What the Perfect First Date Looks Like

You have taken the time to talk to each other before you ever meet. You may have been set up, you may have met through an online dating site, or you may have met by chance. You didn’t jump into things though, as you’ve taken the time to talk over email or phone and establish that comfortable foundation early on. This is going to pay off big time!

Though you are both still nervous about that first meeting, you somehow feel a bit calmer than you usually would. You both want to put your best foot forward, and so you spend a little extra time on your appearance. You think of how you look, but also how you come across in terms of your personality and best traits. You have a good feeling about this, and so you exude confidence before you even get there.

It’s All About Setting the Tone Early on

You meet at an agreed-upon public spot, just for a couple of drinks and appetizers. It’s not a formal dinner, it’s nothing fancy or elaborate, but rather just a place that you both feel comfortable at. You aren’t eating or drinking too much, but just enough to allow the conversation to flow while you are in a spot that is mutually comfortable. The right mood is set based on picking this spot together and keeping it light and easy with the plans of the evening.

When you meet up there you both feel excited, happy, and somehow at ease. You are ready for this and you feel like you somehow know each other. He brought you a single long stem rose, just to make you smile. You hug each other when you meet as it feels familiar and like you’ve been talking to each other for years. This is how you continue to keep things light, but taking the time to talk to each other and get to know each other in advance really pays off.

As you think of the perfect first date spot, it may be dependent upon the type of people that you are. Though this may be an individual type of a decision, there are some criteria that can help to set the right framework. Consider these elements and you can find a first date spot that is conducive to getting to know each other and ensures that a second date may actually happen in the end.

1. It allows you to feel comfortable with each other from the moment you meet.

You absolutely need and want to feel comfortable with each other from the moment that you first meet and start talking. If you are in a bar that you feel uneasy in or some sort of location that makes you feel anxious, then you won’t be yourself. Even if you are worried about the price of things or what you will end up doing, then it prohibits you from being yourself and putting yourself out there. Find a nice spot that you both feel comfortable with and you can talk freely within, and it will make all the difference in the world.

2. It has background noise, but you can still talk comfortably to each other.

Realistically, you do not want a place that is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop. Along the same lines, though you also want to be able to talk without the background noise of music or talking gets in the way. Yes, the acoustics of the environment does matter! Find somewhere that has some sort of background noise so that you’re not out of your element, but for which you can also carry on a conversation easily and it will help tremendously.

3. It allows you to both get involved and be an active part of the first date.

An activity that allows interaction between the two of you is perfect. Bowling, a nice dinner, coffee somewhere, or something that is interactive and ensures two parties getting involved is what it’s all about. It’s all about having fun and getting to know each other so that you can decide if there will be the next date—that’s the ultimate goal!

4. You can enjoy a meal or some other main feature as the backdrop of this first meeting.

The reason that so many couples meet at a restaurant is that it’s the perfect environment for the first date. It’s a public place, you can talk while you eat or enjoy some great activity, and this makes for the perfect platform for which to work off. This will help you to accomplish everything you want and enjoy an evening too.

5. It is on the mutual ground and you feel safe there so that you aren’t anxious or uneasy.

If you feel at all uneasy then you will clam up and not talk at all. Make it a very public place and one for which you feel safe. Be willing to speak up if you need to so that you are both comfortable from the start. If you don’t do this then you will spend the entire first date worrying and things won’t progress beyond that, so keep safety at the forefront of your mind too!

From here on out for the remainder of the date, it’s really all about the conversation. It’s flowing easily, it’s a good mutual sharing session, and you could sit here all night. You are both in control and aren’t overdoing it with drinking or talking too much — but you are shocked when you realize that three hours have passed in what seems like minutes. You realize that maybe you should cut things short at this point, but you still keep talking because you’re really having so much fun.

When the date is over, he walks you to your car and you share a gentle first kiss. He doesn’t try to take things any further, and you don’t throw yourself at him. He says he’d love to see you again, and you agree. There’s a good closing, and you both leave smiling. He texts you, later on, that evening to tell you how much he enjoyed the date — and you know that this is the beginning of something great.