From Perfume to Pasta: Your Ultimate Stay-at-Home Date Night Checklist

Everyone knows by now that staying in is the new going out – but when it comes to at-home date nights people still have a lot to learn.

Who heard the story of the guy who chose to play his Napalm Death anthology as ‘background music’, or the woman who nervously drunk so much Aperol Spritz (“She told me before the date it was her favourite tipple”) that she passed out in her date’s bathroom, or even the bloke who was overheard in the bathroom speaking to his mum on his mobile phone: “She’s good looking, but the wallpaper is absolutely horrible and she obviously can’t cook…”

Yes, when it comes to home dating, tips are needed – which is why we’ve come up with an essential guide to help make the first date the beginning of something special – and not the end.

1. Smells Good!

Senses are working overtime on a date, which is why you need to pay attention not just to the sights and sounds, but the smells as well. Cooking something too strong in the kitchen and the sensation can be overwhelming, use the wrong air freshener and it’s headaches all round and, perhaps most importantly, selecting the right scent to wear is critical. You’ll find everything you need at parfumdreams – including all the items in the picture below – so select something that matches your ‘ambitions’ for the evening.

2. Don’t Spend the Whole Night in the Kitchen

You want the food and the drink to be great, of course – but that doesn’t mean you want to be juggling pots and pans and working up a Gordon Ramsey-esque red faced sweat in the kitchen while your date awkwardly twiddles their fingers in the lounge. Tapas is handy because you can do much of the prep before the date, or a classic pasta dish is simple to cook and allows you scope for a few flourishes.

3. Background Music

Unless you’re a new couple with an endless gift for easy-flowing conversation, your first date will have moments of silence – or at least times when you need to visit a different room and leave your date alone. Here’s when background music plays its part. Why is it important? Research shows music not only creates a mood, but it fundamentally changes the way people think. So if you want a happy vibe, a relaxed vibe, or even a sexy vibe, then music choice is critical. Oh, and make sure it definitely isn’t Napalm Death.

4. Make it An Event

Breaking the ice doesn’t need to mean half a dozen whiskey sours and a sneaky tequila (and who says getting drunk on a date night is a good thing? Not us!). Making an event of the evening could work if both people are up for it. Playing board games, if both people are invested, releases oxytocin – the happy hormone. Or perhaps offering a drinks menu or re-creating one of those dry ice spectaculars you see in restaurants will give the participants plenty to talk about!

So whatever your mission is on date night – from a second date to first base – these tips will make sure it’s not Mission: Impossible.