Dreaming of a retro-themed dinner date with your lover? Why not? Bringing back dear memories works best, even for bickering couples.
For long-term partners who have experienced all the romantic tête-à-tête the bustling city has to offer, maybe a quiet and homey place where they can reminisce the old times creates the much-needed ardent vibe.
If you plan to surprise your spouse with an anniversary date that's more than just candlelight on a fancy dining setup, we listed the steps on how you can do it the 'retro' way. This tryst is perfect for frugal households, especially in these trying times with all quarantines and lockdowns in place.
Find The Perfect Room
Beautiful home gardens appear as tempting choices for dates held at home. However, your mutual journey to the younger days may be prone to interventions of noises, children, and other elements that may ruin the mood.
The best venue would be an extra room in your house that you can easily convert. It should be clean enough for other materials you will use on your dinner date. If you don't think you can't keep this arrangement away from your spouse's prying eyes, borrow your in-law's room or a friend's pod. Ask them to babysit the kids in the house or go somewhere else, borrow the keys, and tell your partner you will take him or her somewhere. The rest of the excuses would depend on you.
Dig Up The Old Keepsakes
Nothing conveniently sends couples down the memory lane like their beloved stuff. Visiting through worn boxes containing photographs, love letters, school jerseys, and other things that remind them of the old times is one of life's best past times.
Design the chosen room with the clutter you collected. Arrange the framed pictures on a side table and hang your old baseball gloves and other items on a future wall. You can also watch old movies or classic anime shows you've been keeping in your basement or old school collection. Kids can also conspire in tricking their parents into this kind of date, though great knowledge of your parent's history is necessary for this plan to be successful.
Retro Food
Nostalgia won't be complete without the 70s or 80s inspired menu. You may know well about your old favorites but try preparing something that you won't be able to see in restaurant dinner menus nowadays. Bring out your dusty cookbooks and order some old-school ingredients to make it even more retro.
Some of the good appetizers back in the day are prawn cocktails and spinach dip bread bowls. For the main entree, serve beef stroganoff, chicken pot pies, pasta salads, and Sloppy Joes instead of the mainstream roasted rib-eye steak. Pineapple upside-down cake is the winning dessert, while Tiramisu and Butterscotch Blondies are the runners-up.
Play That Good Old Music
Time to work up that old turntable and play an Al Green or a Marvin Gaye classic. After the cozy dinner, dance to the lines "I'm so in love with you" or "Let's get it on, sugar." These are only some of our suggested music, and you can play any surviving vinyl record with your favorite love songs. Make sure that your turntable sounds good by replacing the old cartridge with something like the Nagaoka-MP110.
Wrapping Up
While it's good to work on all the above on your own, it's best if you ask for the help of your in-laws, children, and some of your closest friends. Personalize it even more by reading aloud a letter you wrote or gifting an anniversary ring. Pour out your heart on this special night to make it one of those memories you can cherish on your next retro-themed date.
