First Dates

I remember the day I went on my first date in fifteen years. Could this thing called internet dating possibly hold any potential for me when it came to meeting someone special to share my life with? I now know the answer was Yes. This date was the first of quite a few before I met my husband, and along the way I picked up some ideas for handling them so they felt natural, not an ordeal. This definitely helped when I met the man I married so here are tips for before, during, and after meeting someone new, so you can have a great first date.

All of us have been tongue-tied at one time or another – especially on a first date. For some, it can be a common occurrence. Any environment or situation that brings on nerves will increase the likelihood you’ll struggle to think on your feet. The answer is to not put too much pressure on yourself to come up with on-the-spot chat. Instead, using prepared conversation starters avoids awkward silences, encourages you to find out a little about each other and helps you both relax and ease into the date. You can have a few topics lined up, so you can focus on enjoying yourself. So, what are the best things to say and ask at the first meeting?

Modern dating happens so fast. We rule people out online before we’ve even met them or we check to see if anyone new has liked our profile on the way home from a date. At this hectic pace, how do we decide whether to see someone again after a first encounter or move on to the next?

I remember my first date with my (now) husband very clearly. We had been chatting online for a couple of weeks and decided it was time to meet up. I suggested dinner but he preferred lunchtime drinks. We ended up having a memorable lunch followed by coffee.

If you’re planning to meet up with someone soon, here are some tips to make sure that first date goes as smoothly as possible.

First impressions do matter and if you want to make a good first impression, here are some tips to follow.

Even when I got to the stage in my dating adventures when I was positively blasé about first dates, there was always one point in the proceedings that was guaranteed to raise my blood pressure. The moment the bill arrived. It wasn’t such a stress if we’d just met for drinks – we might even have taken it in turns to buy rounds. But if we’d gone the whole hog and had dinner, I’d dread the waiter approaching with that ominous piece of folded paper on a silver plate. Should I go with tradition and leave it to the chap to pick up the tab? If I tried to go Dutch, would I offend him? If I didn’t, would I look like some gold-digging prima donna?

‘How will I ever get together with someone, HopefulGirl?’ wailed my friend. ‘Last time I accepted a date, I was so nervous, I cancelled at the last minute!’

Many of us struggle with first date nerves, especially if we haven’t been on one for some time. When I joined the Christian singles scene after the end of a long-term engagement, I hadn’t been on a first date for nearly a decade. I couldn’t even remember how the whole dating thing worked, and I was pretty sure the rules had changed since I was last single.