Recreating Romantic Scenes from Film and TV

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there’s no better excuse to crack out the popcorn and snuggle down in front of a film all about finding ‘The One’. And what better way to express love to your significant other this Valentine's Day than by recreating some of the most iconic romantic cinema scenes? From décor inspired by the films to the food that our favourite characters are eating, we’ve got everything you need to re-create the perfect Valentine’s date at home.

We’ve hand-selected our five favourite films from the top 50 romantic movies on IMDB, and picked the iconic scenes that you and your partner can easily recreate to have a standout Valentine’s date in your own home!

Who hasn’t spent an evening crying at the end of the Notebook? The endless love that Noah and Allie share has inspired countless young teens to never settle for anyone who wouldn’t risk their life just for a date with you!

The iconic fairground scene, when Allie and Noah first meet and Noah hangs by his fingertips from the Ferris Wheel to convince Allie to go on a date with him, might seem difficult to recreate, but we’ve got some fun ideas:

• Cover the ceiling and walls of your living room or bedroom in fairy lights to recreate that festival lighting.
• Make fairground food, using an ice cream maker or even a fryer to create some American corndogs and salty fries.
• Surprise your partner with a kissing booth - £1 for a kiss!

500 Days of Summer is a story of a boy who falls in love, not just with our leading lady, Summer, but with the very idea of love itself. After all, who could forget that quintessential scene of Tom and Summer having their first date at Summer’s apartment, pulling funny faces at one another and talking until all hours about nothing and everything?

Luckily, recreating this scene doesn’t require much more than your PJs and your bed, but there are some ways you can spruce things up to recall those feelings of brand new, hopelessly romantic love:

• Candles – and lots of them!
• Some super cosy blankets to cuddle under while in bed.
• A top-class cup of coffee the next morning to pep you up after your all-nighter of talking and laughing – a good excuse to upgrade your coffee machine!

Anyone who is anyone has seen the hilarious and awkward restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally – when best friends Harry and Sally meet for breakfast and, to prove a point in an argument, Sally breaks out into a certain “performance” in front of the crowded restaurant.

Now if you’ve got the nerve to give this a try in your local café, then props to you! But if you fancy recreating this hilarious scene at home, you won’t need much more than a tasty sandwich and your best acting skills!

• With nice table linen and serveware, you can recreate the atmosphere of a nice restaurant in New York.
• Try a toastie maker to get the perfect grilled cheese to accompany your “performance”.
• Alternatively, pop your uneaten sandwiches in a container for later if you find it all a bit too much.

Recreate the first date scene from Good Will Hunting – a couple of burgers and a sweet first kiss is all you need to reimagine the magic of Minnie Driver and Matt Damon’s chemistry-filled first date. You could opt for a takeaway burger to emulate the greasy (and pickle-filled) first kiss, but for those of you who may be on a budget or would like to cook a special meal for your beloved, try making them from scratch. Here are our top burger tips:

• Try including some unusual ingredients in your burgers, such as prosciutto or chillies.
• Even though Will and Skylar are in a greasy burger joint for their first date, you can class up your version of this date by serving up your burgers on the sofa in front of your favourite film.
• Accompany your burgers with some homemade cocktails! Check out our easy homemade mocktail recipes for inspiration.

Let us know if you and your significant other are planning on recreating these iconic movie scenes this Valentine’s Day – or if you’ve already done so in years gone by! Tag us in your pictures on Instagram and check out our blog for more lifestyle, home and garden insights and inspiration.