Someone catches your attention at the pub, and you whip up enough courage to initiate conversation. But to get your foot through the door, you ask them out. They say yes, which gets you excited. But now, the nerve-wracking part: planning something compelling enough to get a second date. When thinking about first-date ideas, you must consider a few things, from your personalities to budgets to how you can get to know each other. Here are a few tips and suggestions to get you started.
What Happens on a First Date?
Dating does not have a template. You can decide whether to veg out or go all out with an elegant affair. First-date ideas can be many things, but they should not be stressful. The pressure of impressing your date and developing chemistry is enough! Your goal should be to introduce an opportunity to get to know the other person.
The first date should provide you with a good sense of who the other person is. What are they looking for in a relationship? What is their love language? Do they share your same beliefs and views? All these will help you realise if the potential relationship is worth pursuing. Do you kiss on the first date? It depends on you and your partner – and how the rendezvous goes. Again, there are no rules to all these.
Good First-Date Ideas
Perhaps a candlelit dinner or bungee jumping is a tad extreme – unless your date is posh or an adventurer. Because first impressions last, find a way for you to put your best foot forward. Here are some of the best first-date ideas to get to know someone.
1. Meet up at a café.
It may sound clichéd, but an invitation for coffee is a classic for a good reason. A café can be fancy yet impressive – and it is certainly affordable if you don’t want to commit fully yet. Even non-coffee lovers can enjoy tea or smoothies with a Lamington or neenish tart.
Intimate yet casual, a coffee shop provides a conducive environment for insightful conversation. You can get to know the other person by exchanging stories or even through their menu orders. Do they add two sugars or one? Do they skip the frosting? Fun little details that add quirkiness to the memory.
2. Head out to cocktails or a tinnie.
If you’re both comfortable with libations, then cocktails or beer can be a terrific alternative to coffee. Go for a quiet pub so you can hear each other without yelling. You can bond over your drinks’ tasting notes or flavours, and the alcohol can help you feel even less inhibited, allowing you to share more of yourselves. Just make sure to drink in moderation.
3. Go for a friendly stroll.
While this may sound old-fashioned or even yet another cliché, a stroll in the park is a no-frills, low-pressure first date that puts witty banter and dialogue front and centre without using elements such as a movie as a crutch. When the weather is ideal, invite your date for a walk in the park and look at the sights. You may talk about anything and everything under the sun, including the things you see around you. You could even do this after your coffee outing if you want to prolong the encounter.
4. Try a class.
Make memories by discovering a new skill together. Learning in low-key settings, such as a cooking or pottery class, makes for a creative first date. Opt for a private lesson if you can. It’s more intimate and you get more one-on-one time to get to know each other.
A class lets you see traits you won’t ordinarily get with one conversation, like whether they have a creative or artistic spirit or follow directions well. Doing something new and fun together also helps break the ice and opens the door for other topics to discuss. Plus, there’s something intimate about cooking and making pottery, further fanning the flames of a connection.
5. Visit a bookstore or museum.
Do both of you share a love for books or art? Then a trip to a bookstore, a gallery, or a museum is something you may enjoy. This trip will allow you to indulge in your interests guilt-free while letting you get acquainted with the other person through their book choices or artistic inclinations. You can talk about so much, such as the book you last read or the art movement to which you’re more partial.
Whatever you decide among these first-date ideas, the important thing is for both of you to enjoy each other’s company. To ramp up the connection, you must be confident for a higher chance of success.
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So what are you waiting for? Jot down these fun first-date ideas and ask your crush out. Who knows what will happen next?
