How to celebrate a special occasion when you can't leave the house

Celebrating a milestone anniversary at home needn’t be a missed opportunity during these social distancing times.

In fact with a little planning (because you have plenty of time to do that now), you can lift the mood just in time to celebrate that special occasion with a loved one indoors.

While we can’t dine at our favourite restaurants right now, you can count on the team at Melbourne restaurant Vue De Monde, who are bringing a touch of their Rialto Tower lush to your home.

Vue To You means you can now have a fancy meal prepared by their award-winning chefs who modify the experience for that special occasion. The meals come readymade – all you need to do is heat and serve.

Think braised Flinders lamb shoulder and native seafood curry among other dishes that will rotate. What’s more, if you ask nicely, the chefs will even create something bespoke for your special night in.

“We’re bringing an element of the restaurant to your home – still using the highest quality ingredients you can get in Australia,” says Vue de Monde’s head chef Hugh Allen.

“If anyone wants a boutique arrangement or special meal for their anniversary, we can do that too. If there is a dish they love we’ll do our best to make it for them.”

For those who simply want to bake their way through the milestone memories, there’s a masterclass hosted by Shannon Bennett and Allen, who will make sure the ingredients arrive at your door for a step-by-step lesson that is taught online.

You can also dial up the romance in the kitchen and make a decadent chocolate souffle together to toast your milestone. What’s more, there’s a comprehensive wine and champagne list to choose from that can be delivered to your door for extra brownie points.

Perhaps you’re the kind of couple who would have gone to a winery to celebrate your anniversary or escaped to a luxury weekend getaway?

Well, not all is lost because the team at Seppeltsfield Wines in the Barossa Valley are giving you a reason to stay home and smile, with a pack that includes six of their award-winning wines (think grenache, vermentino and Barossa shiraz) as well as two bottles of Seppeltsfield Road Distillers’ handcrafted gin and Capi tonic water.

This collaboration can be delivered Australia-wide.

If you’re less of a planner and more spontaneous, The Everleigh Bottling Co. are delivering either two or four cocktails on the night of your choice to your door – mixed, shaken and stirred by the best in the business. They even throw in some dashingly cut cubes of ice and garnishes for a true cocktail nod.

Perhaps you’d like to celebrate with a personalised message from a favourite celebrity for the occasion – and thanks to the team at Cameo it’s quite possible.

From TV star Carson Kressley (Queer Eye for a Straight Guy) to punk rocker Marky Ramone, and Dee Snider from Twisted Sister to our very own Aussie acts like The Chats, Polish Club and GG Magree, you can get a personalised message that comes to your inbox via a link.

The Chats are taking song requests and anniversary shout-outs to those who like DIY romance in its purest form.

“With touring potentially done for the year, Cameo is working nicely for us right now,” says Eamon Sandwith from the Sunshine Coast band.

“I’m able to pay the rent with it at the moment so it’s a win-win. Anyone can search for our band name and put in a request – there’s celebrities, rappers, basketball players are up there with a lot of time on their hands.”

You can also get creative at home by making your significant other a Spotify list of their favourite songs – or create a timeline of the hits that were around in the year you met to put a new spin on it.

Some may prefer to relax with personalised sommelier tasting via your device at home, which is what Sydney’s Handpicked Wines is offering.

You’ll get the wine and cheese delivered to your door and the rest is a lesson in love and other cheesy moments you’ll be talking about for years after COVID-19 has left the building.

The recipient receives the video via text or email and can also opt in for a live video wine tasting of your selection.

And if all else fails, then maybe now is the time to start scrolling through your photos (because you have 17,000 and counting) to make that photo book you’ve been putting off for years. With Snapfish Australia, you can make your own hard or soft cover book delivered hassle-free to your door.