Locations For Every Occasion
Even people with all the dating skill and all the charm and charisma in the world can mess up the whole situation by putting all this greatness in a terrible setting. The thing about dating is that any moment can be made exponentially better or worse by the surrounding context.
And it's not just first dates; even if you've been together for years and know each other inside and out, it's a piece of cake to botch important events like birthdays and anniversaries. Here's a little cheat sheet, from tons of experience and common sense, to help you out:
First Date
If you've only recently met online then you haven't yet met in person. So skip dinner because it's too much pressure for this first date. Instead, opt for something that you can do together that doesn't take up a whole afternoon; rollerblading or skating for instance. If you do want eat together, make it lunch or coffee and dessert.
If you place the activity ahead of the one on one time you'll automatically have a shared experience to talk about. It's fine to get all talking head at each other a few dates down the road, but first dates that involve actually doing something will give you a door into further conversation.
Having a first date like this leaves the end of the date open for other suggestions. If you enjoyed the skating or rollerblading, then perhaps a nice warm cup of hot chocolate or coffee at a nearby caf would be just the thing. From there, who knows?
His/Her Birthday
Birthdays are awesome, I don't care if your five or eight five. And when you're in a relationship they're a great way to show off your awesome side. Though you may want to plan something romantic for just the two of you, he or she has friends that will want to be included in the birthday celebrations as well.
Here's a perfect balance scenario; at least a month ahead of the day, check the local entertainment listing to see if there will be a band playing around their birthday that you sweetie is really into. If there's no band in town that week, find something else special that's not always happening in town and get tickets. Really really good tickets.
The night of, do a nice dinner (because ya gotta eat!), surprise your significant other with the concert (or whatever it is) and just when they think you're the sweetest thing ever for planning this romantic birthday for two, that's when you throw in the kicker: surprise after-party with all of their friends. It's really not too complicated to set up and it'll be a total win.
This post was written by the staff of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can find hundreds of professional dating posts. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
