Most people have this misconception that once they're already in a relationship and entered the fine world of coupledom, there is no need to rack their brains for romantic and interesting date ideas anymore. This should not be the case. A relationship is an ever-unfolding process that requires nurturing. Thus, dates should still be an important part of the couple's menu.

Dates keep the ball rolling and the heat sizzling for a lot of couples. Because of the infinite number of distractions posed by career, personal family life, social and what-not, couples need to find time to get a break from the everyday humdrum and enjoy the comfort of being with each other after a week of stress.

A designated date night will be like a form of respite for people who are in a relationship. What it does is help couples refocuses their attentions to the relationship and weed out all the pressures they face otherwise. Dates also strengthen the emotional bonds between persons who are in a relationship.

Thus, just because you're already officially going steady with the person who have been dying to be with for a long time, it doesn't mean the romance has ended. In fact, it should just be beginning.

Here are some examples of interesting date ideas for couples who wish to re-ignite the flame of love:

1) Take your significant other back to the place where you two first met, or first kissed, or first whatever. To make the event more memorable and interesting, tag along a video camera and make a mini movie with you recreating this 'first'.

2) Play dress up for dinner but order takeout food. Don your classiest and most sophisticated dinner clothes and have a candlelit dinner at your apartment, probably with a Barry White CD whirring in the background. Dim the lights and invite your honey to a slow dance. The purpose of the takeout food is to give a little odd twist to the date experience. But if you're planning to go all out, you can cook a fantastic dinner menu yourself... or together.

3) Set up a scavenger hunt for your significant other. The clues could be hidden in roses you leave at certain places or with people that have touched you both as a couple. You can take the short route by placing the clues all over the house, but you can also take the thrill up a notch by setting the hunt in different locations in your town. The final prize is YOU, of course.

4) Set up a picnic by the beach and watch the sun set or rise together. This sounds a little overrated because this is what most movie and tv couples do, but it's actually very effective. Snuggle up!

5) Reverse roles and try to imitate each other's mannerisms and habits. This will help determine how well you two know each other and it may also be a way to discover a lot more about your significant other. There is some risk to this one, though, because, if overdone, it could lead to offense and conflict. But, hey, any good natured person would appreciate this and get barrelful of laughs.

Perhaps the biggest dilemma with dating is figuring out what to do. If you're unsure about the powers of your creative juices, you can try the above suggestions and see them work wonders on putting the spice back into your relationship. Enjoy!