5 Tips for Having a Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner at Home.

I recently styled and wrote a piece for the local paper, The Fayetteville Observer about skipping the madness at a restaurant on Valentine's Day and opting for a romantic dinner at home instead.  I will a share what I did and a bit more details of how this shoot came together. I decided to use the sunroom for this  set up because of the lovely natural light it receives. I moved our dining table into this space(it has protective padding so it was easy to slide). I had inflated the balloons the night before. The table cover is actually two curtains that I layered. I used them because of their sheer and lace like appearance.

Oh and I moved the monster of a fiddle fig tree from the sunroom to free up some space. I placed it on a towel to prevent scratching of the floor. Now that you've gotten a glimpse of the behind the scene action, let's talk about those 5 tips!

Fresh flowers are a must!

Step 1

It's a great idea to plan your special dinner date in advance. That way, there are no schedule conflicts. Ideally, if you have children, they should be snuggled in bed, but also have a back up plan of having their favorite movie or games on hand in case they choose that night to rebel against bedtime.

Jamaican rum cake for dessert. Decorated with flowers.

Step 2

Plan your menu. Choose something simple to prepare. This occasion also calls for your fancy tableware. No plastic forks, plates or cups allowed!

Step 3

Choose romantic decorations. I opted for unscented tapered candles in red and pink, cut-out hearts and balloons sprinkled on the floor. Fresh flowers are always a great idea and since it's Valentine's Day, I bought some blush roses and a few miniature garden roses which went beautifully with the pink-and-red color scheme. Flowers can be purchased from local supermarkets such as Harris Teeter or the Fresh Market.

Step 4

Put on something fancy. Although this romantic date takes place at home, dressing up adds to the romantic nature of the date, and your date will appreciate the effort. Make sure to also let your date know the dress code so you both look fancy.

Step 5

Pour yourselves some wine or champagne, put on some soft romantic music, relax and enjoy yourselves.

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  xx

Thanks to Lea of Lea Hartman for the lovely pictures!