When you’re engaged, you don’t need Valentine’s Day to tell you it’s time to have a date night. But with your Las Vegas wedding right around the corner, you’ll need to find ways to spend valuable time together that also let you save money. Starting today, freshen your relationship without breaking the bank. Take a look at this list for affordable Las Vegas date ideas, and find what best fits you and your groom!

Marathon Training: Stay healthy and sculpt your shape for your upcoming Las Vegas wedding. Lace up your most comfortable, supportive tennies and hit the pavement together. If you and your hubby-to-be like listening to music to keep you focused, then make matching playlists to listen to as you run. You’ll smile knowing you’re being inspired by the same tune.

My groom Anthony and I love our date nights together! We've tried all these date ideas, and we've certainly found our favorites. 😉

Volunteer: Soothe your soul and help those in need by volunteering together. Find a nonprofit organization that appeals to your skills, and challenge yourselves to volunteer together at least once a month. Whether you’re building homes for local families, organizing clothes at a shelter, or pulling weeds for free, you’ll find your spirits lift when you focus your time and energy towards someone other than yourselves.

Scent Shopping: Enjoy a sensual experience as you visit local stores to shop for scents. You get to choose his cologne, and he can pick perfume for you. Just remember to spray the scents on test strips first, or you’ll have a wristful of rather powerful whiffs. If you’d like, buy a small bottle of your ideal scent for each other to wear on future dates.

Video Gaming: Stay home, and tackle a video game together. Choose a co-op video game (ask your groom for details), and play on the same team. Like a little competition? Then pop in a group-friendly game, like Rock Band or Wii Sports, and laugh all night long.

Play tourist in your own town. Take photos to commemorate your experience.

Play Tourist: People flock to our city to visit the Las Vegas Strip. So dress your best, and play tourist! Visit the casinos, tour the shops, and take in the lights, sights, and sounds. To keep the mood light and loveable, stay away from bars and dance clubs for this date. Find new ways to revel in the Las Vegas Strip, like watching the Bellagio waterworks hand-in-hand, admiring the architecture of casinos inspired by international hot spots, or sharing a sumptuous dessert on the spot.

Hike a Trail: Embrace the great outdoors. Choose a trail to hike together at Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Lake Mead, or Valley of Fire. Pack a backpack full of tasty snacks, sandwiches, and plenty of water to enjoy along the way. Don’t forget to wear your sturdy walking shoes and a light jacket.

Read Together: Curl up together on a couch, and take turns reading aloud from a good book. To find more novels you’ll both love, visit a Las Vegas-Clark County library. Then add intrigue to your library search by splitting up and perusing the shelves until you find a book you think your spouse-to-be would enjoy. Then meet back up, reveal your choices, and bring home these books for weeks’ worth of happy reading together.

Snow Sledding: Be cozy despite the cold. Drive to Mount Charleston, and prepare for a whole new Southern Nevada experience. Bring toboggans, inner tubes, trashcan lids, or even flat pieces of cardboard to sit on as you slide down the hill together. Find a safe sledding location, like Lee Canyon, and follow the U. S. Forest Service’s Spring Mountain Twitter account (find their link here) to find weekends when sledding or snowshoeing is open to the public. Don’t forget to pack mugs and a thermos of hot chocolate to sip as you snuggle at the base of the hill.

Prepare a meal together. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor. Yum!

Make a Meal: Having a restaurant meal is always a popular date night idea. But what if you created the experience at home? Go grocery shopping together for food you’ll need to concoct a meal of your choice. Later, at home, prepare a meal together and dine by candlelight.

Mix in a Movie: Enjoy dinner and a show. Consider coordinating a homemade meal with a movie you’d like to watch together that evening. Pair My Big Fat Greek Wedding with lamb and Greek salad or experiment with a recipe for moussaka. Or, for a simpler recipe, watch Juno while enjoying a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

As a Las Vegas bride myself, these date ideas helped my groom and me to invest in each other and our relationship. Even now, as newlyweds, we’ve still continued to take part in affordable activities that we started during our engagement to constantly cultivate our relationship. Brides, when you focus on pouring into one another even with a small budget, you’ll connect with your groom, thrive in experiences that renew your spirit, and set a strong foundation for your marriage.

Like these date ideas? Let us know. Click the “Like” button below. Feel free to also add your own date ideas to the comments.

Author: Allyson Siwajian © 2011

Photographs: first photo by Jamison Frady of Quiet Art Photography © 2010 (used by permission), following photos by Allyson Siwajian © 2011

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