[Lightknight]

I think it'd be interesting for people here to trade some of our successes in dates to aid others in constructing an enjoyable evening for their girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse that they may not have thought about otherwise.

Simply give ideas, talk about dates you've been on or have constructed that turned out wonderfully (or even terribly, examples of what not to do are just as good).

I'll start out.

I got up early in the morning one day and constructed a very special picnic meal. Guys, feel free to be a little bit sappy in meal construction for your ladies For example (and I'll post a link to a picture of this), the sandwiches were cut into heart shapes. That was a simple thing to do that made it a little more special. I put together a bunch of things that would survive what I had planned for the day and put them in an actual picnic basket with a blanket on top of it.

The next step was that I went and got Becky (my special someone) and did not tell her what we were doing or where we were going. The basket was hidden away and out of sight (guys, surprise isn't a bad thing to use, people generally like good surprises). I took her to one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever known, Maclay Gardens (links to pictures below). We walked around and enjoyed the scenery and found a shaded area that Becky wanted us to eat at. The whole thing was perfect and though price wasn't an issue, it was next to nothing on this date.

Pictures (remember to take a camera on the trip, it can really brighten things up later on)

The picnic

A majestic Oaktree in the garden. Just one of many beautiful scenes (made moreso by Becky of course )

Field of flowers

The canopy cobbled road.

Japanese flowering tree

Did I mention this place was huge? (that's a lake in the distance)

[Ax]

I've taken dates to the Aquarium before. Believe it or not, it was amazing.

[Becky]

Originally Posted by Lightknight

I think it'd be interesting for people here to trade some of our successes in dates to aid others in constructing an enjoyable evening for their girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse that they may not have thought about otherwise.

Simply give ideas, talk about dates you've been on or have constructed that turned out wonderfully (or even terribly, examples of what not to do are just as good).

I'll start out.

I got up early in the morning one day and constructed a very special picnic meal. Guys, feel free to be a little bit sappy in meal construction for your ladies For example (and I'll post a link to a picture of this), the sandwiches were cut into heart shapes. That was a simple thing to do that made it a little more special. I put together a bunch of things that would survive what I had planned for the day and put them in an actual picnic basket with a blanket on top of it.

The next step was that I went and got Becky (my special someone) and did not tell her what we were doing or where we were going. The basket was hidden away and out of sight (guys, surprise isn't a bad thing to use, people generally like good surprises). I took her to one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever known, Maclay Gardens (links to pictures below). We walked around and enjoyed the scenery and found a shaded area that Becky wanted us to eat at. The whole thing was perfect and though price wasn't an issue, it was next to nothing on this date.

Pictures (remember to take a camera on the trip, it can really brighten things up later on)

The picnic

A majestic Oaktree in the garden. Just one of many beautiful scenes (made moreso by Becky of course )

Field of flowers

The canopy cobbled road.

Japanese flowering tree

Did I mention this place was huge? (that's a lake in the distance)

wow.... I look extreamly bad in those pictures!!!

[Rainer.]

This thread will either: 1) Give me some great ideas. or 2) Make me feel highly unoriginal and insufficient.

Way to go, Gavin!

[Lightknight]

Originally Posted by Becky

wow.... I look extreamly bad in those pictures!!!

We are all critical of pictures of ourselves. You, look beautifully in those pictures and I'd say that whether or not I was biased. In fact, there was one picture I didn't post because it was a bad picture of you. If I didn't think they were good pictures of you I wouldn't have posted them.

[crazychu]

funny thing, my "special someone"'s name is also BECKY! so when i read this i was like WHAT!? then i looked at where you were from, FLORIDA haha which relieved me, i'm from california. nice job on the date though. haha

[leiarose]

Picnic-ing is one of the best dates ever.

So is the Zoo. And the symphony. And ice-skating. And a drive-in movie. And a Communion service. And a Christmas Cantata. And going to the beach in December with a frosty. And wandering through malls Christmas shopping with absolutely no stress. And sitting on a dock feeding ducks. And taking road trips to nowhere. And drinking sparkling juice out of wine glasses. And reading books aloud.

I just described the upcoming month.

I have heard of Maclay Gardens, Gavin, but I don't know how lovely they would be in December? I hate to go when everything is all wintery and dead. *wink*

[GoMilton]

fly somewhere. You can get round trip tickets for dang cheap if you play it right. fly somewhere in the morning, fly back in the evening, it gives a nice change of scenery with very minimal travel time. Although it costs a little more than a picnic, the women eat it up. $150 for a fun day in the sun.

or just go see a movie.

[Lightknight]

Originally Posted by leiarose

I have heard of Maclay Gardens, Gavin, but I don't know how lovely they would be in December? I hate to go when everything is all wintery and dead. *wink*

Maclay Gardens are beautiful any time of year. That picture was during the spring though, extra beautiful time. I wouldn't take Becky to outdoor places in the winter unless they were particularly special that time of year. She hates the cold.

Note on Dinners=
If you've got a wallet that's nice and thick or if you've saved enough for a very special dinner, there are a few things you might want to do instead of going to a place that's just like any other resturant but fancier. Find places that involve you a little more in the meal to where it is an experience along with good food. For example, Habatchi stove Japanese resturants are great. You get to sit down at a U-shaped table around the Habatchi stove and a trained chef comes out and "performs" for you in the making of the dinner. It's just an additional bonus to the dinner. Once they've made the food they go away and you can enjoy the meal together just like at any other place. Though these places are usually more expensive than normal resturants, they usually aren't outrageous price-wise.

Also, remember that the place doesn't have to be expensive to be good. Keep alert and check out new places.

[cytorath]

When my wife and I were dating, I found out that she had never been to the ocean before. At the time we were both working for a company that was only and hour away from the beach and I took here early in the morning to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic. Granted we were in New Jersey so it wasn't the best beach in the world, but I did take her to do and see something she had never seen before.

[Lightknight]

Ok, I think I'll throw another idea out there. This idea goes over VERY well and can be as inexpensive as you want. The first time I did this was for Becky's 21st B-day.

Homeade fancy dinner and movie. (List not necessarily in order)
1. Learn to cook a meal that isn't just Ramon Noodles or hotdogs. Something fancy, with a sauce or such. A good meal has a strong main course, salad, perhaps a side, and a dessert. The "side" and even the dessert are optional. An interesting drink could be nice too, not one that'd make her drunk, just one that she can enjoy with her meal. So brush up on the do's and don'ts of wine. For example, Red Wine for red meats and white wine for fish. This is especially nice if you use the same type of wine to cook it in, it complements the taste.
2. Clean the house up, especially the dining area, kitchen, and bathroom (you don't want your lady going into a dirty bathroom do you?).
3. Check and recheck that you have the right ingredients, also make sure you have a movie that neither of you have seen but that is a great movie (this is a perfect night for classics, have a few back-up movies just in case).
4. Set the dinner table early, I know candles can be a bit cliche, but cliches are good when being romantic.
5. After the above steps are complete, get the girl (hopefully you've had her clear this night in her schedule beforehand).
6. Cook the meal while she's there (if something takes a significant amount of time to cook, it's ok to have that prepared and cooking before you go to get her). This is a good idea because it gives you a time for talking and a guy cooking for his lady is sexy romantic (or at least I hope I am...)
7. While cooking, do it in the most stylish manner you can. I mean, don't do stunts where you can drop stuff, but don't be clumsy either. The meal should look fancy on the plate and not just dumped on it. Also, try to have everything getting done around the same time. Though I suppose that's just part of learning to prepare the meal (#1) anyways.
8. Sit down and enjoy the meal with her. If you made or bought a dessert, it should be offered at the end of the meal. Remember guys, girls usually have smaller appetites than us and she might be full by then. Still, having it and being able to offer it is a plus. The dessert really isn't something that you should be preparing while she is waiting, it's better to have that already prepared. Then again, there are some desserts that can definately contribute to the impressiveness of the meal. For example, you can prepare Creme Brulee (Pronounced: Cream Brew-lay) all the way up until the point where the torch is necessary. The preparation point she sees can be where you place a thin layer of sugar on top and then torch the surface until it browns. Heck, you can even let her do it for fun (who doesn't like playing with a torch?).
9. After the dinner, let it digest over a nice movie with your girlfriend.
10. Congratulations, you have just completed a really romantic evening.

What I did was learn how to make Shrimp alfredo with Ziti for pasta. That along with a salad and a dessert turned out pretty well. The wine was also carefully selected. I honestly can't recall which movie we watched but I do remember it being a great evening and I fully plan to do it again with newer and improved cooking skills.

[Pre-Ex-Girlfriend]

That's very thorough, Gavin. Good work. I know I like playing with torches.

Here's another idea that worked for me and Daniel recently. Have dinner (see above) and then go to a museum. We found a local art museum that has free admission on the first Friday evening of every month, and I've heard that lots of museums have similar 'free nights.' It's nice because you get to dress up a little if you want to so it feels a bit more romantic. At least I felt more romantic getting dressed up for a date. It makes it feel like more of an occasion.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Lightknight

Then again, there are some desserts that can definately contribute to the impressiveness of the meal. For example, you can prepare Creme Brulee (Pronounced: Cream Brew-lay) all the way up until the point where the torch is necessary. The preparation point she sees can be where you place a thin layer of sugar on top and then torch the surface until it browns. Heck, you can even let her do it for fun (who doesn't like playing with a torch?).

Hahahaha. Nothing says romance like a blowtorch!

Oh, and by the way, it's "cream brew-lay."

[Sith of blades]

Dude, you like picked a down graded version of the gaurden of eden or something...lol, good job!

[Lightknight]

Yeah, always scope out beautiful places for future date possibilities.

The particular garden I went to is also an ideal marriage spot. It's never too soon to consider places you'd personally like to be married at. It's exceptionally cool to pick a place to be married that you can go to for a future second honeymoon. Many girls really enjoy a guy who's able to think that far ahead, romantically. But keep this particular thing to yourself until your relationship gets serious enough to talk about marriage. Otherwise you could be doing the classic rushing thing.