Whether you’re newly engaged (congrats!) and looking for ways to fit wedding planning into your busy schedule, a crafty couple craving DIY inspiration, or someone who needs to get organized as soon as possible, we have a collection of date night suggestions to help you further celebrate your love!
Below you’ll find a list of date ideas that are so fun on their own, you won’t even realize you’re mixing in a little wedding planning! Although most of these suggestions lean into wedding planning, we understand that the full-blown planning stage can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the details and let wedding talk take over every conversation. That’s why we fully encourage you to also plan dates where the focus is purely on enjoying each other’s company—wedding details off the table.
Grab your Dancing Shoes and Enroll in Dance Lessons
While it could seem a little bit intimidating at first, dance lessons with your partner can be a beautiful way to connect and learn with each other as you prepare for your first dance. This is a great date night to stay active and focus on coordination while sharing laughs over new steps and moves learned. Get out of your comfort zone, and into your dancing shoes! (Then, when the big day finally arrives, you can wow guests with your perfect dance moves!)
Have a Treasure Hunt
If you and your partner are creatives at heart and looking for ways to DIY your wedding decorations or favors, vintage, antique, and thrift stores can be a wonderful place to start! Thrifted dishes, glasses, or centerpieces can add a whimsical touch to a celebration and can also double as favors for each guest to take home. A mismatched thrifted look can so beautifully speak to your intricate love story or shared interests. Plan a day to stop by a few shops, and do some browsing. You might just be surprised at what you find!
Make the Perfect Playlist
Not sure about your wedding music yet? Creating a shared playlist with your partner is a fun way to pinpoint the perfect tunes and set the right mood for your big day—even if you’re not leaning into the traditional wedding vibe. Music is deeply personal, and this collaborative process can become a cherished memory in itself. You can build your playlist on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Imagine cooking dinner together while you brainstorm tracks or curling up with a warm cup of cocoa as you decide on the songs for your cocktail hour or first dance. (All of this planning will help your DJ or wedding entertainment later!)
Related Reading: The Best Wedding Songs For Every Part of Your Day
Capture your Engaged Era
It’s fairly possible that the last time you were in front of a camera for professional photos was a graduation, and jumping from that to having your entire wedding photographed can be a pretty big leap! This is our reminder that Vermont wedding photographers don’t only photograph weddings. If you’re newly engaged and looking for ways to commemorate your love, an engagement photo session can be really meaningful and also lots of fun! It’s a great way to get to: know a photographer you’re interested in having photograph your wedding, a way to get comfortable in front of the camera, and a way to document this exciting phase in your love story!
Walk the Runway
When it comes to looking for outfits for your engagement shoot, party, or rehearsal dinner these decisions don’t necessarily need to be made apart from each other. While a bit of surprise and mystery can certainly be fun, taking time or planning a date to pick out outfits together can be exciting! A date night can be spent finding ways to match, showing off your finds, and (metaphorically) walking down the runway. We all deserve a fashion show!
Take a Trip to Your Venue
Explore what your venue and the surrounding area has to offer! This can serve as a wonderful weekend trip away to get more comfortable with the space you will soon be married in. Eating at the venue if it has a restaurant, or staying the night if your venue is an inn, lodge, or hotel can make you so much more comfortable with the space before your wedding and make it feel more truly yours! Haven’t picked a wedding venue yet? This is a great place to start.
Bond over Wedding Bands
Make picking out your wedding bands a fun and memorable date night! Our friends at Bella Lusso Jewelers suggest purchasing your bands about six months before your big day (and their team even offers a discount when you buy both rings together!) Since you’ll be wearing these forever, why not turn the experience into a special moment you’ll always cherish?
Your Next Read:
If you haven’t already, check out our FREE wedding planning timeline and checklist! This blog post and accompanying PDF help map out who to book, what to consider, and when to do all the things. (You can thank us later!)
Looking for an even more in-depth resource while wedding planning? Check out The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide. This resource can be customized to you and your budget and is packed with spreadsheets, advice, and things to consider while you plan your Vermont Wedding.
Want more Vermont wedding planning advice? Click here.