Plan A Romantic Dinner


Your beloved's birthday is coming up. Or anniversary. Or perhaps you're simply feeling romantic and want to celebrate the fact that you're in love. Whatever the reason, a celebration calls for dinner and champagne. Here are some great decorating tips to help you turn a simple home-cooked meal into an unforgettable, romantic dining experience.

Seating
Don't dine on your regular table. Create a new seating, just for the two of you. Take a small table and place it next to the window if you have a nice view. Or if you have a garden, arrange for some outdoor dining.

Tablecloths
Place two tablecloths instead of one on your table. First, place a dark shade, and on top of that place a transparent lace tablecloth. For heaven's sake, no plastic! Use sheer fabrics if you don't have lace fabric.

Bow
Pin a satin bow behind each chair. Try this only if you are good with your fingers, so it doesn't look garish.

Glitter
Go glittery! Large packets of glitter are available in the market for as little as ten rupees. (Of course, it's the non-stick one that you can't use as makeup!) Sprinkle this over your tablecloth. You could also make a design like a line or a circle. Avoid going in for a heart nothing could be cheesier!

Petals
If you can't get your hands on glitter, no problem. Flower petals will work just as well. You could use marigold, but personally I'd go in for rose petals the more, the better!

Candles
Place a bowl of floating candles in the centre of the table. And if they're scented candles, you've hit the jackpot!

Napkin holders
Roll up your napkins and bind them with a napkin holder or a ribbon. Insert two flowers inside each napkin holder.

Flowers
The decoration would be incomplete without a vase of fresh flowers in the backdrop. Chose flowers the colour of your tablecloth and d'cor, so everything complements each other beautifully.

Champagne
Don't forget the champagne. A romantic dinner is incomplete without the bubbly. Get out two of your best champagne flutes, and keep them ready for the occasion. Chill the bottle in an ice bucket, and place it in a corner by the table.

Music
Set the night to music. Keep some old, romantic numbers playing in the background.

Finishing touches
You want to feel like you're dining five-star style For that, your food shouldn't just taste good, but it should look good too. A well placed cherry here, a sprinkling of badaams there and tastefully positioned lettuce leaves adds a charming finishing touch, and can make all the difference.

Be there!
If you're cooking, then make sure it's all done in advance, so you just have to pop it into the microwave. You don't want to spend all the time in the kitchen, do you And if you've ordered all the food from outside, make sure you cook at least one dish, and put your heart and soul into it. It's bound to taste good.

Desert
Desert is a must. It needn't be anything fancy, just something to sweeten the tooth and provide the perfect finish to a perfect meal. Pastries from your neighbourhood bakery should do the job. If you and your loved one are fond of paan, then try and get your hands on a couple. Serve them in a silver salver, or better still, feed it to your beloved with your hands.

There, you're all done. Now it's time for some real romance! Who say's you've got to be imaginative only when decorating After all, the night has only just begun.