Planning a romantic evening at home - Setting the mood & the menu

Set the Mood in the dining area:

Candles

This may seem somewhat over done and perhaps a little cliche even, but nothing
sets the mood for a cosy night more so than little warm flickering flames.

Now I am sure you have a beautiful collection of Yankee candles and love a good excuse
to burn one up but perhaps think of plain candles instead of scented on this occassion. Strong
smells can be a little sickly over dinner and as wonderful as your sugar cookie scent smells,
perhaps the dining room / living room are not the place while you eat... On the other hand,
the bedroom would be perfect for them tonight!

Instead, perhaps opt for pillar candles? Not quite as formal and forbidding as the long dinner candles but add plenty of height and dimension. Also these make a fantastic relaxed tabble centre piece.
If you want to go all out, surround them with seasonal leaves or fruits.

Cushions and throws:

In my oppinion these are a must have if dining or retiring to the living room. The pillows add comfort and focal points that can make or break the room, and the throws add texture and warmth. I personally enjoy opting for fluffy throws with a shaggy texture, they scream cuddle up.

Use the good cutlery and plain plates

There is something very chic about plain white or plain one colour plates/bowls. We have assorted plates in my home, and for an everyday meal, the hand painted yellow and blue plates are quite alright. If I were planning a nice meal, had guests or were after a look a little more formal I would opt for my plain white plates and bowls. I also add lots of shapes into the mix in the way of serving plates, and always serve meat joints on a wooden board. Baskets of chips and dips are beautiful served on slate plates.

Music

 It doesnt have to be all classical or love songs... Personally if I ever had to hear "Hero" or "If youre not the one" ever again it will be too soon. Just make a light playlist of slow songs to have on quietly in the background.

A few of my go tos:

Queen - Barcelona     ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDGubnE3Fus )
Robbie Willaims - Things   ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC2_tdYG-rk )
Frank - New York     ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUrUfJW1JGk )

You get the idea...
Dont put too much thought into it, just go for relaxing or feel good songs you love. I tend to lean towards swing than anything else. Everyone has there own style.



                                                    Setting the mood in the bathroom

(if a bath together is on the cards)

Extend the music into the bathroom, a bluetooth speaker is ideal for this if kept away from water.
Maybe up your playlist to something more sensual at this point, just background noise.

Have candles lit, or better still, use LED flickering candles, always safer in bathrooms I think and you can leave them unattended if you need to make a dash to the bedroom for some unknown reason .......................

Use a lovely bathbomb or melt. A bubble bath or bar if the mood strikes for bubbles (BEWARE if you have a jet bath DO NOT even consider a bubble bar unless you want to loose your other half under a mountain of bubbles forever!) This is also a great time to pull out a massage bar if you have one.

Adding rose petals to the water just adds class I think. Have some fresh roses in a vase in there too for a natural sweet scent.

Fluffy towels and robes are essential if you are taking the bath option, although you may choose to slip into some silk short pjs or something to keep the sensual spirit alive.

Setting the mood in the bedroom

If you opted for the romantic bath then leave roses out of the bedroom. Too much can be overkill.If you really feel the need for flowers then opt for some pretty white one, white carnations are pretty.

Make the bed beautifully with extra cushions and throw blankets for comfort and wow factor. Make sure the room is clutter free so you minds can be purely on eachother, and not the laundry.

A few glass jar yankee candles wouldnt go badly in here, just make sure they are in a safe place where they wont get knocked over.

Place a tray on the bed, fill with chocolates, fruits, champagne and glasses. And if you have chosen flowers, a few scattered over it wouldnt be a bad touch, but avoid petals on the bed sheets.

The menu

I tend to choose 3 courses and keep them as easy as possible.

Starters

The starters I make ahead of time or I have been known to buy pre -made now and again.
I keep this light and normally steer clear of soups and salads if im honest.

The ideal starter I would choose would be Sushi style wraps.
I buy these pre-made from supermarkets and manage to get them made with meats rather than fish.

(BBQ pork, sticky chicken and hoisin duck)

I serve these on a plain small dining plate, drizzled with soy sauce and each plate has a mini folden paper crane on.

Main Course

In this case I would have it all prepared and "kept warm" Or just have a few touches to add and its done. I dont want to spend half an house in the kitchen 5 mins is quite enough.

To achieve this I normally go for one of two options:

Mixed grille

a combination of chicken breast, steak, sausages, gammon, eggs, onion rings, and more.

Or I would go for 

Pulled gammon

served with panini breads, cheeses, salads and fruits.

I serve as a buffet style on wooden platters.

Dessert

For this I either choose something quick, like a icecream sundae or opt for a crumble I made in advance. Takes only moments to have ready and done.

Just keep the menu simple so you are not running round all over the show.

Lets here your ideas of a romantic evening home!? Id love to hear! :D