Jeremy and Stephanie’s date night ideas might seem simple on the surface, but upon closer examination, each one has a luxe twist that takes their whole dating game up a notch. For example, instead of just going for a drive in the country (a tried-and-true favorite), they make their weekend on-the-road adventures feel novel by renting a convertible! They’ve inspired me to add a little something extra to my and John’s next date night, and I hope you feel the same way!
Big hugs to Susan Hudson for these sweet photos!
Names: Jeremy and Stephanie Capan
By day: Jeremy does sales/account management in commercial flooring and Stephanie owns and designs for the online lifestyle brand Winnie Jean.
Where they live: Loveland, Ohio
Their love story: I had recently moved home from Nashville (I was born there and lived there four years after college) and during a moment that at the time I thought of as weakness, I prayed for God to bring a man into my life who loved Jesus and who would love me unconditionally. Two weeks later, I met Jeremy. And, believe it or not, we met on Tinder! (Yes, I’m serious!) We both swiped right, and, as they say, the rest is history.
Their wedding: We got married in Tennessee at the Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church (where we got engaged!), and our reception was held at the Appalachian Clubhouse – both are located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m from Nashville, and my family goes to Gatlinburg every year around Christmas, and Jeremy has been camping in the Smokies with his family since he was a kid, so it made the perfect location for our destination wedding. That area has been special to each of us separately for years and now it’s a place where we’re making our own memories. “On a Tennessee Saturday night. Couldn’t feel better, I’m together, with my Dixieland delight” was our unofficial “theme,” and it was a laid back, intimate day. I wore a blush dress and a flower crown and I married my best friend. It was literally the best day of my life.
Stephanie and Jeremy’s five favorite date ideas:
1. A drive with the top down. Our favorite thing to do together is go on a drive. Every couple of months we rent a convertible and take a day to explore. We don’t usually have any plans except the way we’re heading and we just let the day take us where it wants. Sometimes in the evening we just hit the country roads near our home in Loveland. We love the time in the car together and it’s always fun to explore new places that are just around the corner.
2. Eating local. We love to try out locally owned restaurants. Our town is really quaint and has some delicious options and there are a bunch in Cincinnati that we still need to try!
3. Quick picnic. We love to pack up a simple dinner or pick up something on the go and take it to a park nearby and have a makeshift picnic. It’s quick and easy but it gets us away from the TV trays and our cell phones and outside together.
4. Maxed-out movie date. Cinebistro is our favorite way to go to the movies. We love being able to get dinner at the movie and the recliners are so comfortable. We’ve spoiled ourselves and can’t imagine going to a “regular” movie theater again.
5. Pizza at home. We also love pizza nights at home! These usually fall on Sundays because it’s been a busy week, a busy weekend and we are ready to just relax on the couch with our pups and an episode of Game of Thrones.
Thanks so much, Stephanie and Jeremy! Find lots more date ideas in the Southern Newlywed archives.
Thanks so much for including us in this feature! We had so much fun and Susan was amazing to work with. I never thought I’d have photos of one of our road trip dates but I’ll treasure them forever! <3