Dinner Party Theme - Rainy Evening
Once a month my boyfriend Adam and I go to a dinner party at one of our friend's house. We're all pretty close, having formed this little group of four couples way back in college. None of the gatherings were anything special, just dinner and drinks, conversation, games or a movie. Adam and I thought it would be really romantic if it were raining on one of these evenings, but that never happened. That is, until we made it happen.

When we called everyone to set a day and time, we told them to wear a raincoat and to bring an umbrella. When they asked why Adam said, "Because it will be raining."

All it takes is hoses long enough to set the sprinklers on the edge of the roof hoses, to make your own private rain storm. We only owned two sprinklers and two hoses, so we borrowed two more sprinklers and six more hoses from our neighbors and bought some connectors at the hardware store. We placed sprinklers on all four sides of the house to complete the illusion. Since we didn't want to waste water or flood the yard the water was only on low.

We turned off all of the lights except in the kitchen. We placed tons of candles all over the living room and dining room and started a cozy fire in the fire place. To complete the effect Adam put a nature CD of a thunderstorm on the boom box and a classical music CD on the stereo.

Of course, when the couples arrived they found out why they needed those rain coats and umbrellas. There was no way to get inside without getting wet. Once inside no one could stop talking about the effect.

There was wine, sodas or sparkling mineral water to drink and cheese, sliced vegetables and dip to munch while dinner was being re-heated. I had ordered Chinese take out from a local Chinese restaurant. It never ceases to amaze me that the more inconspicuous the restaurant is, the better the food is. All I had to do was reheat some of it in the microwave. Most of the menu was finger food. As the evening progressed, as we sipped our wine and made pleasant conversation by the fire, we relaxed and even started feeding our significant others.

For dessert we was strawberries, blackberries and raspberries with whipped cream and warmed chocolate. How romantic! An amazing thing happened, though, that we didn't plan on. Out of nowhere, we heard a clap of thunder, but the nature CD had ended. We looked outside into the darkness to see a storm rolling in. The guys got the sprinklers off of the roof quickly, just before it really started to rain!

The storm didn't last long. It was a lovely light show, though, and definitely added to the atmosphere. Everyone grabbed pillows off the couch and we played Scrabble by the fire. I took a few photos of the cozy scene.

As every event must surely do, the party ended shortly after the storm outside and the couples went their private ways. Adam and I have had our romantic evenings together many times before. However, the group dynamic seemed to amplify the mood, all of the other couples agree with us on this. They all loved the rain. I am so happy that Adam and I have started a trend. Now, each couple is going to try to outdo the others by seeing who can put together the most romantic party.

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