In last week’s post, I wrote about using romance novels to bring you and your spouse closer together in a fun way. In keeping with this theme, I thought I’d write a bit about where your love story takes place. After all, whether you are talking about a novel or real life, every good romance needs a good setting.
What comes to mind when you are asked to think of a romantic location? A white sand beach with pounding waves? A midnight meadow under a twinkling, starry sky? An overstuffed loveseat near a fireplace in a snowbound ski lodge? A candlelit table for two with crisp, white linen tablecloths? A grimy bathtub next to a pile of mildew-scented towels and dirty socks?
No, I didn’t throw that last one in there just to see if you were paying attention. I actually want you to take a moment to imagine how you would feel in that bathroom. Close your eyes and inhale deeply. Are you in the mood for a romantic evening?
Setting does matter. Not only when you are choosing the right spot for an evening out, but also for a romantic evening at home. This involves making a bit more effort than picking up old newspapers and taking out the trash. I am talking about setting the stage. Imagining the stinky bathroom scene above, I realized how powerful the image was to me, mostly because I was thinking about how it would effect my senses of sight and smell. In fact, all of the romantic settings I described appealed in one way or another to my faculties of perception, which prompted the idea for the following list of ways to set up romantic surroundings that would be attractive to each of the five senses.
Stained glass heart I found in an antique shop
Hearing: If you’re looking for something a bit different, try searching the internet for romantic sound clips or sound effects. I recently discovered audioblocks.com. Although it is a subscription-based website, I listened to free samples of music, sound effects, and loops on the site that lasted from 13 seconds to over 6 minutes, so you and your sweetie could have a lot of fun listening to these together. With a number of genres to choose from, I sampled everything from “Soft Sensuality Music” to “Action Movie Music Score” to “Cocktails and Romance”. Even more unique were some of the sound effects which went beyond the usual sound of ocean waves to recordings such as “Swamp”, “Nature in the Everglades”, and “Jungle”. I am sure someone with a bit of imagination could use these sound effects to set the stage for a really fun date.
Another site that I loved was Soundboard.com, which had 18 different tracks of “Romantic Movie Lines” with everything from “Looking at You” (Casablanca), to “True Love” (Dracula), to “Do you love him” (Moonstruck). I would imagine these recordings could also be incorporated into a romantic evening at home.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the old standby, romantic music playing softly in the background, especially if that music has some meaning to you and your spouse. Whether listening to a song you danced to on your first date, something played at your wedding, or anything else that is special to the two of you, just hearing it will appeal to the loving memories associated with the music and evoke romance.
Smell: A little goes a long way when it comes to the sense of smell. The last thing you want is to overpower your beloved with the scent of perfume or cologne. As someone who is allergic to fragrance, I prefer natural alternatives for adding scents to any romantic scene. Some essential oils with scents that enhance romance include lavender, orange, and jasmine. Try putting a drop or two on a light bulb while the light is turned off (and cool). Later, when you turn it on, the heat from the bulb will warm the oil and release the fragrance into the room. You could also take a nice bath with a few drops of rose oil and some rose petals to evoke a romantic mood. Scents like vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin also stimulate the area of the brain linked with sensuality, so you could bake a treat that was good to smell and taste, triggering two senses at the same time.
Sight: Think lighting and scenery for setting the stage. Dimmed lights, candles, paper lanterns, or a twinkling strand of lights strung up around the room can definitely add to the ambience of your stay-at-home date. Place some fresh flowers around the house. It doesn’t matter if you pick some wildflowers or grab some blooms from the grocery store, just place them in more than one location. A bunch of flowers on the table, a small vase with a single bud in the bathroom, a loose bouquet on the nightstand, can help make your home feel more romantic. There are plenty of ideas online for arranging and decorating with flowers to get the look you would like to achieve. You can also find photos of how to set a romantic table, how to create a nice space for the two of you on the floor with a blanket and cozy pillows, and just about any other type of setting. This is the time to break out those fancy glasses, serving dish, or good linens you have been saving for a special occasion or borrow something from someone you know.
There are a few things that need to be kept out of sight because they really detract from a romantic environment, namely phones and children. Put the phone down and send the children over to the neighbor’s house, so you can have the kind of surroundings which make for a good fairy-tale romance.
For ideas on incorporating touch and taste into your personal romance story, please read next week’s post. Make sure you don’t miss future posts by scrolling on this page until you find the “Follow” button. Simply enter your email address, click “Follow”, and respond to the confirmation email so that I will know you are a real person. You will receive one free email each week with a new post. As always, I greatly appreciate all “likes”, comments, and shares either on my Belle of the Ballpoint blog site or my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/belleoftheballpoint. You may also find more tips and romantic ideas at www.pinterest.com/nancyrose9. Thanks!
Belle of the Ballpoint™ 