Growing up, I have memories of my parents always talking about ‘date night’ and their one night of the week where they went out, just the two of them. I’m one of 6 kids, so you can only imagine how important this alone time must’ve been for them! I don’t necessarily remember if they did it every single week, but from the time I was really young, I remember that date night was a priority to them, and they did everything they could to make it happen.
When Michael and I got engaged and went through premarital counseling, and also had friends + family offer lots of advice…a common piece of advice we heard throughout that season was “always prioritize a date night”. The concept of that seemed a little weird to me because when you’re married without kids yet…technically, couldn’t every night alone together be a ‘date night’? You don’t have to work super hard to find time alone together when you don’t have kids. But actually, the longer we’ve been married (4 1/2 years tomorrow!), the more I’m realizing how important it is to prioritize that weekly ‘date night’ whether you have kids or not!
Michael and I are super fortunate in that we are home together most days. Michael is doing a part time MBA program where he has class two nights a week, and during the day he’s home either working on school, working on the house, or helping me with the blog. So, we get to spend A LOT of time together which I love. Because of this though…it’s really easy to slip into ‘work mode’ with each other all the time. We might be in the same house, but we’re not in the same room…or we’re in the same room but both on our computers / phones…which is totally fine, because it’s kind of the nature of working together! But…even though we might physically be in the same house, that doesn’t mean we’re really spending quality time together, growing in our marriage.
We have really tried to prioritize + set aside one night a week for a ‘date night’. This could look different for every couple, but for us…it usually looks like getting relatively dressed up (ie: changing out of my lululemon align pants which is what i wear everyday working from home lol), not being on our phones, and going out just the two of us to enjoy a night together!
There are several reasons why I think prioritizing this date night is important. Even when you’re married without kids, it’s really easy to just slip into a comfortable coast. Don’t get me wrong – part of the beauty of marriage is being comfortable with each other! But, I think when you prioritize a date night…it reminds you to continue to pursue each other, instead of just co-exist in the same house. It reminds you to occasionally still dress up for your husband and want to impress him, to ask him questions about his walk with the Lord, about his dreams, about his insecurities…something other than ‘how was your day’ conversation.
I also think establishing a “date night” is important because if you establish date night now, while you’re either newlyweds, or while you don’t have kids…you will be more likely to continue this tradition on into your next season of life with kids. If you establish a habit of spending one-on-one quality time with each other at least one night a week really early on in marriage, I think you’ll continue to prioritize this time even through busy seasons with kids! Sure, it won’t always be this easy, but I think it will still always be important to both of you.
Sometimes a date night can look like cooking dinner at home together and walking to the park with your dog. Sometimes it can look like dressing up and going to y’alls favorite restaurant. When it comes to shopping for “date night” looks, Nordstrom is always Michael’s one stop shop. We love that he can find both dressy or casual options there, and also outfits at any price point! We recently splurged on this amazing jacket for him and it’s been 100% worth the money. He’s already gotten so much use out of it and the quality is amazing. It’s the perfect lightweight jacket for fall and goes with SO many different looks!
My Outfit Details: Red Dress | Gucci Bag | Leopard Booties | Leaf Drop Earrings
Michael’s Outfit Details: Canvas Jacket (Similar Here) | Long Sleeve Tee (Similar Here) | Jeans | Aviator Sunnies | Chukka Sneakers
How do you and your partner prioritize date night? Is it a weekly thing? Is it an area you’re currently growing in? I’d love any of your tips or advice below! Thanks for reading!
This post was created in collaboration with Nordstrom. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
xo Lauren
