How to have a great first date

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.

Before the date
1. Don’t think of it as a date

I’m serious. Don’t pressure yourself to have a great first date – or even a date. Just think of it as a pleasant opportunity you’ve been given to chat to someone new. No one is asking you to be perfect at this stuff. All you are asked to do is turn up on time, suitably attired, and once there, be your polite, warm, friendly self. That way you avoid obsessing about it beforehand and building it up into some massive once-in-a-lifetime event with all the needless wear and tear on your nerves that that entails.

2. The right environment

When deciding where to meet consider whether a venue has enough atmosphere to be fun but is quiet enough to be able to talk. Is it somewhere you’re both happy to travel to rather than placing all the effort on one side? If it’s a venue you’re unfamiliar with check online reviews and images and pay a quick visit beforehand if that’s doable. Do you get the feeling it’s somewhere you can relax and be yourself?

3. Prep-talk

Come to the date prepared with a few topics of conversation because sometimes relying on pure spontaneous brilliance can make your mind go blank. (Read Creative first date questions and conversation starters for some easy to follow ideas) Refresh your memory of their bio and the online conversations you’ve already had so they are reassured you have been paying attention to them as an individual. Have a prep-talk to God. I found it helpful to pray that He’d help me be true to myself and keep me open-minded about the other person, not judgemental.