This past year we noticed that our favorite date activities changed so much depending on the season, and we started to think it would be fun to document them. We also started to get curious about what other people do for their dates. "Are we missing out?" It's fun to get inspired by others, so sometimes we'll feature our friends' favorite date ideas too. Variety is the spice of life!
Great Dates isn't just for couples. We'll also feature dates for friends or family, double dates, group dates, etc! If it's a date—we're into it. We hope you are too.
Okay—so our first date is brunch and the farmers market! Let's go.
We're weekend brunchers. Almost every Saturday morning you can find us at one of our favorite brunch spots. One of our newest favorites is Metropolitan Farmer (in our hometown Springfield, Missouri). They serve delicious local food, and they're only open for brunch on the weekends.
We've tried just about every item on the menu, and I'm not exaggerating, they're all amazing. On this particular Saturday I got the trout, and it was so good.
Our favorite farmers market is Farmers Market of the Ozarks. Last year we started going nearly every Saturday, and it's become one of our favorite rituals. Jeremy cooks and grills at home often, so he likes to pick up fresh veggies and meat for his weekly dinners. I'm mostly in it for salad ingredients and fresh juice. Oh—and puppy watching! This week we saw a baby pug, and Jeremy had a momentary lapse in judgement and told me we could get another puppy (he took it back later—haha).
Credits// Author: Elsie Larson, Photography: Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Phoenix from the Fresh Collection.
102 Comments
What a great new feature! Love it 🙂 And brunch + farmers market sounds like a great way to spend the day! Btw, that photo of you guys where you’re walking while holding hands is so adorable 🙂
xo
Camilla
http://kapteinmoe.blogspot.no
That looks awesome! I’m a strong believer in dates, especially if you’ve been together for a while…good job:-)
Love from Europe (where I’m waiting for my significant other in order to have date night),
Bambi
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/
i love the pictures of you and jeremy!
total babes!
just an FYI!
i was told (when i used to work at hallmark) that when smelling candles, you should smell the lid (if there is one). that’s usually how it will always smell once you blow em out.
weird i know but it works!!
and woohooo! for new series!
this kind of reminds me of your old personal blog!
so this is really cool!!!
-Les
This entire post made me insanely jealous. From the food, to the market, to the happy couple. Honestly. 😀
awww I love this! And I love the top you are wearing.
I like to have dinner with drinks 🙂
Xo, Belen
Androbel Insider
Love your embroidered top. Where’s it from?
love that new feature! i’m curious though, does that mean Sarah goes on the date with you? 😉
Goodness gracious, is Jeremy Larson the same who wrote “immovable”?
Sorry, this is completely off topic of the cute blog post, but I remember my ex bf used to go to school at Evangel and in 2007 or so he shared with me that song bc he might have known Jeremy? It was so long ago, I can’t really remember, but what I do know is that song is absolutely beautiful and I play it on repeat every so often.
on a scale of one to a million, how awkward was it going around on a date getting photographed? 🙂
looks like a fun date!
You both are the cutest!
I’m stoked on this new series, it’ll be nice to see what everyone does with their loves (and hopefully give me some more ideas!)
I’m also always blown away by Sarah’s photography, amazing work girl!
xxKristina
http://battleskn.blogspot.com/
Ahh…what a beautiful brunch spot! That bloody mary bar looks heavenly.
I love this series idea– can’t wait to see more. xoxo
http://buildyourbliss.wordpress.com
Hi Kate,
It’s from Forever 21.
xo- Elsie
Yep, so it was basically a double date and we had a great time! :)) We had been meaning to brunch there for months anyway!
-Elsie
Hi Nell,
Yes- he wrote that song for me the first month we started dating. 😀 Thanks for the memory!
xx- Elsie
Not awkward at all. Trust me, I’ve been in WAYYYY more awkward shoots than this. This was surprisingly chill. Kinda felt like an excuse to hang out with Sarah and Josh more than a blog shoot even.
xx- Elsie
I agree! She’s the queen!
xx- Elsie
Such a great idea! And a great date too! I’ve also once been on a date to a farmer’s market and it’s so much fun! My last date was a Mother’s Day party. I look forward to seeing more of your dating ideas.
This is such a great new feature – I love it already! Even though I live in Ireland and I’m pretty sure I’ll never get to visit any of these places, but it’s fun to see where ye go on dates 🙂 I can’t wait to see more!
Fiona
http://alwaysbananapancakes.blogspot.ie
Brunch + farmers market is my ideal weekend, whether on a date or not!
Love this new feature! Will hopefully give me some inspiration.
http://sincerelylara.com
I’ve been wanting to check out Metropolitan Farmer! Glad to know they have brunch; I may have an excuse to go this weekend. 🙂
That’s the date we go on every Saturday. Farmers Park is so great! It’s our favorite “brag” spot to take visitors to show how awesome Springfield is! So funny cause I’m wearing that shirt today! I also got a new one Saturday that says “MO fresh and MO green green”. Love an Outkast reference! Happy Monday!
Well this might be my favorite idea ever! So excited for this series, especially with the warm weather showing its face! Yayayayay!
This is my favorite date idea! My boyfriend and I have a similar Sunday routine. Although we usually stop at our favorite coffee shop for lattes before our weekly farmer’s market run, I’m loving the idea of a long, leisurely brunch! I just wish we had one near us with such an amazing bloody mary bar…:) xx
The What’s In Between
What a great date & post! That bloody mary bar looks fabulous!
Such a great idea. I love both of these things and I can’t wait to see what’s next. It’s always nice to think of out of the box date ideas.
That’s such a lovely idea (both the series and the actual date)! I will be following! xx
Loved this guys, you’ve put me in the mood for a date with my husband this week and I already have some ideas! You are so cute! <3
Great new series. My husband and I put dates on our calendar so we can’t cancel them for something else. We’ve been married 20 years and I’m sure our 2-3 dates a month (hey – we’ve got kids) has definitely helped to keep our marriage strong. Some of my favorite dates: dinner on the water then walking the beach; a dolphin tour then dinner; dinner + the bookstore (and coffee); dinner theatre;
Love this new feature!
I was missing your personal blog!
It’s amazing! Looking forward for more.
🙂
I just want to live inside this blog post. Get me to brunch ASAP!
Y’all are SO CUTE.
What an adorable idea! Can’t wait to see more 🙂
Great idea and I love the first date! We love bruchs too and we go as often as we can. It would be good reading dates in Europe too ;D
P.
http://theslowpace.com
This is SO cute. I am really excited to see how this feature develops because I too love all kinds of dates! Near the top of my list is definitely the farmer’s market date because what’s cuter than strolling through a market, planning meals, smelling and tasting fresh produce, and enjoying sunshine? Thanks, Elsie!
so much fun, can’t wait for more date features!
LOVE this idea! Excited to get some fun date inspiration 🙂
Love this new feature! My boyfriend is deployed right now, but I’ll definitely be taking notes for when he returns! You both look adorable, by the way!
This is so sweet! Such great pictures! And what a beautiful place for a date! Love it!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
This is such a fun idea for a series. I love that Jeremy likes a candle… my husband is forever giving me fire safety lectures (he’s a military firefighter) on the hazards of candles so ours only ever get lit when he is out the house. 🙂
what a lovely post. that market looks awesome. xxx ecorbinmckenzie.blogspot.co.uk
Love this feature! I can already tell it’s going to be amazing. I’ve always been interested in Springfield too so I’m enjoying seeing local spots. Can’t wait for more!
http://theflyingarmchair.me/
Such nice pictures!
I would love some brunch and farmer’s market right now.
This is great! Your photographs are amazing Sarah, were they edited using any of the actions?
This feature is gonna be fun.. I am always looking out for new date ideas, these tips are gonna come in handy for me in Seattle, if weather permits 😉
A Bloody Mary Bar!!! Love!!! 🙂
Great photos 🙂
They were edited with Phoenix from the Fresh Collection. 🙂 -Jacki
Love everything! I’m a big brunch fan, too, and I try to go as often as I can. Also, I love dates 😀 I’m always trying to figure out new places to go and things to see, where the best food events are happening or where can I go enjoy a nice cocktail. My boyfriend is obviously my top choice, but I also love going out with my friends “on dates”, for sure. 🙂 *
so fun! i was planning to go to a farmers market this weekend, so looking forward now!
xo, cheyenne
So fun! around here our markets are either picked over or UBER busy by the time we’d have brunch so we prefer to do the market & then lunch.. or eat our way through the market as there is a stand on every block of the big market.. nom nom..
I love this new feature! My husband and I are always looking for new date ideas!
I’m gonna love this feature!!!!!!!!! And, you totally made me crave a Bloody Mary right now.
I already love this series so much! Thanks for sharing!! xoxo Katie
So ready for some Farmer’s Market dates again with my mom! haha. I’m super excited for this new feature! I love going on awesome dates with David and we’re constantly thinking up fun things to do together around our area. Hopefully you guys will bring EVEN MORE inspiration to our date nights (or days!)
xoxo
Taylor
This may be a strange request but… Can you PLEASE do a post about mens hairstyles? Jeremy has awesome hair! What product does he use?
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS NEW BLOG IDEA!
first of all, you aren your hubby are ADORABLE. And blog posts around dates and lifestyle are probably my thing ever…. 🙂
That’s so nice Brittany!
He just uses a blow dryer and hairspray. I swear- his hair looks almost the same when he wakes up in the morning. Easily trained, I guess? 😀
Thanks for the compliment! I’ll pass it along.
xx- Elsie
Great date idea! I am excited for this series!
that entire bloody mary bar… omg… i want an effing pickle salad with bacon when i have a bloody mary and that right there… yes.
I love the farmer’s market! This post series is such a great idea, I’m excited for more! 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
This looks great! Boston has an amazing farmer’s market they hold in Copley. I wish I had a kitchen to make use of things I could buy. Brunch is always a great idea for any kind of date, too!
My husband and I had a similar date last year. About 30 minutes away there is a farmer’s market that is housed on a farm that happens to roast their own coffee beans and have a little cafe. You can visit the farmers and then have a wonder cup of joe. The best morning ever!
Im so excited for this feature! This looks like a great date!
Jordyn
Pretty Lovely
I love this feature! What a great idea. So nice to see more of the two of you as a couple. 🙂
All these photos look amazing!
Totally one of my husband and my favorite dates. There’s a little place in our town (Grants Pass, OR) called Ma Mosa’s that has amazing brunch. We walk there and then get our weekly veggies at the growers market. Saturdays are the best.
What a fun date night! We love brunching + are planning to swing by a local farmers market this weekend! Perhaps we’ll have to fit brunch in 🙂
I have a feeling I’m gonna LOVE this series! And now I can’t wait for the weekend!
So excited for this new series! My hubby and I are always looking for new date ideas. I actually just posted a similar brunch date idea on my blog too! 🙂 http://meganreablog.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/life-transitions-date-ideas-not-the-unlikely-combo-you-may-think/
what! more brunch places need a bloody mary bar! genius.. and dangerous
http://heyprettything.com
Oh how lovely! I did a post recently on the Ojai Farmer’s Market in California and would love for you to check it out
http://livobeautiful.blogspot.com/2014/04/to-market-to-market.html
But I will admit, Your trip looks much more fun! xoxoxoxo
Okay…so I totally want to visit Springfield now!! Brunch, market, puppies and t-shirts?! I’m sooo there!! (P.S. Your photos are adorable!!)
http://www.StyleIsMyPudding.com
Awesome new series! Thank you!
Genius feature idea! Keep em comin
That Bloody Mary bar is genius.
YES! I love this feature! I hope it will give me some ideas 🙂 My husband and I don’t go out on dates too often because we are both very busy and do lots of things in our local church – and love it! We actually love going on little daytrips around the area where we live, especially in the summer time. We live in the Netherlands. I am not Dutch so it’s always an adventure for me exploring new places and towns. We are actually planning on going to a local fish market very soon. We also just celebrated King’s Day here in the Netherlands and visited a huge flea market that runs through our whole city center. In 2 weeks, they celebrate Ascension Day here and we have one of the largest outdoor flower markets in the Netherlands in my town and we will also be going there and will grab a bite to eat. They have to coolest food stalls there, with food from countries like Aruba, Curacao, Suriname, Vietnam etc.
Love this! I do something similar in Singapore for date inspiration as it can be so difficult to think of somewhere new and exciting when there are just so many options!!
Find my date guide at
http://www.lulabellelifestyle.com/date-guide
Fun feature :)bacon in a drink.. interesting lol. btw I love your top Elsie 🙂
Elsie, having grown up in the Queen City of the Ozarks, I know there are many wonderful places to visit . The Farmers Market was a great place to start. I am so happy to see you exposing our lovely city to many readers around the world. Loving your blog!
This atmosphere remembers me when i came to Baltimore in 2006 (i’m French). That was a point i loved in usa. In France it’s different. First of all brunch is not really an habit for us. And the farmer markets are not the same as you imagine. You tempt me to find a place where we can brunch for a next week-end. But i guess it will be a difficult mission as i live in the countryside…
This new feature excited me ! I need ideas for my family. Thank you for your lovely blog !!
Lovely idea!!!
I did that this weekend too! Love the farmers markets!
There is a man in Grand Rapids at the Fulton Farmers market that grows the BEST organic herbs. He grows at least 30 different varieties!
What a fabulous idea for a segment on your blog…and I thought A Beautiful Mess couldn’t get any better! I love the diversity of this blog. It is alternative and funky, and unlike other blogs which portray an idyllic, unattainable level of perfection in life, ABM makes everything seem doable! Great work!
A great idea for a feature! For us the local farmer’s market in Delden, Netherlands (sadly just once a month) is a great family date. I love how the kids have grown up to be really interested in the produce and the stories behind it.
As far as the dates for us as a couple go, most often we end up on our allotment 🙂 Which may not sound like a lot of fun, but we love the quite time together, working side by side, tending the garden, talking or in companionable silence. It always fills me with contentment.
Elsie your sunglasses are gorgeous!
Where did you get them from? xx
This is such a great idea for a blog series! I’ve been married for 3 years and my husband and I can definitely get in date ruts. We’ll end up going to the same places over and over, which isn’t always bad but can get boring. Also, even though I’m a southern girl through and through, you’re favorite shirt might be my new favorite shirt. 🙂
Allison
http://www.alliray.com
those bloody marys look perfect!! sounds like the perfect date combo!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
I love the idea!! I need a boyfriend now XD naaa, brunches are the best friends.
Bacon bloody Marys?? So many jars of pickled things!!?? Those light fixtures!!!! I want to go to all of these spots post haste — but until I can get those plane tickets I’ll be inspired by your cute date ideas and try to find something similar around my town =)
Jessica
http://www.threadandbones.com
Great pics and great feature!!
http://www.modaonlinegelolasvintage.com
Looks like fun! Can’t wait to see what else you come up with. xx
Emily
faitboum.blogspot.com
Ah, I’ve been needing good ideas for date nights! I love this new feature, and I’m so inspired to find my own version of your dates, it’ll be fun!
xo
Kristina
http://www.eccentricowl.com
The picture of Jeremy smelling the candle is super familiar. My husband and I live in Nashville and he also works in a studio. If he sees a candle, ESPECIALLY in a local store.. HE’S ON IT
Those are some cool shirts! Have to check out the store!
What an awesome idea for a blog feature! It’s a great addition to the lifestyle aspect of your blog. I’m always thinking of different date ideas rather than going out for food and/or drinks, movies, etc. A farmer’s market date sounds fun! Now I’m curious to see what’s next! Thanks
Abby
abbsterocity.tumblr.com
This looks like so much fun! Such a great idea for a feature– my man and I tend to forget to go on dates since we’re so swamped with life at the moment, but this is such a great way to get out of the house without spending a ton of money. Love it!
Absolutely adore this! The farmers market is my favorite. The pictures look amazing, as always!
went to that same farmers market last weekend and bought a cactus! that I will probably kill! had a mother’s day brunch at metro farmer and you are right–so good 🙂
This is such a great idea for a series! And what a perfect date to kick off the series! I’m obsessed with brunch.
Great new feature! We are living in middle Georgia temporarily and there really is NOTHING to do here (or at least it feels that way compared to where we used to live 🙂 Hope this gives us some ideas!