How to Go on a Date

by rek36

249K5683

Intro: How to Go on a Date

We all want to find that special someone. However, in order to find them, we must first start from ground zero and begin with a date. This can be a scary concept for some, but it is not as hard as it seems. Hopefully with these simple tips, you will master the art of dating!

STEP 1: Obtaining a Date

Brian needs a date!
In order to go on a date, you must have a second party to accompany you.

1.) Firstly, make sure your potential date is single, and available to date. You will have no success asking out someone who is married or seeing someone else!

2.) Church is always a good place to pick up a date! If someone at church strikes your fancy, go for it!

3.) Class is another great way to find a date. Plus, talking about the class is a great conversation starter!

4.) Additional places to find a potential date could be the library, grocery store, the gym, or the park. These places where people are typically at ease, and most likely to act like themselves.

If at first you do not succeed, try again! After trying a few different options, you are bound to have someone agree to go on a date with you!

STEP 2: How to Prepare for the Date


Congratulations! You got a date! Now, you must prepare for your date in order to make it successful.

1.) First, take a shower before your date. Being clean is a necessity. Nobody wants to be seen in public with somebody who is dirty and smells.

2.) Shave and groom yourself so you look clean cut and presentable. Shaving automatically makes your appearance more appealing!

3.) Brush your teeth. There is nothing more awful than bad breath! Brush your teeth to make your smile sparkle. Taking gum along would not hurt either!

4.) Spray some cologne to finish off the process! However, do not spray too much, you want your date to be able to breathe.

STEP 3: What to Wear


Dress to impress!

You want to look good, right? Well, wearing silly T-shirts with offensive sayings is not the smartest choice. Show your sense of humor with conversation, not by the shirt you are wearing.

Making a great first impression is key, therefore a simple, yet classy outfit will work. Try a collared shirt with jeans, or a polo.

No need to overdress, just keeping it classy and casual is a great way to impress your date!

STEP 4: Last Minute Preparation- $$$


A very important preparation that you do not want to forget; make sure you have money! You asked the girl out on the date, therefore you should pay for her. It would be pretty embarrassing to have your date pay for you since you forgot to go to the bank!

STEP 5: Transportation

When going on a date, it is proper for you to pick her up. When you greet her, find something to compliment her on. Compliments are always good! A car is the most ideal way transport you and your date, but if you do not have access to a car, there are other options:

1.) If you live near your date, and are planning on going to a close destination, walking is a reasonable option too. It gives a good opportunity for chatter, and who knows, maybe your hands will gravitate toward each other!

2.) The bus is reasonable as well, because who can pass up free transportation in Pittsburgh? It will also give you an opportunity to sit next to each other and keep the conversation flowing!

Warning: Do not pick her up on a bicycle. It does not matter if two people can fit on it, a bike is silly. Do not pick her up with a bike.

STEP 6: Where to Eat?


When deciding where to eat for your date, it is important to consider what type of atmosphere you would like to be in. A casual, chill atmosphere is your best bet. This way, you and your date can feel relaxed while on the date.

1.) A good example is Starbucks. It is not too fancy but it is not too casual at the same time. This is a good place for a first date because you do not have to shell out big bucks at a fancy restaurant.

2.) Do not go to McDonalds. This makes you look cheap. Just do not go there for a date. Ever.

STEP 7: Date Etiquette

There are certain manners that should be followed at every date. No need to overdo the manners, but looking like a gentleman is always a good thing.

1.) Open the door for your date. This is a polite gesture that never gets old.

2.) If you are going to a place with chairs, pull out the chair for your date. This is another classic move that never gets old.

3.) Keep the conversation flowing, but do not talk too much. Your date will get bored!

4.) Allowing your date to talk more will keep them more interested and engaged in the conversation. Plus, you get to know each other better by hearing what the other has to say. So give your date ample opportunity to speak too. (Remembering key details will be very helpful in getting you a second date! It also shows that you find her important and interesting.)

STEP 8: Date Etiquette Continued...


These are also certain guidelines to follow during the date:

1.) Sit up straight and do not slouch! Slouching makes you look unattractive, and it also makes it look like you are bored.

2.) A good tip for all dates in general is to put your napkin in your lap. It is pretty embarrassing to have a stain on your lap for the rest of the date!

3.) Do not be sloppy. Getting food all over your face is really unattractive, makes you look silly, and looks as if you do not know simple table manners. Take small bites and do not stuff your face. And for goodness sake, do not talk with your mouth full!

STEP 9: Ending the Date


Once both of you are finished eating, pay for you and your date, then leave a good tip if you were waited on! Leaving a good tip makes you look generous! (This should not be a problem if you remembered to go to the bank before your date!)

STEP 10: The Final Moments

For a lot of people, this can be the most confusing and awkward part of the date. Do you kiss? Do you hug? Shake hands and part ways? Well, it depends on how the date went. You have to use your better judgement and decide whether or not you felt the date was a success or not.

1.) Asking for a kiss on the lips may be rushing things a little too fast. You do not want to scare away your date by seeming too aggressive and pushy.

2.) If you feel like the date was a success, a hug is a simple, yet affective way to show you had a good time.

3.) If you are both feelin' each other's vibes, a kiss can work too! A kiss on the cheek is the safest way to show you enjoyed yourself

4.) Remember to thank her for going out with you and add that you had a great time! If the sparks were really flying, this would be the best time to suggest a second date. Saying "Maybe we could do this again!" would be a great way to initiate another outing.

Congratulations! You have successfully survived your date! Hopefully it will lead to second and third dates!

67 Comments

TheOriginalNerd 5 years ago

I can tell you from years of experience, this is a good instructable, just let me add a couple tips:
Part of what you do on a date isn't just getting him/her to be impressed with you, but showing her/him what you think of them. Getting cleaned up and dressed nice, shows your date they're important enough to put in the effort. This applies to where you take him/her. That's why fast food is a NO, NO! It says, you don't think much of her/him. Where you go isn't about how much you can spend in money, but it is about how creative, thoughtful and romantic you can be.
When you 'improve' your normal behavior on a date, it isn't about pretending to be someone you're not. It's about showing him/her that you know how to be polite, that you know how to listen, etc. If you're successful and get more dates, he/she'll will eventually get to know the real you and besides that is the purpose of dating: getting to know each other.

hola3 8 years ago

Hello,

in my opinion, most important thing is to be natural and be yourself. Follow some rules or try to be someone you are not it may help in short term, but if you are looking for a long relationship, it is for sure not the best move.

So, just be yourself and let see whats happen, if it works, cool, if it doesn´t, no problem, luckily, there are many single girls/boys on this planet, somebody will like the way you are, and not the person you pretend to be, im sure about it.

BTW, now I little offtopic, I´m running a dating tips website since some months, if somebody is looking for tips and want to check it out, there is the url: http://www.amoramargo.com/en/

Hope it helps! If somebody want to ask me something, contact me through the contact form :-)

Have a nice day!

Br

//OLIVER

lonely short guy 9 years ago

1). never ever make a girl travel to the date location.

2). never ever take a girl/boy to any fast food place.

3). try to avoid taking a girl/boy to the movies, because you just sit there watching a screen, whereas at a restaurant you could make a conversation and get to know her a little more.

4). NEVER EVER EVER mention past dates with other people.

chuckr44 15 years ago

2.) Do not go to McDonalds. This makes you look cheap. Just do not go there for a date. Ever.


Just my opinion here. A date is to get to know someone, not to find out how much money they have. If the girl doesn't want to go to McD's, then she doesn't want a boyfriend, she just wants an ATM machine. Dump her.

A date should be impressed by your personality, not your wallet.

wilgubeast 12 years ago

McDonald's can work. Certainly not for everyone, but there are situations when it can be pulled off. You'll need a perfect storm of your own great personality, your date's great personality, and a well-maintained franchise location. Find a cool assistant manager at your local fast food establishment and see if he or she will let you and your date kick it in a PlayPlace. To class it up a bit, bring a checkered tablecloth. Don't bring wine, as alcohol is a no-no.

As a rule, it is probably not a great idea. Unless you can spend some quality time together in a ball pit, possibly during McRib season. Best case scenario: this is a fun story the two of you tell at the wedding. More likely scenario: this is a fun story she tells to the guy she dates after you.

LesB 12 years ago

I think the "cheap" factor is the least problem with taking a gal to McD's. It shows you expect her to eat that stuff they serve there, and make you look like some kinda nutritional dunce.

jessifromdenver 14 years ago

2.) Do not go to McDonalds. This makes you look cheap. Just do not go there for a date. Ever. "Just my opinion here. A date is to get to know someone, not to find out how much money they have. If the girl doesn't want to go to McD's, then she doesn't want a boyfriend, she just wants an ATM machine. Dump her. A date should be impressed by your personality, not your wallet. " Um, actually, when dating, the idea is to show off your ability to be a descent mate. In the case of males, part of being a descent mate is being a good provider, so yes, the wallet does and should play a role in impressing a girl, unless you live in a culture where you would be better off showing off your hunting/herding/farming skills. Women want a man to show that he is at least able to provide for himself, and at best, that he would be able to contribute to a household or family. How much money you make is often a good indicator of how hard you work, how ambitious you are and how educated you are. I don't look for a man who's rich, but I do look for a man who is in a productive, stable career field with room for advancement which he also enjoys. A man who takes me on a date to McDonalds would not exude those qualities. A date to McDonalds says "Hi! I'm a bum. I can't afford to take care of myself, let alone anyone else, and I don't care if I can or not. If you stick with me, and eventually marry me, please expect to support me, because I have no intention of pulling my own weight." Furthermore, a date to McDonalds tells me that he's got bad taste and probably isn't very healthy. If I were to stick with this guy, I could expect a poor, white trash existence and having to pay for a husbands funeral far sooner than any wife should, because I doubt this guy was responsible enough to have any kind of savings or life insurance plan. None of that speaks very highly of his personality.

XxXLovexKillsXSomehowxXx 12 years ago

That wasn't actually what chuckr44 meant; a date IS to get to know someone. chuckr44 meant that a date should be to get to know your date, and see if you have something in common, not that you have this and that much money.

jessifromdenver 12 years ago

The point remains that being cheap on a date says horrible things about your personality. Saying your personality alone should be so dazzling that you should make zero effort to provide any other nicety to a date is as delusional as showing up to a job interview in your pajamas and expecting your "qualifications" to win you a job. Um, you can't even dress yourself, why should I even look at your qualifications? Well, the same goes for dating. If you can't afford anything more than ten bucks AND couldn't come up with anything in that price range better than McDonalds, you are a loser. Why should I bother getting to know you any better? I know all I need to know.
We have a problem in society where we're so obsessed with some romantic ideal of what love should be that we end up overlooking the practical. If you don't consider long term compatability and suitability for commitment in the early stages of dating, you are going to be wasting your time going on a lot of dates with losers. Long term commitment is about more than some fairy tale romantic spark, it's about who you are willing to share your resources with. It pays to be practical. Abusers and leeches are charming at first. Judging a person on charm alone is straight up stupid.
What really gets to me is a man will readily say "a woman shouldn't judge me by my wallet, she should only look at my personality" (as if his income and how he chooses to spend money in relation to it doesn't say anything about his personality) then turn around and judge a woman based on her looks, which in most cases she has far less control over than he has over his wallet. Besides, "looking cheap" is not the same thing as looking poor. Cheap means that you are thoughtless and miserly when it comes to how you spend your money, which you can be if you are rich, poor, or anywhere in between. When you make a move that looks cheap, you are telling your date that you are thoughtless and miserly. Don't spend more than you can afford or is reasonable, sure, but that doesn't mean you have to be cheap either.

lodewijkadlp 13 years ago

I'm pretty sure it's a rule to go somewhere relaxed and comfortable. In a movie when a romantic scene is going on there is dimmed relatively brown light, soothing music, calm except for the people in it. Now compare that with McDonalds.

But yeah if you're going for the cheapest place to eat food out, just know all you'll be eating tonight is food.

randki 14 years ago

Its not the money, its about class and how much effort you are putting out. Going to McDs shows no thought and no effort in trying to impress the girl. There are SO many other classy places you can go on a first date. Seriously, if you take your woman to a McDs on the first date, well 9 out of 10 times it will be the last date.

Crakur 15 years ago

imagine this though, your on your date, it's going great, you get the last part of the meal, dessert, then, halfway through your date's parfait she pulls a long nappy hair out of her teeth... now, do you really want to go to McD's on your first date?

chuckr44 15 years ago

I see what you are saying. To be honest I have encountered hairs in my food at nicer family sit down restaurants more often than at a fast food joint. I guess it varies by town though. My point remains. Find a restaurant you both like. Price isn't supposed to matter, unless she wants to pay. The date is to get to know each other, not determine how rich the man is.

GaryMeow 13 years ago

i actually find bikes romantic (and am a girl)

lodewijkadlp 13 years ago

This actually made me laugh.

This and the spongebob themed button you have for an avatar.
Oh wel. (I don't like bikes as a manner of principle, even when you try hard you're not gonna go very fast. Which is kind of the point of transport. Oh well it's cheap and simple.)

lodewijkadlp 13 years ago

I actually read the comments before this page (go figure) and I find the argument very culturally tainted. Love isn't tainted but cultural difference messes things up.
Pick her up in the way she likes to travel. Cars cannot be hated, there too good for that. The only thing against it is expense (and maybe pollution but it's negligible).
Walking is neat too, because it's simple and you were born with those legs. Also makes you look less fat.

Bicycles seem to have a weakling image in America, it makes some sense because Americans never learned to build cycling lanes or build things at convenient distances from each other. In other country's however, a bike can be fine too.

(silly Americans, always thinking there's only their culture)
More Comments