Dressing Up the Dining Room for a Romantic Dinner

Dressing Up the Dining Room for a Romantic DinnerLooking to impress your significant other on Valentine’s Day this year? An at-home, fully prepared meal might be just the way to go. Here is a brief guide to dressing up the dining room for an at-home romantic dinner.

Get the Lighting Just Right

Lighting is key to getting a perfectly romantic ambiance. You’ll definitely want to keep your shutters or blinds mostly closed for maximum control over your lighting; then, supplement with overhead lighting on a dimming switch or with candles for an overall dim, yet amply lit atmosphere. (A combination of both is probably best because it can be difficult to bring enough lighting into a room with only candles.) Even if you feel that the room is amply lit without candles, you should be sure to include them because candles will lend that classic romantic touch.

Opt for a Formal Table Setting

Now is the time to pull out that fancy white tablecloth and fine dinnerware if you have it.  (If you have only everyday dinnerware on hand, you can always dress it up with linen napkins and an elegant table setting.) Get some linen napkins to use over your typical paper ones, and pay attention to where you put the silverware.

Here is a formal, at-home table setting in a nutshell. Table settings do get more formal than this, but since you are at home, chances are a semi-formal table setting is more suitable for you:

  • dish in the center
  • fork(s) on the left
  • knife (with blade pointing inward) and then spoon(s) on the right
  • napkin folded neatly, to the left of your fork(s)
  • bread plate (with small bread knife on top) above your forks
  • water glass above the knife
  • wine glass to the right (and slightly below) the water glass
  • dishes and silverware placed one inch from the edge of the table


Note: It’s very easy to remember that forks go on the left and knives and spoons go on the right if you simply count the number of letters in these words. “Fork” and “left” both have four letters, and “knife,” “spoon,” and “right” all have five letters.

If you’re working with a larger table, be sure that your table settings are still close together. When working with a large rectangular dining room table, for example, you should arrange two table settings at a corner of the table so that you and your significant other are situated close to one another.

Add Small Touches

The details will really make the difference here. Add small touches to the dining room table to complete the romantic ambiance. Here are a few ideas:

  • a small vase of roses as a centerpiece
  • white pillar candles situated around the centerpiece
  • extra rose petals scattered on the table
  • a single flower on each plate
  • a bottle of your favorite wine (or non-alcoholic drink) in an ice bucket
  • soft music playing in the background
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