Denver Date Ideas Based on Your Love Language: Recommendations from a Denver Couples Therapist
By Jordan Kurtz (she/her) MA, LPCC, Denver Couples Therapist
How many of us remember the initial phase of our relationship, when you and your partner were just beginning to know one another?
While everyone’s relationship looks and feels different, there is large consensus that in these early days we feel a lot of intention from the other- a deep, energized desire to learn our small parts (favorite color, daily routine, name of our pet) and our large parts (family of origin, dreams, fears).
One of the ways we feed this desire and build our foundations as partners is through quality time on dates. Dates serve as opportunities to see what activities we share passions for, how our partner responds to challenges, and how we both communicate in different settings.
Moreover, dates simply communicate, You are worth spending time with, and that is an incredibly valuable message in a world where we often lament the perceived or actual lack of time our days hold.
Regardless of whether your relationship is just developing or you have spent years together, dates remain intrinsically important to nurturing the health of the relationship as well as individual well-being. However, several barriers arise with planning and executing dates, not limited to: children, work schedules, finances, and monotony (i.e. We’ve done the movies for the past 2 months in a row, what now?).
Collaborating with your partner openly about your intention to create a date and the hope for their input is a simple but impactful way to co-navigate some of the aforementioned barriers, but if you are seeking external ideas look no further.
Below are a medley of Denver couples therapist-approved date ideas that align with the various Love Languages.
Understanding Love Languages
Chapman’s 5 Love Languages have permeated the psychology world and popular culture at large for good reason: they provide us a concise way of understanding how we and our partners like to give and receive love.
Identifying and implementing Love Languages can be challenging, but they offer us a window into our partner’s world of needs- how they like to be supported, celebrated, and affirmed.
Many of us resonate with multiple Love Languages, or our chosen Love Language may vary with circumstance (i.e. when I am sad, I like Words of Affirmation and when I am happy, I like Physical Touch)- this is entirely normal!
Refer to the diagram below and see if you can identify: your chosen language, and your guess as to what your partner’s is if you do not already know.
To take a more in depth approach, check out the Love Languages Identification Quiz.
Optional Check-In Point
Communication about Love Languages often fosters deeper understanding about why we and our partners “tick” the way we do. Why? The Love Language we align with is often modeled to us by loving figures or dyads in our life, or the inverse exists: we did not receive this type of love growing up and its absence tells us what we need in adult life.
Some questions to consider on your own or ask your partner regarding Love Languages include:
Has this always been your Love Language? When do you remember identifying it?
Did anyone in your life show you love this way? Who and how?
What emotion do you feel when you are shown your chosen Love Language by another?
Are there examples in our relationship when I have given you your chosen Love Language? What was special about those experiences?
Do you/I like receiving this Love Language at all times? Are there times when you/I prefer another?
Denver Date Ideas Based on Your Love Language - Recommendations from a Couples Therapist in Denver
If you and/or your partner align with Words of Affirmation, explore:
Poetry Readings
Connect with one another and fellow Denver neighbors through the art of conversation. Several of these sites also offer on the spot sign ups if you feel bold enough to contribute your own work too.
Book stores and Stationary Stores: Weave conversation into activity with these suggestions:
Buy stationary and write letters to each other naming what you appreciate about your partner, what surprises you about your partner, or what inspires you about your partner
Buy your partner a book you believe they will enjoy
Discuss with your partner what stories or characters remind you of them or the relationship
If you and/or your partner align with Acts of Service, explore:
A new hobby/challenge together
Acts of Service folks feel appreciation through other’s efforts. Bring you and your partner’s efforts together by jointly approaching a challenge. Ideas include:
Trivia nights (accessible at several breweries)
Axe throwing
Pickle ball
Indoor rock climbing
Cooking or mixology class
Co-completion of tasks
Can you think of something your partner has intended to get done but the work week or other stressors got in the way? Offer to help them complete the task together then reward yourselves with time together afterwards at dinner, relaxing at home, a sports game, etc.
If you and/or your partner align with Physical Touch, explore:
Couples Massage
Whether your partner and you opt to luxuriate with multiple services or frequent a day spa, appreciate the touch of another beside your partner through a couples massage.
Yoga
Invite stimulation of mental, emotional and physical senses through a yoga class of any kind. Those looking for a more intense workout, seek out Sculpt classes. For those interested in strengthening and breath work, explore Power Flow or Hatha classes.
Various studios to explore: YogaBox, Buffalo and Sparrow, Rooted Heart, Guided by Humanity
Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy - Check out CZ Therapy Group’s offering here: Yoga Therapy Group in Denver — Chadley Zobolas Therapy Group
If you and/or your partner align with Quality Time, explore:
Museums
Be inspired, calmed, or energized through art or science while appreciating the presence of your partner.
Escape Rooms
Collaboration is the name of the game with escape rooms. Go with friends or just you and your partner and put your heads together!
If you and/or your partner align with Receiving Gifts, explore:
Candle Making
Create a personalized candle for one another or your living space at a candle making class. Reservations are encouraged but walk-ins welcome.
Antique Shopping & Thrift Shopping
Treat yourself, your partner, or your home with one of a kind-finds.
Regardless of you and your partner’s Love Language, couples therapy in Denver, CO is a great space for couples to reconnect and find meaning in their relationship again.
Sound like something you’d like to explore? A Denver couples therapist on our team would love to support you! Follow these three steps to get started:
Schedule a free 20-minute consult call to see if couples therapy in Denver is right for you.
Connect with the CZTG couples therapist of your choice via a phone consult.
Begin reconnecting in your relationship!
Meet The Writer: Jordan Kurtz, Couples Counselor in Denver, CO
Jordan Kurtz (she/her) is a trauma therapist, couples counselor, and staff writer at CZTG. Jordan focuses on therapy for grief, trauma, adolescence, and relationships. Her approach is authentic, warm, and affirming, which she interweaves throughout her use of advanced evidence-based modalities, including EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), and somatic therapy. If you’d like to work with Jordan, feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation call.