It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been on a date before or you’ve been in a long-term relationship, so it’s been awhile. Either way, you’re likely to feel nervous and unsure of what to expect from a first date. Indeed, you might even be feeling so nervous of the unknown that you’d rather just stay at home.
Well before you commit to be single forever, all you really need is our top guide on what to expect from a first date. That way you’ll feel more than prepared for meeting up with your date and mactually enjoying yourself.
So, what is a first date likely to be like?
1: Know What You Plan to Do for Your Date
When you’re planning a first date or you’ve been asked out on one, it’s important that you know what is going to happen on that date, such as going for drinks to a local bar. As, by knowing your activity for the night, you will be better ready to plan your outfit and know what to expect.
Choosing that first date activity is an incredibly important thing, especially when different dates have advantages and disadvantages. Here are some examples of some common first dates:
- Drinks – Meeting at a bar for a few drinks is one of the most classic first dates around. As, unlike a dinner date where there is the awkwardness of eating in front of each other, drinks can feel much more relaxing. This kind of date is also ideal if you’re looking for a short date to make sure you both like each other. If you don’t drink or would prefer a day date, you can also choose your ‘drinks’ date to be in a coffee shop or similar.
- Movies – If you’re worried about awkward silences on a date, a trip to the cinema to see a movie can be ideal. As you’ll both have to sit through that film without chatting and, afterwards, you can get a drink and you’ll have a whole film to discuss. Cinema dates can be problematic, though, as this lack of communication during the movie isn’t allowing you to get to know each other.
- Dinner – Going on a dinner date can often be thought of a ‘scarier’ first date. As there’s the problem of knowing what to order – we’ve all ordered a salad when we’d have preferred steak before! A dinner date can make for a wonderful time, though. As the food can give you both something to talk about and keeps your hands busy as you eat.
The whole point of a first date is to find out more about your date and decide if you have enough in common for a second date. Which means, a lot of that date is going to be asking questions back and forth with each other. Because of this, you’ll want to think of some questions to ask your date before you go, as this will have you better prepared for the night itself.
When thinking about first date questions, consider:
- Topics to Be Avoided – Not everything should be discussed on a first date, especially when it could make your date uncomfortable or even put them off a second date. Such topics can include talking too much about ex-partners, mentioning politics or debating current events and asking too much about a possible future with marriage and kids.
- Don’t Turn Your Date into an Interview – As much as you might want to ask lots of questions one after the other, as you believe this is the best way to find out the most about your date, this can easily make your date feel like you’re on a job interview. Which isn’t fun for everyone!
- Keep it Fun and Light-Hearted – First dates should be fun, full of laughter and hopefully contain some flirting. So, if you are thinking about what to ask your date, try to keep to topics such as hobbies, interests, and your favourite things. These topics are more likely to get you both chatting naturally while still finding out about each other.
Whatever questions do get asked, always remember to listen intently to your date. Yes, nerves can make you overthink and you might miss the odd bit of information, but it’s important to listen as best you can and comment on what they’re saying, as this will really impress your date.
3: Deciding on a Second Date
The whole point of a first date is deciding if you like that person enough to warrant going on a second date with them – which will subsequentially determine if you want a third date and so on. So, because of that, a lot of singles can focus on wanting to know if there will be a second date rather than focussing on what’s happening during the date.
This means that you should try and put that idea of a second date out of your head and instead just enjoy yourself. Come the end of the night, it will likely be obvious if either of you would like to meet again and you can ask the question then. Badgering your date throughout the evening about meeting again will more than likely put them off the idea entirely.
That’s all there really is to your first date, which when you see it written down makes you wonder why you were so scared in the first place! The best thing you can do on your first date is go with the flow and see what happens. There might be a first kiss, or you might not want to meet again – whatever happens, well done on being brave and putting yourself out there in the dating world!