How to set-up the perfect Valentine's Day dinner

Source: www.sarahhearts.com

If you’re fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have a partner or spouse at this time of the year, there’s probably that one BIG question loitering in your head – What do I do this Valentine's Day?

You need some help / ideas if your conversations are like:
“So baby what have you planned this time?
What you say –“It’s a surprise. You’ll love it!”
What you are actually thinking – “Uhhhhhhhh”, “Fifty Shades of Grey is in theatres”, “It’s his/her birthday already?”, “Oh no! Completely forgot about Valentine’s Day".

Our suggestion: Plan a romantic dinner at home and it will definitely melt his or her heart. Dinner at home offers privacy, a familiar setting and an uninterrupted evening with your loved one. So how do you go about it?

Choose a location

If you have a garden or a terrace, have it there without second thoughts (unless you have pesky neighbours with a direct view of the garden). If not, your dining room or bedroom will work just fine.

Choose a colour theme

Of course you need a colour theme! You don’t necessarily need to stick to the Red theme. You could go with his or her favourite colour (unless it’s a morbid black or brown) and try and create all the elements around it. Having a theme goes a long way in showing that you've put in effort.

Cover the basics

• Choose a nice table cloth, preferably white, as it enhances the decorations on the table.
• Bring out the best cutlery for the evening (even if you've been saving it for a visit from the Prime Minister).
• It’ll definitely be more romantic if you cook the food yourself! That said, Maggie or Omelettes will NOT work (even if she LOVES it). If you plan to order in, make sure it is his or her favourite cuisine.

Decorate the table

You can use candles and flowers in numerous ways to create a lovely centre piece for the table.  Some scented candles based on your colour theme, with flower petals will be perfect. (NO, the birthday candles in the kitchen cupboard are out of the question.)

• You could place the candles inside clear glass bowls or tall glasses to add some warmth and luminescence around the table.
• Scatter the candles around the table area as well to create a warm and romantic setting
• Got a big clear glass bowl? Add some water to it and decorate it by adding a few tea light candles and flower petals and place it at the centre of the table.

If you’re looking at taking it up a notch, here are a few table lamps from our collection that’ll seamlessly fit in to the overall setting.

Image: Table Lamps and Candle Holders

Want to try something off-beat for the table centrepiece? Make a beautiful Firefly Jar for the table.  It’s really simple:

• Cut open a glow stick and empty its contents into a glass jar.
• Add diamond glitter and seal the top of the jar with a lid.
• Shake the contents of the jar and voila! You have your firefly jar.

Finishing touches

Add other small elements like beach pebbles, small vases and tiny paper cut-outs with hand written messages as finishing touches.

Good luck!