Relationship Tips: “Things you need to know before going on a blind date”

There is nothing as frightening as the thought of meeting, for the first time, someone who could probably end up being your partner. You want to make a good first impression and at the same time you don’t want to look too desperate after agreeing to a blind date.

It’s all knots and ties when unravelling blind dates, you can never be too sure with anything. It is as fun meeting a new person as it is worrying about your safety, with fears you might end up getting kidnapped. All in all, the negatives shouldn’t deter you from meeting a potential partner. We have some tips for you on some of the things you need to know before going on a blind date:

Lower your expectations

Whether you are being hooked up by a mutual friend or you met on a dating site, always put your expectations on neutral. Your friend like the dating site is capable of exaggerating some things to make you curious about meeting this person. These might include things like their physique, height or even what they really do for a living.

When you decide to go through with it, give your date a chance to really describe who they are and what they do without overthinking all the other information you had gathered.

When you put your expectations too high, you are likely to get disappointed and ultimately you won’t enjoy the date or want a second one.

Plan ahead of the date

Of course he will ask you where you are most comfortable to meet him, this is your chance to take charge of the date. Go for a place you are most comfortable with, you love the food and most importantly know the prices by heart. You can’t afford to go on a blind date when you can’t pay for your own food.

It is not a guarantee your date believes in chivalry, you might find yourself in a tight spot where you need pay your own bill. Or worse, pay both bills.

If he chooses the venue and you are not comfortable, you can tag your friends along and they can sit on a separate booth to keep an eye on you in case of anything unprecedented.

Who wouldn’t want to leave a lasting impression on a first date? Dress to impress, if you are lucky it might just earn you a second date. Besides you have nothing to lose by dressing your best when the date goes sideways. As mentioned before, when people go on blind dates they come with a lot of expectations, do not go for a blind date looking floppy and unprepared.

First, your date might feel you weren’t looking forward to the meeting and secondly you risk losing the guy at hello. This doesn’t mean you try too hard or be extreme, it will show. Dress in something comfortable and own your scene.

Avoid rambling during the date

Of course you are nervous about your date and you have no idea of what to expect. Relax and remember none of you has the upper hand, you are both getting to see each other for the first time, other than the little data you both gathered on each other, obviously. Relax and talk about yourself and only give information that is relevant to the date.

Also, avoid talking about anything and everything in a desparate move to keep the conversation flowing. Allow your date a chance to talk about themselves so that both sides are balanced. Anyway, you will need to know stuff about your date before deciding on moving forward. This doesn’t mean you go detective mode and start asking personal questions that are likely to make your date uncomfortable.

Enjoy yourself

Once you commit to a blind date, the least you can do is enjoy yourself. You have absolutely nothing to lose on a first date. There is no need going on a date looking your best only to waste it all on being uncomfortable, nervous and verbose. You can’t plan everything, even the best laid plans fail. All you can do is show up and enjoy the moment.