menu, select ‘Style effects’ at the bottom to reveal the ‘Weak Contours’ option. This effect will convert your images into black and white sketches that look almost like drawings! Relax as you colour in and reminisce on your special moments together in your personalised colouring photo book.

Your Stay-At-Home Date Night

Bring something different to the table with these fun and unique stay-at-home date night ideas. Treat your love to a thoughtful evening at home, whether together or apart, to keep those sparks flying! Tag us in your stay-at-home date nights using #athomewithCEWE Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.