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1)First of all, before you have even left your house and headed off on your date, you need to make sure that you are looking your best. Are your clothes clean? Ironed? Have you shaved? Put on your perfume/ cologne? Have you cleaned your nails, your teeth? Your hair? These are all things that are necessary to help make a first good impression. Make sure you’ve gone through this little checklist before walking out the door.
2)If you arranged to have dinner at 8pm, be there at 8pm, or even a few minutes earlier! Punctuality is one of the most important things. It represents who you are as a person. Are you organized, considerate? If you can’t show up on time, it will leave the other person feeling uncomfortable (not insecure) and it will take a while for them to stop doubting you. If you are going to be late or can’t make it, make sure your date is informed! Preferably long before they are sitting in the restaurant waiting for you, as I am sure they would rather not have to pass the time sitting alone eating bread and sipping their drink waiting. Also be aware, and this is where the difference between single and married dating comes in, your date is not running to their own schedule. They have a partner, who is likely expecting them home at a certain time. If you are going to be half an hour late, then it is likely your date will be half an hour shorter, if you have a curfew, make sure to mention it before, or at the beginning of the date. The best option is to make sure you are on time!
3)When you arrive, make sure your mobile phone is switched off or on silent. There is nothing ruder than having your phone ring, or even worse answering or texting during a date. This is intolerable. If it is 100% necessary, excuse yourself, go to the bathroom and take your phone with you. This doesn’t mean you can stay in there for 15 minutes having a chat, and it doesn’t mean you should be going to the bathroom every ten minutes. (Your date will think you must have irritable bowel syndrome).
4)Remember to be polite, and stay polite throughout the entire evening. No decent person appreciates the company of someone who is rude or arrogant. Being impolite to the staff is the quickest way to make the person you are with loath your company.
5)When the food does arrive, eat with your mouth closed! For most people this rule was drilled in from an early age, and seeing an adult break it, by continuing a conversation with a bit of their entrée in their mouth is almost sacrilege. Do not do it, ever! Finish chewing and sallow before saying anything!
Now that we have covered basic behavioral etiquette, we’ll turn to conversation.
6)Do not be sleazy in conversation. You are a grown adult on a date, not a college student trying to pick up at a house party. Being able to carry a conversation is a sign of a well educated and intelligent person. Remember to listen to your dinner partner. A conversation should be an exchange, not just one person spilling their life story. As the date progresses, you may slip in to the sense of this being a normal date. It’s not. Respect each other’s privacy; you are testing whether or not you are compatible to have an affair, not if you would make a good couple. Family, children and your home address should all be topics that are strictly off limits.
7)Call us old fashioned, but we still believe that men should pay for the first date, unless the woman insists otherwise. It’s not that women cannot pay for themselves, but it shows that a man is chivalrous and mature. If a man asks the woman to pay, it is likely that he will not be invited on a second date. A word of the wise, do not use your bank/credit card!! Unless you have a good alibi for being at that particular restaurant at that particular time, using your credit card could be a sure way to be caught out.
8)Do not drink too much!! Nobody likes a drunkard, and it is the easiest way to make a bad impression during the first date.
9)If you are not the most talkative person, think about topics to discuss beforehand, there is nothing more boring than running out of things to talk about and you both eyeing off other more comfortable couples, also, it creeps them out ( the other couples). Remember, it is important to make eye contact with your date so that they feel significant.
10)One last word of advice; while it is important to find subjects of common interest to keep the conversation flowing, you should avoid all discussion pertaining to religion or politics. These topics could be dangerous ground if you both have differing opinions, and they are best left till later on in the relationship.
Now that you have all the main points covered, get searching for your next first date on Gleeden.com!
