We’ve all experienced a first date, haven’t we? We all know how scary it can be. It’s terrifying whatever the situation, whether you’re meeting up with someone you’ve met on one of those online dating sites, if it’s a date set up by friends or even if it’s someone you asked out after meeting them in a bar. Is the venue appropriate? There’s nothing worse than going to a restaurant with someone who doesn’t like anything on the menu or going to a bar where you both feel awkward and out of place.
Then you have to worry about what to wear. Do you go formal? Do you go smart-casual? Are jeans appropriate if you’re a man, or should you wear something a little bit smarter? For girls, does the make up work? Are the clothes flattering and are they sending the right signal? There’s so much to think about on a first date. It seems like you spend more time worrying about the date then you actually do on the date.
At The Dating Show, we thought the best way to answer some of these questions was to test out a first date ourselves, so we sent Rod on a first date with someone he’d been chatting with an online dating site for a few weeks in his quest for love.
To hear him tell his story in his own words, from the horse’s mouth so to speak, you can hear him here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSgx8_1T80
So this is what happened.
We’d arranged to meet up in a chic, expensive looking bar in a posh part of North London at 7 o'clock UK time on a rainy Monday after chatting for a while online on one of those online dating sites. I arrived about 10 minutes early. I was wearing nice jeans and a checked shirt. I thought I looked alright really! I texted my date, Em, who’s in her late thirties, ordered a rather expensive small beer, sat in the corner and a few minutes later she arrived. She was a vision in black. She was petite, and had dark hair and olive green eyes. She’s rather quirky, which I’d already worked out by some of her messages and the two phone calls we've already had. She recognized me straight away, smiled and said I look just like my photo – which to be honest, I didn’t really expect. It shows you that it’s always good to upload an honest picture when you’re looking for love online dating sites.
I told her she looked like her picture on the dating site too. She ordered a glass of white wine and we started chatting face to face, sitting opposite each other over a cosy, candlelit table.
We spoke about music, our jobs, hobbies and the conversation flowed very well. We spent an age talking about cheese. We were there for around two hours and I enjoyed myself as I found her rather attractive. I had to leave and catch the train, and she offered to walk me to the tube station, pointing out her home on the way. A kiss on the cheek, and she was gone into the night. I sent her a text from the train, thanking her for the lovely evening and letting her know that I was nearly home. She replied almost straight away, thanking me and wishing me a safe journey.
I thought it was best to leave it a bit before I replied, so I left it 24 hours, then texted her again to see how she was. We then arranged to meet up again on Friday.
Em wanted to go for a walk, so again we met at the same tube station. This time, she was dressed in a blue top and jeans. First of all we decided to have a cup of tea, then after that, we strolled off for a long walk around the park, which was quite stunning with all the autumn colours. Again, we chatted all afternoon. If I’m honest, the conversation was interesting, intelligent and even a little bit flirty. Within no time at all, we were holding hands, which felt nice and real. After the walk, we decided to go for a pizza and a glass of wine.
Then it was back to the station and a solo journey home. We were there for five hours and we've been texting each other ever since. I feel like I’m attached to my phone as I keep looking at it waiting for the next message to arrive.
If you want some more love advice and tips on online dating, you can listen to the full Dating Show podcast here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAB4R5BJv88