Every Jewish couple needs to come up with some new romantic ideas from time to time. Even if you have found your bashert, it is important to remember that it takes some effort to maintain a healthy relationship. Building intimacy takes time, and the key to a happy Jewish marriage is making a sustained effort to nurture the relationship so that it will endure throughout the occasional rough times that every couple will experience at one time or another.

Your romantic journey together does not end under the c huppah, it is hopefully a long and winding road on which you will discover more facets to your partner each day that bring you closer together. The best romantic ideas are those that show your partner that you care  about him or her. They do not have to involve anything overly showy or expensive, either. For example, just giving your partner a hug in the middle of the day for no reason at all does not take much effort, but it goes a long way toward making love and relationships last.

Following are a few romantic ideas that you can use to bring joy to your partner and strengthen your relationship:

•             Write a short love note and put it in his lunch or her handbag before you leave for the day.

•             Give your partner a foot massage after a long day at work.

•             Take your partner on a mystery date in which they don’t know where you will be going or what you will be doing.

•             Praise your partner for something in front of other people.

•             Do the laundry or take out the trash, if it is something your partner usually does.

•             Take a sunset walk hand-in-hand.

•             Take a course together, such as in cooking or painting.

•             Tell your partner on a regular basis how attractive you still find him or her.

•             Buy tickets to a game of your partner’s favorite sports team or to a favorite concert performer.

•             Rub your partner’s shoulders after a particularly difficult day.

•             Cook up an elegant surprise dinner for your partner and eat by candlelight.

•             Book a romantic weekend away at a bed and breakfast.

•             Take a shower together.

•             Meet for lunch every now and then.

These are just a handful of romantic ideas you can start with. Nobody knows your partner better than you do, and taking just a few minutes each day to do something special for him or her is a small investment in what will hopefully be a lifetime of happiness.