How To Date While In Quarantine by Oregon Elopement Photographer Black Salt Photography
“How To Date While In Quarantine” by Oregon Elopement Photographer Black Salt Photography
Don’t let the lingering seasonal depression and COVID-19 keep you from being romantic with your significant other. Just because you’re stuck at home with only scary articles on social media doesn’t mean you can’t keep the passion going both in and out of the sheets 😉 Use this time to your advantage and don’t let it feel like a sacrifice to your relationship! Besides, at-home date night is always the best.
Use these ten tips & ideas on how to date your partner without leaving the comfort of your own home and maybe you’ll leave quarantine feeling even more in love than when it began.
1. Cook a meal together
The classic at-home date idea: cooking together. To some of you, this may sound like torture, or maybe you and your partner do this every day so it doesn’t feel like a date anymore. The trick to this is to make it special; do something different so it will feel different. You can do a finger-foods only meal, cook with only one color, create a crazy elaborate dessert, or pretend the electricity is out and cook by candlelight. Break out all of your fancy china and those doilies your great aunt Susan got you that you’ve never used. Try something you haven’t tried before. If you fail, then the two of you can laugh about for years to come, and if it’s successful, then you’ve just learned a new skill without really even trying!
Need more food ideas? Check out my Pinterest and see what my husband and I have been cooking.
2. Paint | Draw | Build together
I love anything DIY and creative, so this is my go-to activity idea whenever I’m feeling bored. There’s something about making with your hands that always feels so satisfying to me. Paint a silly landscape together, draw each other’s faces without picking up your pencil, and show off the results. Or finally fix that creaky drawer you’ve been meaning to. Puzzles are a great way to bond for quality time without having to keep up conversation – because let’s be real, sometimes you want to be together but just don’t feel like talking. If you’re really feeling crafty, look up some DIY cleaning or beauty products and learn how to make your own soaps, candles, and laundry detergent! You will have a new skill and save a ton of money by going all natural.
3. Massages and chill?
I don’t feel like I really need to say much about this one other than to assure you that you do not need to be a licensed massage therapist to give a massage to your partner. Look up some tutorials on Youtube, break out the coconut oil, light a candle or two, and impress your boo with this romantic gesture. At-home date night just got a little hotter.
4. Newlywed game/video games/board games
Play some games! There are all sorts of quizzes online that you can take (my husband and I do one or two of these on every road trip). You can play the Newlywed Game or dust off. those old board games. Show your partner your favorite video game and challenge them to do the next mission. Even if it isn’t their favorite thing to do, your significant other will love learning about your passions and a little friendly competition never hurt anybody.
5. Bubble Bath
Closely related to the romance factor of a massage, take the stress off of both of your bodies and soak up the love in a bubble bath. Dim the lights and practice taking deep breaths while you listen to the water fill the tub. Don’t forget the candles and any foo-foo bath salts, bombs, or oils you might have lying around. Getting too hot and heavy? Make bubble beards and splash each other! If you have kids, bring in some of their bath paints or silly toys – adults can enjoy the lighter side of life, too.
6. Go Phone Free
This one seems easy at first, but once you find yourself deep in conversation about blue whales and you want to clarify a fact about them, you’ll feel the pull of your phone come on like a baby’s fist in your hair. Try to resist! See how many different things you can *actually* talk about without the interruptions of notifications, googling, or absentminded scrolling. This trick is good for both at-home date night and going out!
7. Yoga
Yoga can be extremely relaxing and enjoyable without having to get your heart rate up too high. Look up some videos on Youtube or other yoga sites and settle in for some weird poses that are sure to bring about tranquility and laughter. Don’t worry if you’re not a pro – chances are your boo isn’t, either.
8. Micro-adventure List
Plan for the future! Quarantine can’t last forever and you’ll want to have a list of things to do once it’s over. Make your micro-adventure list as big or small as you’d like. You can also make a future vacation list (or actually plan out the whole vacation!) or cross off a few more items on your honeymoon to-do list. Use your time productively so you don’t regret wasting away once life gets back to normal and you realize your wedding is another month closer!
9. Love Languages
My husband and I found the love languages test extremely interesting when we had to take it during our pre-marital counseling session. Take the test and compare results. Do your best to be honest and know that there are no wrong answers. My husband and I both got “quality time,” which explains why we truly enjoy going grocery shopping together and our slow mornings. The love language results can also help you understand your non-romantic relationships, too. Have you had a strife with Carol at work? Maybe try to understand her language after you’ve discovered yours. Humans all communicate a bit differently, and sometimes we have to adjust the way we perceive and deliver our information to them in order to stay productive.
10. Go For A Walk
At home date night doesn’t have to take place inside. Take a break from the same four walls and go for a long walk or jog. Hopefully the weather is starting to get nice where you live, so take time to notice the budding plants, chirping birds, and lack of air pollution. We’re living in a unique time for our generation, and you don’t want to miss all the beautiful things that are happening around you. If you get bored from long silences then revert back to your childhood and play the I-Spy game while you walk.
Use this list as a starting point. Change or invent new ideas that fit whatever lifestyle your and your partner already have. Don’t do things you would hate, but do try to push the boundaries just a little bit! Learn some new things about each other and yourself and most of all, fall in love a little bit more. By the end of it all you should hopefully love your home a little bit more, too. Love by the association of at-home date night!
Feel like you want to hang out but have had enough talking? That’s okay! View my new blog post on how to enjoy each other’s company in silence.
View two of my favorite at-home photo sessions with incredible couples here & here.
Black Salt Photography is an elopement photographer and intimate wedding photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Photographing in the surrounding PNW areas and traveling often for destination love stories. Specializing in intimate candids and editorial portraits to craft a one-of-a-kind wedding day for every couple. Her moody photography style plays with natural light and shadow, laced with raw emotional moments, to create an authentic narrative experience. She photographs you as you so you’ll love your photos authentically.
