I don’t know what the weather is like where you live, but right now we are going through a pretty epic heat wave here on the west coast. Don’t get me wrong, I live for summer, but when it’s hot and humid like this I find that a number of my otherwise “normal” activities often take a backseat to more pressing issues, like searching out air conditioning and cold bodies of water. For example, blow drying and straightening my hair (not going to happen), cooking anything in the oven (it’s already a million degrees in my apartment), and sadly, romance (there’s no way we are cuddling). But believe it or not, you can actually amp up the summer romance with a movie night at home, regardless of how unbearably hot it is outside; all you need are a few essentials to improve your home theatre room and you’re set!
Air Conditioning
Before you can amp up the summer romance with a movie night at home, you first need to amp up the air conditioning. The good news is that you can do just that without forking over a small fortune on a centralized air conditioning unit. There are a number of affordable portable models out there that will provide ample cooling no matter the size of your home theatre space. In fact, this past weekend I witnessed firsthand the cooling power of a 14,000 BTU portable air-con unit at my parent’s place. With the flip of a switch their theatre room went from the same temperature as the surface of the sun to blissfully cool. Unfortunately, like I said, I was at my parent’s place, otherwise cuddling would have been welcomed.
Big Screen TV
Obviously a movie night isn’t a movie night without a decent TV. True, you can cuddle up around a laptop or tablet, but that’s just not that same thing now is it? While there are no hard and fast rules in place for how big or small a TV you should purchase given the size of the space you are working with, you’re best to opt for one that doesn’t make you feel like you are in an IMAX theatre. Rather than focus on size, focus on picture quality. 4K TVs like this 55” 60Hz LED Smart TV from Samsung give you ridiculously sharp resolution, which goes a long way to making your home theatre date night as cinema-quality as possible.
Sound
Whether you’re watching Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gossling in The Notebook, or Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 6 (I don’t know what floats your boat), great sound takes an evening of watching movies from good to great. That’s where a surround sound system comes into play. Unlike the obtrusive systems of the past, today’s surround sound systems take up much less room so they can be added to a home theatre of any size. Take the VIZIO 5.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer for example. Designed to match high quality picture with high definition audio, systems like this one provide immersive, room-filling audio that is guaranteed to enhance the soundtrack of any movie you choose to watch on date night while taking up very little space. And when the movie is over, you can switch to a favorite playlist to add a little mood music to the evening.
Wine
To add a little more romance to your home theatre date night, consider adding a glass of wine or two to the mix. Better yet, if space allows, grab that wine from a nearby wine cooler like this one from GE. Equipped with wire shelves that hold up to 29 bottles, you’ll have quick access to a perfectly chilled bottle of wine to enhance the mood. Not a wine drinker? No problem! You can use a wine cooler to store your favourite sparkling water or juice, so you’ve always got something to sip at the ready while you’re cuddling up during movie night.
Popcorn
One bowl of popcorn. Two hands. Both reach for kernels at the same time. Their hands touch! Oh, how romantic is popcorn?! Even better, how easy is popcorn?! Toss a bag into the microwave for one to three minutes (seriously, could there be a bigger window of time when it comes to popcorn), pour it into a bowl, add salt if you want, and BAM, you’ve got the perfect edible accompaniment to your evening.
Movie
To recap, you’ve got your honey in an air conditioned room, you’ve got your 4K TV with it’s ridiculously clear picture ready to go, your new surround sound turned on, wine (or something else) in your glasses and a bowl of popcorn in your lap. What’s next? The movie of course! Now, I have a confession to make here … brace yourselves … I’m female. So, these recommendations for romantic date night movies are the picks of someone with two X chromosomes’. But let’s be honest, when it comes to romantic date night movies, the girl always gets to pick anyway!
- The Notebook – Star crossed lovers who can’t seem to work it out, but do in the end?! #love
- Roman Holiday – Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck; enough said.
- Juno – Modern day love story that starts with a quart of SunnyD.
- Four Weddings and a Funeral – How can you not find love in weddings; and funerals?
- Silver Linings Playbook – Oscar winning movie starring two people who are ridiculously good looking.
- 500 Days of Summer – Two of the most adorable actors ever = win.
- Titanic – “Jack I’ll never let go!”
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Holly Golightly singing Moon River in New York. That is all.
- When Harry Met Sally – “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” Romance win.
- Up – Animated but still brings you to tears.
Amping up the romance doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on fancy meals or Instagram-worthy excursions. To have a fabulously romantic night at home, you just need a few essentials to create memorable evenings at home. And to the guys out there, I’m sorry, but if romance is what you’re going for, let your lady pick the movie.
Main image courtesy of @pinterest.com
