Decisions About Your First Date
November 7, 2009 by David Synderhelm
Filed under Online Dating
So you’ve been chatting on your favorite internet dating site with a terrific guy or gal. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve started communicating and you’re really enjoying yourself. Now it’s time to take things to the next level. You need to decide whether you’re going to meet for coffee or a drink or whether this calls for something a bit more upscale, like dinner.
More to the point, how are you going to decide who pays? Money can be a sore point for some people. Some divorce because of it, others argue about it nonstop, and friendships have been known to end because of it. It’s such a touchy subject that ignites so many emotions. Dating should be fun, so how do you decide?
The answer depends on your comfort level with each other. If you feel talking about money would present an issue, then proceed with caution. Having said that, tradition says that men pay, at least initially. This approach sure makes things easier for both parties and allows you to get to know each other without having to raise the issue of money.
If things continue to go well and you end up in a relationship, then things naturally progress and a fair exchange usually results. Women are just as willing to pay for things as the men they date. However, before getting to that point, these might be a few things to consider.
1. Decide when and where you want to meet
This is crucial on a first date. Women tend to feel more at ease meeting during the day, say for coffee or for lunch, while he might be thinking about a night on the town. Discuss this beforehand and come to a mutually acceptable decision.
2. Where are you going to go?
Once you have decided what time of day you would like to meet, determine what it is you both would like to do? Are you interested in dinner, lunch, going to a museum or perhaps a movie?
3. Discuss dress attire.
What you’ll wear is usually decided by where you’re going. You don’t want to wear you hiking gear to a swanky French restaurant, nor do you want to wear killer heels on the hiking trail. There are enough things to be nervous about on the first date, so don’t make what you’re wearing one of them.
Now that you have decided where to go and when to meet, you can just prepare to allow nature to take its course. It is not absolutely mandatory to discuss who should pay on the first date and the thing to remember is that there will always be enough time to bring money into the picture. Just have fun getting to know one another so that your relationship can be stronger so that when the tough times come around you have a solid foundation to help you through them.
This post was written by the staff of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can find hundreds of professional dating posts. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.
