Given how much it takes out of a person simply to approach a stranger at a bar, let alone get their number or ask them out, it seems unfair that you've then got to plan the perfect date, too. Unfortunately going to Disneyland isn't usually a viable option - and neither's Dollywood, which is too bad, because we think that would make an awesome first date.
- The most important rule of first dates is to keep it simple. A date that is too long or too complicated or overly planned is likely to put off your companion for any number of reasons -you'll seem desperate or pushy or controlling or just plain weird. Plus, you've got to save something for later.
- Second, it's mean and underhanded to to make the first date some kind of "challenge" in order to figure out how daring your date is or how hot they look in a bathing suit or how intelligently they can comment on abstract art - save that for the third or fourth date. However, it's perfectly acceptable to choose a first date that highlights one of your own skills - on the pool table, in a museum, navigating a certain neighborhood (e.g. dim sum in Chinatown followed by bubble tea at a little tea shop around the corner).
- Third, the date should not involve some activity that precludes conversation (for example, the opera, the library, a deafening rock concert, or an obnoxiously loud bar). But nobody wants to spend an entire evening in an empty room with nothing but conversation to fill the space, either - that's not a date, that's a police interrogation! Instead, find activities that offer a mild distraction and some potential to spark conversation. For example, a mosh pit hardly screams "romance," but a low-key concert in a small local bar is ideal. (Just avoid folk music - that'd kill even John Mayer's sex drive.)
- On a final note, when making plans together, don't be bossy about your suggestions, but don't be wishy-washy either: "I don't care, whatever you want" is never a good answer to any question.
