LDS Ideas for Dating After Marriage
You’re married… now what? That’s kind of a funny question. In all the excitement of being engaged and planning your wedding, you probably didn’t give much thought to how your daily post-wedding life was going to be.
One thing that will make a lot of difference in your closeness as a married couple, especially the longer you’ve been married, is continuing to “date” each other.
Importance of Spouse Date Night
Elder Russell M. Nelson pointed out that “couples need private time to observe, to talk, and really listen to each other.” Regular date night is an important way for husbands and wives to continue building their relationship through shared experiences and pursuing common interests together.
The keys to being consistent about regular date night are:
1. Making date night a priority. Many couples set a regular night, usually Friday or Saturday, as their “date night.” Nothing else is allowed on that evening, which is reserved for date night only!
2. Planning ahead. If date night rolls around but you haven’t planned a date, then you’ll likely end up doing nothing. And if your date nights are consistently boring, they’ll quickly disappear.
3. Brainstorming a list of affordable dates. Between school, starting a family, and other expenses you may not have extra cash for extravagant date nights. Remember that good dates don’t have to cost a lot (or anything at all).
Married LDS Date Night Ideas
Whether you’ve got money to spend or you’re broke, whether you are outdoorsy or artsy, or whether you’re free to stay out late or homebound with young children, there are plenty of date ideas that will work for you and your spouse.
Outdoor Activities:
• Go for a walk or hike
• Rent a tandem bike
• Go rollerblading
• Play basketball or a game of ‘horse’
• Go camping
• Play tennis or racquetball
• Go rock climbing
• Learn how to canoe or kayak
• Go fishing
• Garden or plant a tree
• Go horseback riding
• Play croquet
• Go ice skating, cross country skiing, or sledding
• Have a snowball fight
• Go sightseeing
• Wash the car
• Go geocaching with your GPS
• Fly a kite
• Go to the beach or pool
• Play mini golf
Places to Go:
• Attend the circus
• Go to a water park or amusement park
• Visit a local arboretum or rose garden
• Browse in a bookstore
• Go garage sale hunting or to an antique auction
• Visit the batting cages or driving range
• Go to the cannery
• Go to the temple
• Browse around in IKEA and have some Swedish meatballs
• Volunteer at a local shelter, school, or library
• Go for a drive through the country
• Visit a local U-Pick orchard for apples, blueberries, or raspberries
• Go bowling
• Visit a flea market, thrift store, or antique shop
• Go window shopping
• Go out for breakfast (instead of dinner)
• Meet each other for lunch in the middle of a busy day
• Visit a zoo or aquarium
• Go to a local festival or parade
• Go to a family-friendly comedy club
• Take a dinner cruise
• Check out houses on the Parade of Homes
• Attend a sporting event (minor league or high school games are cheaper)
• Visit a museum or art gallery (college campus museums are usually free)
• Play laser tag or paintball
• Take a dance class
• Browse at a furniture store, try out all the sofas and chairs
• Go to a local high school or community theater play or concert
• Attend a dance or music recital on a nearby college campus
• Go out for dessert; order something and split it
• Get a hotel room, swim in the pool, and enjoy the continental breakfast
• Stay at a bed and breakfast
At-Home Dates:
• Learn to cook something new together
• Do yoga, Pilates, aerobics, or stretching together
• Watch a TV show together on a blow-up mattress or futon in your living room
• Read the same book over a month, then discuss it in a spouse “book club”
• Read and discuss a chapter in the scriptures or an article in the Ensign
• Watch a favorite Disney movie from when you were a kid
• Go to a drive-in movie theater
• Learn to make and paint pottery
• Find a food storage recipe and try it out
• Go rake a neighbor’s leaves or shovel their driveway
• Rent a DVD (or a free one from the library) and pop popcorn
• Make homemade ice cream
• Work on family history
• Work on writing up a will together
• Bake a treat and deliver it to the neighbors
• Play a Scrabble tournament
• Trade back rubs
• Take a bubble bath or shower together
• Invite another couple over to play Scene It
• Have a picnic on a blanket on your living room floor or in the backyard
• Make S’mores in a fire pit, your fireplace, or the microwave
• Go camping in your backyard a cook with your Dutch oven
• Plan a vacation you’d like to take someday
♥ Jenny Evans
Exclusively for WeddingLDS.com
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