Dressing for Romance

A friend and I were discussing romance and we got onto the topic of dressing for romance, especially first dates and then after you've been married for a while. The question was did we put as much effort into dressing up for the night out once you're married. Hmm... I've been married for 20 years, so I had to do some retracing back to my very first date.

My mom and I went shopping for the perfect outfit. I spent a couple of hours or more fixing my hair. My makeup, base, lipstick and eye shadow - all new. I bought a new pair of earrings. Hmm... shoes and purse... okay, I think everything was new. It was my first date.

Flash forward to present day. No new clothes, just one of my sexiest dresses and a great pair of heels and clutch purse. My do was quickly adjusted because I'd been working all day and didn't have the luxury of time to wash and style. It still looked good. jewelry, all pieces that my husband gave me.

Age seemed to have a lot to do with the way I prepared for a first date compared to modern. When I became single at the age of 33, I did revert back to much of the same things as I did with my very first date. So perhaps it wasn't so much age as it was marriage.

So we'd pared it down to marriage versus being single. We discovered some interesting things. Single first dates are more intense with the feeling of the unknown. Married dates tended to be filled with the anticipation of finally having some cherished time alone. Married dates were easier, for obvious reasons, but not any less exciting especially when there are surprises within the relationship. If there are no surprises, then it can quickly become the expected, even the mundane of daily life. Couples are rushed, over-worked and don't set aside time for themsevles.

Our summation was that as long as the surprises and the unexpected (good unexpected) remain alive in a marriage, then much of the same emotions felt on the first date continue and grow throughout married life. Romance is, after all, what we create it to be.